Tips for building a strategic
communications plan
Crisis is the great equalizer, which is why building a strategic communications
plan is important. Every plan should be built with crisis in mind and tested regularly to determine effectiveness. Along the way, assess the successes and challenges you have with the plan and manipulate as needed.
In building your plan, consider the following:
• Who are the decision-makers within the district office and who needs to be part
of building the plan? Go beyond the superintendent, assistant superintendents
and communications officers. Consider the heads of facilities, transportation,
school safety and food services.
• Who will you inform first? In most cases, you follow this order: 1) Principals and
school board 2) teachers 3) parents and students 4) media 5) community members.
• Who is the district spokesperson?
• Based on the decisions you make, how long will it take for the plan to be executed?
Large school districts normally employ media relations and/or communications
specialists who act as spokesperson. In medium to small districts, that responsibility will fall on the district superintendent or an assistant superintendent.
In preparing to speak to reporters, parents and community members, make sure
you have the following things in your communications toolbox:
• Know facts and figures on your district, schools, teachers, staff and students, as
well as your community. You are the face of the district and it’s your responsibility
to know as much as you can about the district you represent.
• Understand the subject matter you’ll be discussing and don’t be afraid to take on
a leadership role.
• Less is more. You don’t need to give out every piece of information at once,
just the information that matters at that time. Provide information that addresses
questions in the following order: 1) Are the students safe? 2) What happened that
possibly impacted the students? 3) What did you do to keep students safe? 4)
What is the current situation? 5) Are the students safe?
• If you don’t know the answer to a specific question, don’t make up an answer.
Tell the reporter you will find out and get back to them, then follow through. That
helps build a relationship of trust.
• Treat others respectfully. Remember, reporters are human beings.
• It’s not about you. Teachers, parents, students and community members don’t
need to know who you are and what you think. They only care about the information.
• Never say “no comment.” Nothing raises suspicions more than when a public
figure declines to provide even basic details.
Building a communications plan and testing it regularly could be the difference
between calm during a crisis and chaos. The stronger your plan, the easier it is to
maintain calm during crisis.
14
Leadership
ple. One story. Three sets of people. Three
different ways to interpret that story.
A paper copy of the Sacramento Bee arrives at my home every morning before 5
a.m. But I don’t read it. Unless it is the weekend, and it’s the sports section, I don’t even
remove the rubber band. For me, the paper
copy of the Bee is a complete waste of money.
My wife is different. She reads the Bee
cover-to-cover almost every single day.
Missing a day of the Bee has a tremendous
impact on her. She can’t properly complete
her day without getting newspaper ink on
her hands. For her, the newspaper is her
source of information.
My news and information comes from
Twitter. A Tweet of 140 characters and a link
to a longer story is all I need to find out what
is happening or has happened in the world.
Plus, I am able to customize my news feed.
My daughters get their information from
television. NBC News is on every morning
in my home, and my daughters learn about
the day’s events, watch the latest amazing
moment captured on video, and gather all
their political headlines.
Three sets of people and possibly three
different versions of the same story. That
could lead to three interpretations. It’s a conundrum that requires that you stick strictly
to the facts. Facts are tough to manipulate.
Yes, you’ll meet some people that will even
question the facts. But facts are facts, and
like math, numbers don’t lie.
When an individual is questioned, no
matter who is asking the question, the tendency is to get defensive. Your time to think
differently begins now.
Pick up the phone, draft an email or stop
by the local newspaper office and meet your
area reporters. Build a relationship of trust
by thinking offensively and connecting with
people before they need you. Remember, reporters are human beings. Treating them as
such makes you a leader.
Naj Alikhan is senior director of
communications for ACSA. He has
nearly 20 years of experience as
a newspaper, radio and television
news reporter and anchor.