Communicating About Swine Flu
Did you see the White House press briefing Sunday on the rapidly evolving swine flu situation? As a former newspaper reporter and editor, I was impressed by the masterful performance of the public health and homeland security officials. They were clear, proactive, reassuring without being unrealistic, and open about what they did not yet know. They offered detailed information about the steps various federal agencies were taking, and they provided concrete suggestions for individuals and organizations that might be affected.
The fact that the U.S. epicenter of the outbreak is a New York City private school drove home the relevance for independent schools. As I listened to the briefing, I could imagine the scene that would be played out Monday morning in many independent school Head’s offices: digging up the crisis management plan, reviewing applicable health policies, and convening administrators to discuss communication strategies. Perhaps also fielding a call or two from parents in the “worried well” category. . .
Independent schools generally are doing so much better at managing situations like this than they used to. Not so long ago, when we would visit a client school for a search or strategic plan consultation, we would inevitably hear complaints about inadequate communication from school leaders about important issues. We don’t hear that as much these days.
There has been a major change in the mindset of independent schools over the past decade. Savvy leaders now understand the benefits of communicating early and often with the school family when issues arise. That was apparent earlier this year when we saw multiple examples of school Heads communicating quickly and thoughtfully with parents and faculty as the economic crisis unfolded. Most schools now have a communications professional on staff - a rarity just a decade ago. Of course, technology has made crisis communications much easier to manage. School leaders are blogging, twittering, emailing, and updating intranet postings with skill and alacrity.
The White House briefing on Sunday offered great lessons for independent schools thinking about communicating with their own constituencies about swine flu:
- Get ahead of the story. Be proactive. Don’t wait for parents to contact you.
- Reassure the community by explaining the policies and plans already in place to deal with such a situation. Outline how you intend to monitor the situation and how you will communicate any updates pertinent to your school.
- Offer specific suggestions about steps families can take (reminders about handwashing, keeping sick children home, etc.) If you intend to use this as a teaching opportunity with students, let parents know that, too.
With proper communication strategies, even a topic as unpleasant as this can ultimately help to strengthen the relationship between a school and its families. Nothing beats a well-executed, proactive demonstration of competence to earn the trust of the parents who are entrusting their children to you.
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