Finding balance – Keeping Pace Strategic Messaging Office of Spill Prevention and Response Department of Fish and Wildlife

WHAT IS A CRISIS? A situation with: Severe consequences Low probability of occurrence Informational and situational uncertainty Decision-making pressure under time constraints

ADMIRAL THAD ALLEN SAYS… There will never be a major disaster that won’t involve public participation.

TO BE EFFECTIVE, BE STRATEGIC Deliver the right message at the right time to the right people

WHO ARE THE RIGHT PEOPLE? Public Governor Legislators Environmentalists Local Government Nation Congress Everyone else – that can be the world!

FOR RESPONSE THIS REQUIRES: A high level of trust between the incident commander, incident management team and team members And an open, efficient communication style Dam up the river of information, and the dust of rumor and distrust will fly

WHY? “If the affected community fails to obtain relevant and timely information, they mobilize informal networks (friends, local news, local NGOs) as sources.” We need to be the source!

BECAUSE IT’S ABOUT TRUST! Source ambiguity – goes to level of trust in info Content ambiguity – goes to clarity of information and ability to interpret meaning Guess which one creates the greatest rumors?

STRATEGIC MESSAGE FOCUS Public Safety: Public safety is the top priority. Public asked to stay away from impacted areas. Action: Unified Command established; response underway. Priorities: Minimize public health threats, damage to the environment, and economic impacts. Wildlife: Public should not attempt to rescue wildlife. Report sightings to Oiled Wildlife Care Network. Volunteers: Volunteers are not being used at this time. UC will evaluate the need. Call for updates

GOING DIRECTLY TO STAKEHOLDERS Give more than you receive Add value to the source/site Build quality relationships Respect the community

AND REMEMBER… Empathy

FIRST EXERCISE - INDIVIDUAL From the scenario provided, with thought about the purpose and mission of your agency in such an incident, create one strategic message.

NOT THE ONLY SOURCE Not exclusive Inclusive

HOW DO WE GET OUR MESSAGE OUT? Traditional – fact sheet, press release, interviews, tours, community meetings Social media – Tweets, Facebook, more Website

CHALLENGES  Timely and accurate information  Transparency and accessibility  Today’s media cycle runs 24/7  News helicopters and reporters often at incident before responders  Individuals and groups outside of the response voice opinions before we get there  Social media lets unofficial information to spread quickly

TRADITIONAL MEDIA IS … TV, radio, print Social media does not make traditional media obsolete – integrated Zoom in on the sensational aspects of a disaster from a single onlooker’s perspective The media interprets press releases

SOCIAL MEDIA IS… A mash up of new and traditional media that spans across advertising, PR, customer service, marcom, sales and community relations Local social networks and resources provide info more relevant to the individual Social media provides an additional source of info beyond mass media and public meetings

WHO’S GETTING THESE MESSAGES AND WHERE?

THINK STRATEGICALLY It’s not just a web site – it’s a resource Brand where you can Get them to follow you now, and they will trust you later Become “the source”

FRIGHTENING FACTS American Red Cross Study of 1,058 surveyed: 44% would ask other people in their social network to call authorities 35% would post request for help directly on response agency Facebook 69% said emergency responders should monitor social media in order to help 74% expected help to arrive in less than 1 hour after tweet or Facebook post

MORE FACTS

SOCIAL MEDIA – BE STRATEGIC – IT’S A TOOL Twitter is for delivering the news Tweets come up in a google search Local news crawlers carry minutes from sending Facebook is where we talk about the news

MORE FACTS

PERCEPTION IS REALITY!

St. Denis, Lise Ann, Palen, Leisyan, & Anderson, Kenneth. (2014) Mastering Social Media: An Analysis of Jefferson County’s Communications during the 2013 Colorado Floods. 11 th Annual International ISCRAM Conference. University Park, PA. Govdelivery.com. (2014) 3 Trends Taking over 2014 Digital Communications in the Public Sector. Oh, Onook. (2013) Three Essays on the Role of Social Media in Social Crises: A collective Sensemeaking View. State University of New York, Buffalo, NY. Hunter, Zoe S. (2013) The Importantce of Social media for Image Restoration. Quinnipiciac University. Hilton, Elspeth, Keeton, Jeremy & Whiting, Libby. (2012) Using Social Media to Communicate Science Exploring the Role of Information During Environmental Disasters. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. University of Washington: Dr. Robert Pavia. Cavanaugh, Patrick James. (2009) Engaging in the Conversation; Best Practices in Strategic Social Media. University of Southern California. REFERENCES:

ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE BREAKOUT… Alexia Retallack -

EXERCISES - GROUP Putting you into groups. Your next tasks for breakout session will be: Create two strategic messages for the group to use. Create questions, get answers