Remember the 5 R's When Crisis Hits

When is the best time for a crisis? Never, of course. Even though we tend not to think about all of the challenges that may happen during the busy day-to-day life of a school, crises do happen. And unless you have a tested crisis plan in place, along with sample strategic communications for varied crisis scenarios prepared, you will most likely be caught off guard. 

That's why it's a good idea to keep these 5 R's handy the next time crisis hits your school:

1. REMAIN CALM - your community will be looking to those in charge to gauge the severity of the crisis. No matter what that situation is, calmly gather your core team together to activate the crisis plan. 
    
2. READINESS - What are the facts? Determine exactly what happened and what can be corroborated. It’s important to know how to separate what people think happened from what is known for sure. Prepare all of the details and brief the crisis team. 
    
3. RELAY INFO - information spreads fast - get ahead of student or parent texters who share misinformation. Send a notification to all of your constituents alerting them to the situation, that you’re handling it, and you’ll reach out when you know more. And be sure to follow through with that promise.   
    
4. RESPOND - prepare a holding statement for the media that includes what happened, what you are doing about it. 
    
5. RECOVER - After it’s over, don’t blame; assess. Crises are stressful and it’s easy to criticize others by pointing out what they did wrong. Instead, use this time to examine what went well and what didn’t, objectively, so the next time your team will be up to the challenge.

Do you need help in crisis preparedness for your organization? 

That’s what The Jane Group’s expert consultants specialize in. Reach out through the form below, and we’ll get back in touch usually within 24 hours. And at TJG, there’s no retainer fee up front in order to get a reply. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

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