Education institutions – whether they be college campuses, high schools, or all the way down to pre-K – are meant to be places where students learn, socialize, and above all else, feel safe. From time to time, however, these institutions may find themselves face-to-face with crisis incidents that they must respond to. These situations could come in the form of a medical emergency, natural disaster, criminal activity, among other things. One of the most crucial aspects of a crisis response is communications; it is vital that information is disseminated in a timely and accurate manner in order to best ensure a safe resolution for all involved. The ways in which an institution handles a crisis from a communications standpoint can have massive impacts on not only the outcome of the situation, but also on the long-term trust and reputation of the institution itself. As such, it is critical that all education institutions develop and implement a Crisis Communications Plan so that they are properly prepared for if and when a crisis occurs.

Belfort Group is an integrated public relations and marketing agency with more than 40 years of experience in dealing with crisis communications across multiple industries, including: education, health care, real estate, and many more. Our BG Strategies Team is made up of former journalists and media relations professionals who are dedicated to ensure that all crisis incidents are handled successfully and that our clients’ reputations are maintained. Let us help you develop a Crisis Communications Plan so that you’re prepared before an incident arises.

Crisis Communications is Proactive, NOT Reactive

The most important thing to understand is that, contrary to popular belief, crisis communications is not reactive, but is rather proactive. This may seem counterintuitive at first; after all, how is it possible to respond to a crisis that hasn’t happened yet? The thing to realize, however, is that the response is put into place well before any incident occurs, and the crisis itself is simply a catalyst for the response to be put into action. Take, for example, a restaurant: A kitchen would never wait until the first order comes in before turning on all the stoves and chopping up all the ingredients, all that is done well in advance of dinner service. The process of cooking a meal is nothing more than the execution of the kitchen’s prep work. 

Crisis Communications is no different. To put it into the simplest terms: If you wait until a crisis strikes before making a response plan, it’s far too late. By the time you figure out who’s in charge, who the spokesperson is, and draft a statement, the situation may have already evolved into something bigger, and you run the risk of putting people in danger, but also permanently damaging your institution’s reputation, which could lead to negative repercussions regarding future enrollment and tuition revenue. The only way to avoid that happening is to create a Crisis Communications Plan as soon as possible and ensure that it is understood by everyone within your institution. 

Make A Plan (And Hope You Never Need It)

A Crisis Communications Plan is a comprehensive document that outlines the plan of action for an institution to follow in the case of an emergency situation and is meant to address any possible contingency that may arise. The process of developing a Crisis Communications Plan includes:

1. Establishing A Crisis Team
   • The Crisis Team should be composed of high-ranking leaders within the institution (ex. Dean, President, CEO, etc.), as well as communications professionals who have expertise dealing with the media, such as Belfort Group. It is important that this team consists of individuals with a significant amount of authority to ensure that all directions are followed in the case of a crisis. The Crisis Team will be in charge of developing the Crisis Response Protocol and will be the first group to be mobilized when a crisis incident arises. 
     
2. Creating A Crisis Response Protocol
   • The Crisis Response Protocol is a step-by-step guide for everyone within an institution to follow during a crisis, from the Crisis Team all the way down to the lowest-level employees. The guide should include things such as: instructions on where employees should gather during an emergency, details as to how information will be relayed from the Crisis Team, who to contact at local police and fire departments, and what to do if an employee is contacted by the media. The Crisis Response Protocol should be as detailed as possible in order to limit confusion during a crisis and must be followed explicitly so as to avoid potential safety issues. 
     
3. Developing Message Guides
   • The Crisis Team should develop placeholder messages to have ready in case of an emergency, including media statements, letters to the community, and frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the institution. Having these messages already drafted when a crisis occurs will save valuable time and help free up members of the Crisis Team to focus on other matters.
     
4. Training Stakeholders
   • It’s not enough for just the Crisis Team to know the Crisis Response Protocol, but rather every single person within the institution needs to be aware of it as well. Anyone not adequately trained on what to do during an emergency runs the risk of putting themselves, and possibly others, in danger. It is the responsibility of the Crisis Team to ensure that all employees and necessary stakeholders are fully up-to-speed regarding the Crisis Response Protocol. Educating employees about the Crisis Response Protocol should involve disseminating the protocol to all employees, both physically and digitally, conducting group training sessions, and potentially holding mock crises. 
     
5. Continuously Updating The Plan
   • A successful Crisis Communications Plan is not a “set it and forget it” document. Instead, it is something that should be frequently re-evaluated and updated (at least once a quarter) to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of the institution.

When Crisis Strikes

Let’s say, for example, that there is an incident involving hazardous materials inside the science lab of a college campus. The campus public safety department, who received the 911 call, informs the school’s communications officer as per the Crisis Response Protocol. At this point, the Crisis Communications Plan is in motion. The communications officer should activate the rest of the Crisis Team, who will then instruct the public safety department to send a text and email alert to everyone on campus informing them of the incident and directing them to avoid the affected area. At the same time, the message guides should be updated to reflect the situation and kept at the ready for when inquiries begin coming in; as media start arriving on campus, there should be a member of the Crisis Team and a public safety officer on scene to direct them to the predetermined staging area. Throughout the incident, the Crisis Team should remain in constant contact with first responders for updates on the incident, and new information should be released to the campus and public as necessary. In addition, a member of the Crisis Team should monitor news reports and social media to ensure that no incorrect details are being released, and to combat any false information that may arise.

Post-Incident Evaluation

Once the crisis situation is over, it is important for the Crisis Team to gather and discuss the implementation of the Crisis Communications Plan and ways in which it could be improved for future incidents. During this stage, the following questions should be asked:

• Was everyone on campus kept safe throughout the incident?
• Was the Crisis Response Protocol followed by everyone within the institution?
• Was there any confusion or unanswered questions regarding what should happen?
• Was information released in a timely and accurate manner

It is crucial that the Crisis Team takes a critical look into every action that was made throughout the incident to ensure that every mistake or miscue, no matter how small, is spotted and addressed in the next version of the Crisis Communications Plan.

Closing Thoughts

When it comes to crisis communications, results are not measured by the number of media hits or social media engagements, but rather by metrics that are far less tangible: safety, leadership, the flow of accurate information. The successful execution of a Crisis Communications Plan could mean the difference between people being kept safe or not, and it could mean the difference between an institution’s reputation being kept intact or not.

Crisis Communications Plans are not a “good to have,” they’re a “must have.” All education institutions should strongly consider hiring a professional public relations agency such as Belfort Group to develop a Crisis Communications Plan and ensure that they are prepared for any situation.