Navigating crisis communications in HE: strategies for an effective response

In today’s interconnected and social media-driven world, crisis situations can emerge swiftly and suddenly. These stressful circumstances can quickly feel like out-of-control roller-coaster rides, with limited time to prepare responses that will not only help keep a situation from spiralling but also protect an organisation’s long-term brand reputation. 

Universities are not immune to such challenges. From campus safety concerns to incidents involving staff or students to issues with research or free speech, crises can have a profound impact on the reputation of institutions among current and prospective students and staff, policymakers, donors and more. The development and implementation of an effective crisis communications strategy is therefore paramount to safeguarding an institution’s integrity, managing public perceptions and protecting the well-being of an entire campus community.

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Proactive crisis management is driven by the development of a comprehensive communications strategy. Putting one into place before situations arise will enable you to respond effectively as a joined-up organisation when challenges hit.

Brainstorming

Start by considering issues you are most likely to face, which would be most damaging and how you might prepare in advance. Also think about what systems and processes should be put into place – for instance, a more robust complaints procedure – to minimise the risk of occurrence and bolster defences if something does go wrong.

Stakeholder management

A university has a vast stakeholder ecosystem. That means when responding to a crisis, it’s necessary to account for how it will impact each stakeholder group: from remaining attractive to current and prospective students and staff to ensuring steady funding streams for research and development and maintaining widespread support given intense political interest in universities as large employers in localities and regions, universities must consider the serious and potentially different implications any given crisis could have on its array of stakeholders.

Key components of crisis preparation are therefore stakeholder mapping, scenario planning linked to each stakeholder group and the determination of how each group will be contacted. Informing stakeholders before they learn about an issue in the press gives you the opportunity to control the message and dispel rumours or misinformation that risk eroding trust.

Dependent on the situation, there may be wider sensitivities that command particular attention to every aspect of the crisis management process and a need to ensure it is handled well at a human level – for example, in a tragic event such as a student suicide, family engagement is critical.

Timing will also be a key consideration here – is the crisis striking during summer, which may entail a less student-focused response? Is it happening around key events such as graduations or welcome weeks? If so, how might that increase attention to the issue from both stakeholders who will be on site and from media? What else is going on in the background that might impact on or define your response?

Protocols and processes

For effective crisis management, all colleagues should know via clear protocols what process to follow rather than acting independently or rashly. Once risks have been identified and a comprehensive communications plan has been established, these can be compiled into a crisis management protocol that should be regularly reviewed and updated. 

Don’t forget the importance of social media in this, particularly given that large numbers of students will be both interested in a situation and active on multiple platforms. Indeed, crises increasingly originate on social media, then rapidly escalate and spread like wildfire.

As part of the protocol, determine in advance who drafts any necessary communications and tailors it to each group, who to contact if a crisis would benefit from the external eyes of someone not directly involved, who signs off communications and who will be responsible for liaising with each stakeholder group, including media, and who will be monitoring social media and responding to posts if advisable to do so. Knowing if, when and how to respond to situations or posts on social media can be a particularly thorny trap, which may require expert external advice to navigate effectively, particularly as each social media issue may require a distinct approach.

To ensure swift mitigation of any risk of delays, establish clear internal protocols for sign-off for all crisis communications. Make sure it is clear who should be the first point of communications-related contact when crisis strikes or media enquiries come in so the situation can be managed quickly, expertly and sensitively.

It is helpful to include template media statements and stakeholder communications in the plan and to rehearse mock scenarios to verify that the university’s processes perform as expected in moments of high stress.

Crisis situations can pose significant challenges, but with effective strategies that include predicting, planning and preparing for a crisis, institutions can mitigate potential damage, protect reputations and maintain public trust.

Rebuilding reputation

Lastly, rebuilding reputation once the dust has settled. A post-mortem evaluation of what went wrong will be key, along with the development of clear long-term messaging focused on, for instance, how internal procedures or training will be reviewed, other mitigations and actions taken or planned and what the expected impact of those will be.

Additionally, when the timing is right to avoid conflating negative and positive issues or appearing insensitive, consider a planned programme of proactive PR and positive stakeholder communications to win back hearts and minds, push negative stories down search results and re-engage stakeholders as your advocates – serving to benefit you in the long term when future challenges arise.

Tiffany Beck is head of education at PLMR, a UK-based public affairs, PR and digital marketing agency.

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