Building an Effective Communication Plan
Leveraging Social Media Effectively
Scheduling Regular Press Briefings
Coordinating with Key Stakeholders
Connecting with your Community
Establishing an Internal Communication Plan
Regularly scheduled press briefings are an important part of a crisis communication plan and should be coordinated with any social media efforts. Regularly scheduled press briefings conducted by and coordinated with governmental and community leaders can instill a sense of calmness within your community and project leadership and strength during times of crisis. If used effectively, they can promote community unity during post-attack and recovery efforts.4
Ensuring that all officers within your department are hearing directly from the head of the agency creates a sense of cohesiveness. While the public information office largely focuses on external communication, someone directly within the chief’s office may take the lead on internal communication, with close review and dissemination by the head of the agency, during incidents.5 Internal communication plans may or may not include emails, blogs, or vlogs for keeping officers up-to-date.
Some key stakeholders may have engagement requirements to ensure that they are properly involved in and fully informed of ongoing events.6 Assigning a department liaison to these stakeholders can be an effective way to manage these relationships. Key stakeholders that may require specific engagement include, for example, elected officials, community or business groups, leaders of the affected area, activist organizers, allied public safety organizations, educational system leaders, health care, public works, utilities, and victims’ families.7
Effectively using social media requires that you either have a system in place before the incident occurs or have established an agreement with another agency to perform these duties on your behalf. Implementing your social media communications plan should begin as the incident is taking place. Social media can be used to track the event and establish your department as an official source of information.2 Social media can be used to issue community warnings, instructions, and initial information on an event. It can also be a source of acquiring public feedback and may result in lead development.3
Engaging with your community and key stakeholders should not begin with the incident. Your incident specific outreach and engagement efforts must be a continuation of what you do before an incident occurs. Connecting with your community and stakeholders before a crisis leads to stronger community partnerships and public trust in your agency. Continuously engaging before, during, and after an incident will ultimately instill confidence during a tragedy.
SLATT_Module 6_Key Elements Effective Communication
START Training
Created on October 16, 2023
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Transcript
Building an Effective Communication Plan
Leveraging Social Media Effectively
Scheduling Regular Press Briefings
Coordinating with Key Stakeholders
Connecting with your Community
Establishing an Internal Communication Plan
Regularly scheduled press briefings are an important part of a crisis communication plan and should be coordinated with any social media efforts. Regularly scheduled press briefings conducted by and coordinated with governmental and community leaders can instill a sense of calmness within your community and project leadership and strength during times of crisis. If used effectively, they can promote community unity during post-attack and recovery efforts.4
Ensuring that all officers within your department are hearing directly from the head of the agency creates a sense of cohesiveness. While the public information office largely focuses on external communication, someone directly within the chief’s office may take the lead on internal communication, with close review and dissemination by the head of the agency, during incidents.5 Internal communication plans may or may not include emails, blogs, or vlogs for keeping officers up-to-date.
Some key stakeholders may have engagement requirements to ensure that they are properly involved in and fully informed of ongoing events.6 Assigning a department liaison to these stakeholders can be an effective way to manage these relationships. Key stakeholders that may require specific engagement include, for example, elected officials, community or business groups, leaders of the affected area, activist organizers, allied public safety organizations, educational system leaders, health care, public works, utilities, and victims’ families.7
Effectively using social media requires that you either have a system in place before the incident occurs or have established an agreement with another agency to perform these duties on your behalf. Implementing your social media communications plan should begin as the incident is taking place. Social media can be used to track the event and establish your department as an official source of information.2 Social media can be used to issue community warnings, instructions, and initial information on an event. It can also be a source of acquiring public feedback and may result in lead development.3
Engaging with your community and key stakeholders should not begin with the incident. Your incident specific outreach and engagement efforts must be a continuation of what you do before an incident occurs. Connecting with your community and stakeholders before a crisis leads to stronger community partnerships and public trust in your agency. Continuously engaging before, during, and after an incident will ultimately instill confidence during a tragedy.