Navigating the Unthinkable: Lessons in Crisis Communications from MSU
Warning: To describe the context of this program, the topic of this blog contains potentially upsetting high-level descriptions of a mass casualty event. The blog is not graphic in nature.
As communicators, the state of the world today often forces us to be “ready for anything.” While we can consider what-if scenarios and put plans in place for a crisis response, little can actually prepare PR practitioners for when the unthinkable occurs.
For Michigan State University, the unthinkable occurred on February 13, 2023. During a five-hour period on that date, Ingham County dispatchers received 2,100 calls to 911 that chronicled an active violence incident on campus. Following the one-year mark of the university’s crisis response, the West Michigan Public Relations Society of America (WMPRSA) hosted an impactful crisis communications program to draw on lessons learned from the MSU communications team.
The program featured a panel with Emily Gerkin Guerrant, Vice President for Media and Public Information at Michigan State University, and Dan Olson, Senior Director for Advancement, Marketing and Communications at Michigan State University. The discussion was moderated by Stacie Behler, Vice President, Chief Public Affairs and Communications Officer, and Secretary to the Board of Trustees at Grand Valley State University.
In a presentation format that ended with Q&A, the panelists walked program attendees through crisis communications recommendations at every stage: before, during and after a crisis. As you’re making plans for future crisis responses, consider the following takeaways from MSU’s experience in navigating the unthinkable.
How to Prepare Ahead of a Crisis
In the time before a crisis occurs, it is crucial to prioritize ongoing relationships and consistent trainings to ready your team for response, such as:
Establishing Cross-Departmental Relationships. For the MSU communications team, having an existing partnership with the campus police, security department and others made it easier for staff members to get in contact with one another when crisis arose.
Conducting Routine Trainings. Providing team members with baseline knowledge of crisis response and relevant training can help give people a better idea of what to do when a crisis does occur.
Keeping Certifications Up to Date. For the safety of team members and the larger community, maintaining relevant certifications is a valuable precaution to take when putting preparations in place for a future crisis.
How to Respond During a Crisis
Once in crisis, it is important to act swiftly but also tactfully. Considering the crisis response plans and strategies your team previously put into place, the following should be top of mind as soon as a crisis begins:
Enacting Roles & Responsibilities. Before sending out any communication, ensure that the structure of information dissemination is determined. Who is going to be saying what about the crisis? People often look to an organizational leader for updates, so the MSU Communications team prepared for certain people to make specific statements.
Streamlining Information. When the general public is looking for details about a crisis, it is important that all information come from one place. At the start of MSU’s active violence incident, it was immediately determined what social media account would be posting updates and which ones would reshare their posts.
Identifying One Media Briefing Location. In an effort to further streamline communication and knowledge between teams, consolidating all parties in one place is imperative. This way, information can be easily shared across different people and all communication is happening in one place.
How to Proceed Following a Crisis
The aftermath of a crisis looks different for every organization. For MSU, the tragedy that resulted from February 2023’s active violence incident required incredibly intentional care to the university’s students and larger East Lansing community. To be respectful of those impacted, the program’s panelists recommended:
Listening to Those Impacted for Feedback. Rather than making decisions about how to move forward internally, the university looked to students and faculty to gauge their needs. When classes needed to be canceled for an extended period and safe spaces were needed across campus, those in charge listened. During any press briefings, representatives were intentional about not cutting off any questions to remain accessible and ensure everyone’s concerns were heard.
Knowing How to Say “No.” There is a difference between remaining accessible to those impacted by a crisis and giving a space for everyone to be involved. The MSU communications team stressed the importance of not telling every story and knowing when to say no to unwanted questions or invasive journalists.
Avoiding the Rush into Post-Crisis Promises. In the time after a crisis, it can be easy to promise changes will be made or updates will be provided by a specific time. You will be held accountable to these deadlines, so take that into account when making public statements about progress for the future.
We can never truly be ready for anything, and MSU’s active violence incident is a prime example. Crisis communications will always require quick thinking and action, but putting in as much tactful planning as possible can help ease the response. MSU’s communication team put people first in their response, instilling trust and prioritizing safety as they navigated the unthinkable. By applying these takeaways in our own fields, we as practitioners can strive towards an intentional approach in the event of a crisis.
About the Author
Rebekah Banasik is a WMPRSA board member, as well as Vice Chair of the Communications Committee and a member of the DEIA Committee. She is a recipient of WMPRSA’s Outstanding Emerging Pro Award (2024) and GVPRSSA’s Kelly Rossman McKinney Leadership Award (2022). She currently works as a Content & SEO Specialist at BlackTruck Media + Marketing.