“People want to feel safe and they want to be informed”
For many Albertans this year, ear-piercing buzzes emanating from cell phones or interrupting radio or TV programs has been the calling card of emergency communications – intrusions that have come to feel as common as commercials. By June, the province saw several hundred wildfires, followed by torrential rains, forcing tens of thousands to flee homes for safer locations.
But for others, the anxiety-inducing equivalent of that buzz was silence.
"I was absolutely disappointed in the lack of coordination in communication and resources," a Lac Ste. Anne resident told the CBC in early May. "There's nobody to talk to,” said a truck driver stuck in Hinton at the time. “Nobody tells us information at all."
After decades in public affairs, with years focused on crisis communications, Disaster and Emergency Management instructor Shawna Bruce has insight into why people can feel at a loss despite the buzz around an emergency, and what we might ask communicators to do about it. Sharing information may be tough at the best of times, but it’s even tougher when the heat is on.
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Demands outpace resources
The challenge: “In an emergency or disaster, people want to feel safe and they want to be informed,” says Bruce. Naturally, they want both right away, which can be hard with limited peoplepower. Especially in smaller communities, the communications department is often a staff of one. During a crisis, “they're expected to be communicating everything: internal, external, emergency alerts. Within 24 hours, they're exhausted.”
A solution: Other staff members may not be prepared to step in and write messaging, but they can do jobs such as scanning social media for emerging needs and misinformation, says Bruce. “Bring in some people who are a bit media savvy. They don't have to be on site – they can be at home and monitoring the feed,” she adds, and identifying posts needing a response.
Training and planning fall short
The challenge: Having the people to do the work is one thing; having those who know how to do it is another. “There's this expectation that the everyday comms person is going to walk into the crisis emergency command center and just know what to do,” says Bruce.
“I feel for communicators who were thrown into that without crisis training or experience. We would never put a firefighter into that wildfire without training but we throw many communications people into that exact position. We need to be setting them up for success.”
A solution: Training all staff for emergencies is essential, says Bruce (who points out that the program at NAIT includes courses on effective communications). Just as important is a “solid crisis communication plan that anyone can pick off the shelf and run with.” It should include message templates, media contact lists and more.
“Ninety-five per cent of what you need in a crisis to communicate can be done in advance,” says Bruce.
Messages miss their mark
The challenge: Those affected by a disaster may not be visiting a municipality’s website for updates. Instead, if they’re not tuning into conventional media, they might be looking to other social media channels, which may have incomplete or inaccurate information. What’s more, Bruce adds, those who need information may be somewhere without reliable WiFi.
A solution: Communicators need to find the people, says Bruce, rather than expect the message to do so on its own. You need to know where your audiences are going to find information and have a presence there. A municipality should use its own website and social media, but other channels such as community Facebook pages shouldn’t go overlooked, as they can provide insight into needs and may be useful for sharing official information.
In some cases, digital technologies are not the answer. If the internet is a problem, Bruce suggests analog strategies such as distributing updates printed as a simple flyer. “Sometimes we replace the regular old-school tools with technology, and that doesn't always work.”
A fear of repercussions
The challenge: Not all information will be easy to share, says Bruce. “You are going to have angry people.” No matter how hard it may be to hear, they want the truth.
A solution: Give the people what they want. “When you're leading through a crisis, empathy and compassion have to be first and foremost,” says Bruce. “People need to trust you. That's why you have to be open and honest [about] the good, the bad and the ugly.”
Not finding something to say
The challenge: Sometimes, the flow of new information will slow to a trickle, says Bruce, which may lead a communicator to pause. But for people waiting to know when they can return home following an evacuation, for example, no news is not good news.
A solution: Keep talking to those affected by a crisis. “Even if there's no change for days, you better have a bulletin that says, ‘Today is May the 19th, there's been no change since May the 16th. But here are some shots of volunteers providing sandwiches to our fire crews.’ Keep it current. Give them something new.”
No matter what, Bruce adds, “Let them know you're there by making a connection with them.”
Banner image by Ibrahim Akcengiz/istockphoto.com