Letter to a Young PIO Handling his or her first Crisis

When I took over the role of PIO for my organization (one of many hats), I knew that one day a crisis would come.  And it finally happened.  This week, after flirting with entering a moderate flood stage for little over a week, the river running through a central portion of my community spilled over the banks and surrounded local structures.  Yesterday, the river crested in the major flood stage and is now, after thousands of sandbags, long days for staff and one shot of me on national news for which I owe everyone pizza, finally on the downward trend.

Whew.  Hallelujah, it's over - at least, as far as the critical stage.  Now, we get to move on to recovery, which while messy, is at least not life critical.  Yesterday was my first day of peace and quiet (the phone only rang four times!), and so, I wanted to capture my thoughts on what went well and what didn't for those newer PIOs out nervously watching their rivers or the skies and thinking about how best to prepare.

You're not in this alone: Whether you're writing press releases or talking to the press directly, always keep in mind that you're not alone and others want to help.  My strategy assumed I would be on my own entirely, but I had a great team around me who was willing to review press releases, automated messages and media talking points.  I didn't utilize all of them as much as I should have.  When thinking through response, keep in mind those who can help you keep on point and in the loop to help craft the messaging.

Substance then narrative: Obviously, the substantive points are important when handling a crisis.  However, capturing and broadcasting the narrative is as well.  A narrative helps others understand the crisis, what has been done, what will happen and the part everyone played in it.  A short memo with just facts is unlikely to promote confidence in the public that you are managing the crisis and also unlikely to gather much media interest in hearing what else you may have to say.

Journalists are looking for a story: Before journalists are even anywhere close to calling you, start thinking through your management of them.  Remember, they are looking for a story.  They'll want to talk to people involved in the crisis, personnel on the ground, etc.  Often, they'll even volunteer their angle before meeting with you.  Do you want to take them as they come?  Do you want to hold daily press briefings or press conferences?  Do you solely want to issue statements or press releases?  Remember, the more generalized an emergency (spread out over a large area or low important), the less likely they'll pay attention to you specifically unless you're either (1) ahead of the news cycle (issuing statements before or anyone else) or (2) you're acting as part of or representing a larger group.  My information ended up on national news, because I could give specific information at a press conference held in joint with a larger group.

This week, I issued regular statements, took reporters as they called and participated in press conferences if they were available.  Journalists seemed to appreciate this approach.  Plus, if they asked for tours of the impacted area, I took them.  It gave me plenty of time to give them information to control the narrative.  Plus, I also the rare kind of person who genuinely enjoys interacting with the press.

Don't Leave Your Constituents Out in the Cold: Ultimately, your purpose is to get information to the people impacted or those that are potentially impacted.  You want to inspire confidence and make sure that they have all the information necessary to make informed decisions.  Use every tool in your arsenal and think through a communications strategy.  When I issued press releases, everyone got them.  When we issued specific automated messages to the impacted area, everyone knew we had with the next press release.  Don't focus on the press to the detriment of the public.

Inspire Confidence: When you speak to the press or the public, speak confidently.  If you don't know, say you don't but that you'll get back to whoever asked.  I consistently added to all statements at the height of the crisis, "The organization is open and all core services are operational."  Confidence breeds trust, and again, your job is to get information out but it's also to inspire confidence and trust.

Practical Tips: Here are some practical tips I'd pass on for how to successfully handle various parts of the job during a crisis:

• Keep your suit coat on a hanger nearby at all times in case you need to go live for an interview.  For this crisis, it stayed in my car most of the time or I wore it if there was a chance of running into press somewhere nearby.
• When the press wants to get sound bytes or you're at a press conference, introduce yourself and spell your name.  Then give them your title.  They're used to this style and it helps them verify their information.
• If you're working outside of your office, forward all messages to your cell phone.  It's just easier for keeping track of your calls.  Plus, it helps guard your personal cell phone number (if you're using that).
• If you're making public statements at a press conference, making sure your font is large enough to be easily read and found if you're looking for a number.  I wrote mine is Times 12, and while I found the number fairly quick, I struggled a little bit.
• Social media is an excellent tool for keeping people updated during a crisis.  Make sure to advertise your accounts in your press releases and statements.
• Pay attention to what others are saying.  If another community or organization issues a good press release or has a good strategy, see what you can learn and apply from watching them.

As always, remain calm and if you're unsure, reach out to your colleagues.