Crisis Crisis CommunicationsCommunications

Xavier University StyleXavier University Style

What were your observations during the What were your observations during the crisis as far as communications where crisis as far as communications where concerned at the following levels:  concerned at the following levels:  

Individual (person to person); group to group, Individual (person to person); group to group, organization (the library family), the university as a organization (the library family), the university as a community?community?

What is the communications role of leadership in a What is the communications role of leadership in a crisis?crisis?

What were the lessons learned?What were the lessons learned? Should a library have a crisis communications plan?Should a library have a crisis communications plan? What core elements do you think should be included in What core elements do you think should be included in

such a plan? such a plan?

Individual CommunicationsIndividual Communications

TelephoneTelephone

Initially poor to non-existantInitially poor to non-existant No individual had comprehensive staff No individual had comprehensive staff

contact infocontact info Some staff didn’t have cell phonesSome staff didn’t have cell phones

E-MailE-Mail

Initially non-existentInitially non-existent With University Technology Infrastructure With University Technology Infrastructure

taken down prior to storm, all university e-taken down prior to storm, all university e-mail accounts disappeared.mail accounts disappeared.

Most faculty and staff quickly got Yahoo, Most faculty and staff quickly got Yahoo, Hotmail, or Gmail accounts, but e-mail Hotmail, or Gmail accounts, but e-mail contact between colleagues only followed contact between colleagues only followed phone contact.phone contact.

Group CommunicationsGroup Communications

Improved rapidly once Improved rapidly once individual contacts were individual contacts were made.made.

Although no one individual Although no one individual had contact information for had contact information for the entire organization, each the entire organization, each was in contact with two or was in contact with two or more co-workers.more co-workers.

Associate and Assistant Associate and Assistant Directors all made it to stable Directors all made it to stable locations with landlines, locations with landlines, greatly facilitating contact greatly facilitating contact between the Director and between the Director and other staff members.other staff members.

By mid-October, the Director By mid-October, the Director had been in touch with all but had been in touch with all but a handful of faculty and staff.a handful of faculty and staff.

A few faculty and staff made A few faculty and staff made little to no effort to contact little to no effort to contact supervisors or the Director. supervisors or the Director. Their whereabouts remained Their whereabouts remained a mystery until early 2006a mystery until early 2006

Organizational CommunicationOrganizational Communication

Organizational communication Organizational communication proved to be sporadic.proved to be sporadic.

Hard news from University Hard news from University Administration was limited, Administration was limited, inhibiting the Director’s ability to inhibiting the Director’s ability to keep library faculty and staff keep library faculty and staff aware of progress.aware of progress.

University as CommunityUniversity as Community

What happened:What happened: An Emergency university web site, established earlier in the year went An Emergency university web site, established earlier in the year went

live almost immediately. It accomplished the following:live almost immediately. It accomplished the following: It provided a link to a directory of faculty and administrative temporary It provided a link to a directory of faculty and administrative temporary

e-mail addresses.e-mail addresses. It served as the platform for irregular bulletins that described some It served as the platform for irregular bulletins that described some

recovery efforts.recovery efforts. It offered assurance that the university would reopen in January of It offered assurance that the university would reopen in January of

2006.2006.What didn’tWhat didn’t:: Provide a listing of contact information for staff personnel.Provide a listing of contact information for staff personnel. Offer regular updates. Sometimes weeks went by with no new Offer regular updates. Sometimes weeks went by with no new

information posted about the university or its future plans, particularly information posted about the university or its future plans, particularly regarding the employment status of faculty and staff.regarding the employment status of faculty and staff.

Provide easy access to senior university officials.Provide easy access to senior university officials. Offer detailed information on the condition of the campus or specific Offer detailed information on the condition of the campus or specific

clarification of news that came through the major television networks.clarification of news that came through the major television networks.

What is the communications What is the communications role of leadership in a crisis?role of leadership in a crisis?

A free flow of communications is a hallmark A free flow of communications is a hallmark of good organizational management.of good organizational management.

A constant flow of information helps A constant flow of information helps maintain morale.maintain morale.

Good information given in a timely fashion Good information given in a timely fashion enables organizational members to think enables organizational members to think clearly and contribute ideas toward the clearly and contribute ideas toward the moderation of the crisis.moderation of the crisis.

Maybe Leadership Maybe Leadership Should Integrate:Should Integrate:

The Marine Corps Leadership Principles

Develop a sense of Develop a sense of responsibilityresponsibility among your subordinates. among your subordinates.

Operate through the Operate through the Chain of commandChain of command..

Know your people Know your people and look out and look out for their welfare.for their welfare. Put your people’sPut your people’s welfare ahead of your own.welfare ahead of your own. See the members of your unit and let them see See the members of your unit and let them see

you so that they may all know you and feel you you so that they may all know you and feel you know them. Be approachable.know them. Be approachable.

Determine what your unit’s mental attitude is; Determine what your unit’s mental attitude is; keep in touch with their thoughts.keep in touch with their thoughts.

Make sound and Make sound and timely decisionstimely decisions

Consider the advice and suggestions of your Consider the advice and suggestions of your subordinates whenever possible before making subordinates whenever possible before making decisions.decisions.

Announce decisions in time to allow Announce decisions in time to allow subordinates to make necessary plans. subordinates to make necessary plans.

Make sure your people are familiar with your Make sure your people are familiar with your policies and plans.policies and plans.

Consider the effects of your decisions on all Consider the effects of your decisions on all members of your group.members of your group.

Keep your people informed.Keep your people informed. Whenever possible, explain why tasks must Whenever possible, explain why tasks must

be done and how you intend to do them. be done and how you intend to do them. Assure yourself that immediate subordinates Assure yourself that immediate subordinates

are passing along necessary information. are passing along necessary information. Be alert to the spread of rumors. Stop rumors Be alert to the spread of rumors. Stop rumors

by replacing them with the truth.by replacing them with the truth. Build morale by publicizing information Build morale by publicizing information

concerning the successes of your unit.concerning the successes of your unit. Keep your unit informed about factors Keep your unit informed about factors

affecting their pay and benefits.affecting their pay and benefits.

Build TeamworkBuild Teamwork

Use the voice of all to develop a plan, Use the voice of all to develop a plan, sometimes it’s the persons in the sometimes it’s the persons in the trenches that have great ideas.trenches that have great ideas.

What were the lessons learned?What were the lessons learned?

Cell phone numbers and Cell phone numbers and emergency e-mail accounts emergency e-mail accounts should be established by all key should be established by all key faculty and staff prior to faculty and staff prior to emergencies.emergencies.

All supervisors should have All supervisors should have emergency contact information emergency contact information for their immediate subordinates.for their immediate subordinates.

Library leadership should set a Library leadership should set a tentative time to establish multi-tentative time to establish multi-party contact to share information party contact to share information and discuss possible post-and discuss possible post-emergency responses.emergency responses.

Don’t wait for upper-level Don’t wait for upper-level university administration to university administration to contact Library leadership. Be contact Library leadership. Be pro-active, have concrete pro-active, have concrete suggestions and suggestions and recommendations.recommendations.

Library leadership should Library leadership should contact each other regularly contact each other regularly whether there is new information whether there is new information to share or not, and staff should to share or not, and staff should be kept aware of what is known be kept aware of what is known and not known. Saying nothing and not known. Saying nothing only damages morale.only damages morale.

Should a library have a crisis Should a library have a crisis communications plan?communications plan?

AbsolutelyAbsolutely ! !

What core elements do you think should be What core elements do you think should be included in such a plan?included in such a plan?

Have a written plan of action that addresses problems Have a written plan of action that addresses problems and responses to fire, flood, and wind catastrophe, and responses to fire, flood, and wind catastrophe, including the names of consultants and companies including the names of consultants and companies experienced in addressing such catastrophes.experienced in addressing such catastrophes.

All key personnel should have primary contact All key personnel should have primary contact information for subordinates.information for subordinates.

In addition to primary contact info, key personnel In addition to primary contact info, key personnel should also have contact information for close relatives should also have contact information for close relatives of staff in case primary methods of communication fail.of staff in case primary methods of communication fail.

What have we done!What have we done!

Everyone Library worker completed: Everyone Library worker completed:

Library Resource Center Emergency ConLibrary Resource Center Emergency Contact Informationtact Information

Developing a Remote user-group via Developing a Remote user-group via Yahoo or GoogleYahoo or Google

Each Library worker will have contact Each Library worker will have contact information on each otherinformation on each other