A crisis can put tremendous stress—organizationally and psychologically—on leaders; stress that can be alleviated through strategic planning and preparation. Select one of the two focused breakouts below to delve deeper into a topic. Each track includes an “Application” component designed to provide an opportunity to practice your new knowledge and skills.

Track 1: Developing an Issues Management Program

Learning

Every major issue or crisis an institution faces not only poses a significant reputational risk but also consumes time and resources that would be better spent on other activities. Given that, we strongly believe that a disciplined and rigorous approach to issues management should be at the heart of any program designed to understand, build, and protect an institution’s reputation.

Whereas crisis management is about managing high-impact events to protect the ongoing viability and reputation of the institution when you have very few choices and tools, issues management is about pushing back the timeline—creating options, buying time, and ultimately (and ideally) preventing the avoidable, self-inflicted crises from occurring in the first place.

The essential challenge—and, ultimately, the promise—of an Issues Management Program is to nip the smaller and more manageable issues in the bud before they can blossom into a full-blown crisis. Essentially it is about breaking a vicious cycle—installing smoke detectors so you can stop fighting fires.

In this breakout, we’ll explore the following questions:

• What is the difference between an issue and a crisis?
• Does it matter?
• How do you stop fighting fires and finally get ahead of your issues?

And provide concrete tools to help your institution begin to develop a program, using our:

• Issue Identification & Prioritization Tool which helps provide the much-needed rigor and discipline to the process of understanding both strategic opportunities as well as slower-moving risks the institution faces.
•  “CASE” Options Analysis Framework to help the team assess the risk or opportunity each issue presents and to match that to tangible strategic action.

Application:

Begin drafting—with our team’s support—a Specific Issue Response Plan:

• Defining goals/objectives
• Identifying any “low-hanging fruit” that could quickly make a significant impact/difference.
• Determining appropriate metrics to measure progress.
• Incorporating reporting / escalation criteria into any existing processes to ensure early warning of related and concerning developments.
• Documenting approval process, costs, and timelines for implementation, as necessary.
• Creating a Stakeholder Engagement Strategy

Track 2: Preparing for Contentious Media Interviews & Campus Meetings

Learning:

During periods of significant change or crisis, there are unavoidable high stakes encounters with key stakeholders that can present significant risk to an institution and its leadership. They are also the situations in which the reputation of the institution and its relationships with its critical stakeholders can either be strengthened or severely damaged.

While traditional media training builds confidence through the development of public speaking skills, an awareness of body language and appearance, and the reinforcement and practice of consistent messaging, this session goes beyond, teaching leaders to connect with myriad stakeholders in meaningful ways under the most difficult of circumstances.

We’ll cover:

• the current media landscape and how news organizations work

• the expectations and information needs of the range of stakeholders who are critical to the institution’s long-term success
• engagement through storytelling

We’ll also discuss techniques and tools that build connections and de-escalate heated situations including:

• The importance of and approaches to demonstrate active listening
• Understanding deeper and, perhaps, unstated stakeholder needs and perspectives
• Reflecting compassion and empathy in your speech and demeanor
• Reading the room and adapting your approach in the moment
• Identifying appropriate “venting” versus indicators of possible violence

Application:

“Stress-test” your new skills through simulated interviews and/or town hall-style questioning to ensure that you are:

• adhering to core messaging
• using bridging techniques
• controlling voice and body language

Track 3: Active Shooter—Planning for the Unthinkable

Learning:

Daily headlines remind us of the threat and impact of violence in our communities. Active shooter events are horrific, sudden, and high-profile and can have a profound impact on students, parents, faculty, and staff and the trust they have in the safety of their classrooms, residences, and workplaces. Understandably, with each new incident in the news, the concern on campuses grows as does the pressure on leaders to take action to prevent violent acts and keep communities safer. Yet few schools have adequately prepared beyond tactical training for police departments and ambiguous statements in their handbooks about workplace violence.

By taking steps now to develop a broad and holistic approach to mitigate, respond to, and manage the impacts and consequences of this most troubling of risks, you can help your community be as prepared as possible. In this breakout we’ll cover an abridged version of our Active Shooter playbook, where we’ll explore best practice and lessons learned from peer institutions with a specific focus on emergency and strategic communications in three parts:

• Part 1: Prepare — Building for an Effective Response
• Part 2: Respond — Meeting the Immediate Information Needs of Your Community
• Part 3: Recover — Providing the Emotional, Humanitarian, and Strategic Support Necessary to Move Forward

Application:

Participate in a brief Table-Top Scenario to test your knowledge and new skills, focusing on:

• The urgency and high pressure of a real-time active shooter scenario
• Meeting the needs of stakeholders and all their possible concerns
• The impacts of and recovery after the crisis