THE POLITICS OF CRISIS COMMUNICATIONSUSING SOCIAL AND TRADITIONAL MEDIA IN CRISISNate WilliamsTwitter: @natewilliamsesqnate.williams.esq@gmail.com

Dinica Williamswww.pinterest.com/dinicaw/digitaldinicaq@gmail.com

First, a little about us

Nate WilliamsLabor Relations Consultant• Prior to OEA, I worked for

Members of Congress, Wisconsin state legislature, the mayor of Denver & other unions in communications

• Trial attorney for 8 years• Coordinated communications

during Reynoldsburg strike

Dinica WilliamsCommunications Specialist• I began my career as a graphic

designer & transitioned to web & social media almost 20 years ago, almost exclusively for nonprofits, including other OEA affiliates

• Started OEA’s social media program 8 years ago & it was an uphill battle to get buy-in, which you probably won’t face today

COMPONENTS OF CRISIS

COMMUNICATIONS

A little about Reynoldsburg• Reynoldsburg is a suburb of

Columbus, Ohio• Over 350 teachers• Teachers went on strike in Sept 2014• Issues in the strike:▪Class size, class size, class size▪Merit pay▪Over-reliance on standardized testing▪Teacher turnover

Reynoldsburg players• Superintendent Tina

Thomas-Manning• Board of Education• Board’s attorney:

Pepple & Waggoner• Reynoldsburg parents• Reynoldsburg students

Aspects of political communication• There’s always an opponent• There’s always motives beyond what’s

stated• Blame needs to be assigned for problems

with status quo• Clear plan for change needs to be

articulated in easy to grasp language• A charge unanswered, or delayed in

answering, is a charge admitted. Include counter-charge, if possible, in response

• Don’t forget the optics

School Board PoliticsBoard is elected Superintendent hired by the BoardBut, who DRIVES Board policy?Who BELIEVES they speak for the students? The parents? The community?What influences the decision-maker(s)?

What role does the state play?

What are the Governor’s policies & appointees?What is the climate set by the Legislature?How truly independent is the Board?

Crisis & political environment – who’s the

opponent?•Superintendent?•Board of Education?•Governor?•Board’s attorney?

Components of crisis communications• Internal▪To the

membership▪Old media vs

new media• External▪To the public▪To the

opposition▪To the media▪Online

Internal communications• What do we say & how do we say it?

• Goals of internal communications:▪Keep members updated on bargaining▪Use communications to support organizing

“The organizing drives the communications. Communications shouldn’t drive anything.”

What we mean by organizing drives communications

Don’t let the message get ahead of the strategySupport and promote organizing activitiesReinforce the message the members are hearing in personal conversationsKeep the issues consistent & focusedBase the message on what you hear from your members

Messaging principlesfor both internal & external• Consistency, consistency,

consistency• Short & direct beats long & vague• Understand the audience, and the

unintended audience• Stay disciplined (another form of

consistency)

Messaging principlesfor both internal & external• Act more than you react• Try to avoid unforced errors• Did I mention consistency?• If you’re explaining, you’re losing

Some examples…• John Kerry, 2004: “I actually voted for it

before I voted against it.”

• Clayton Williams, 1990: “If rape is inevitable, why not sit back & enjoy it?”

• George H. W. Bush checking his watch in town hall debate, 1992

• Al Gore, 2000: “I invented the internet.”

• Todd Akin, 2014: “In cases of legitimate rape…”

Speaking of unforced errors….

The District published details of bargaining sessions on the District’s website, in violation of the ground rules for bargainingIt may not sound like a big deal, but it created an opening…

Spreading the internal message

• One-on-one conversations

• Meetings – building, general membership

• Flyers, newsletters

• Emails• Social media

Internal message development• Define the issues• Define the

opposition• Define the

motivations• Encourage member

engagement• Show the path to

victory

Best practices for internal messaging

• Consistent, clear message (tweet)

Best practices for internal messaging• Tailored to the

audience, but mindful of secondary audience (nothing is truly private anymore)

• Use the method that works best for you, but be flexible and open to new ideas

• Use images

What social media does• Provides a forum for interaction• Helps spread your message• Makes it easier for people to find your

message

Social media goals

What social media doesn’t do

• Doesn’t create supporters all by itself• Doesn’t replace organizing• Doesn’t replace face-to-face

communication

External communications• Rather than directed at members, it’s directed

toward the Board, the media, the general public

• If done right, it can sway public opinion

• If done wrong, it can make life more difficult

First step – find a spokesperson• Someone who can respond to the media

and speak at public forums▪Good public speaker▪Respected by the

membership▪Respected by

administration & community▪Doesn’t get rattled

easily▪Tech savvy enough

Means of external communications

• Press conference• Social media• Flyers• T-shirts• Buttons• Signs

Find a social media manager• Social Media Experience

• Photo and Video Editing Ability

• Creative• Good Writing Skills• Knowledgeable• Good at Community

Building/Organizing

Which social media to use???

Which social media to use???

#1 tip for all social mediaPost images whenever possible.Photos increase engagement on all of your posts (i.e. more likes, shares, retweets, etc.)

Photos can get up to 4X more engagement on Facebook than links

Free image-making apps • Pikochart –

infographics, posters, presentations, reports

• ImgFlip, Memecrunch – memes

• Canva – Correctly sized social media graphics, posters, presentations, flyers, postcards, etc.

• Aviary, PicsArt – photo editing

Photos of members, events, flyers, buttons, signs, etc.

Ways to add images to posts

Add text to a photo

Ways to add images to posts

Share high-performing content posted by other organizations’.

856 likes765 shares

419 likes470 shares

Ways to add images to posts

Infographics, charts, statistics

Ways to add images to posts

Get creative

• 90% of 18-29 year olds• 73% of 30-49 year olds• 63% of 50-64 year olds• 56% of 65+• 64% of Facebook users visit the site daily• 48% of 18-34 year olds check Facebook

right when they wake up• 48% of 18-34 year olds use Facebook to

get the news

Facebook Facts

• You have evidence that a large segment of your members don’t use Facebook

• You are trying to reach a specific demographic:

• You want to convey strictly objective information.

• You have lots of online materials you want to promote.

• You have a volunteer who specializes in another social media channel.

You should probably be on Facebook, unless

Facebook internal vs. external• Private group vs. Public page▪Private group is a good way for

discussion amongst members and to get info to your members▪Private group IS NOT guaranteed to

stay public▪Public page is good way to reach out

to community

It’s all about the newsfeedFacebook Tips

Timing is important (75% of the engagement on a post happens in first 5 hours)

Schedule your posts ahead of time through the “Schedule Post” function

Facebook Tips

Customize your link text and image.

Facebook Tips

Post at least once on the weekend in the morning or early afternoon

Facebook Tips

Ask the right kind of questions

Facebook Tips

Enable “Similar Page Suggestions” in your Admin Panel

Page Suggestions are the primary source of new fans.

Facebook Tips

Keep it short and sweetPosts that are 80 characters or less receive up to 66 percent more engagement

And positive content receives 5X more engagement than negative content.

Facebook Tips

• Build support & mobilize supporters up the ladder of engagement (move members along a continuum from lack of awareness and care to higher and

higher levels of awareness, understanding, and agreement ultimately leading to activism and advocacy)

• Track engagement, sentiment, and influence

• Revise content based on what works

Plan, Measure & Revise

Twitter

• Skews toward younger members• Good to provide links • Good for real-time updates

Become an expert news source for your region — tweet & retweet good content Important: Don’t feel like

you must have a dynamic or casual persona on Twitter. Post facts.

Follow important sources and retweet. The more often you follow, the more often your avatar is visible on Twitter.

You can organize the chaos by using lists.

Twitter Tips

Include a link

Shorten links and use a colon

Twitter Tips

Don’t use all your characters

Twitter Tips

Experiment with posting a tweet or retweet every one or two hours.

You can use HootSuite to post to Twitter.

Twitter Tips

Using more than two hashtags in a tweet actually decreases the retweet rate.

Well-formatted, easy to read factual tweets are the most retweeted

Twitter Tips

Near perfect example

• Skews very young (18-29) and people with at least some college

• Engagement is higher on Instagram than any other social network

Instagram facts

• Take screenshots of your most successful photos on Facebook (Pinterest, Google+, etc.) and “regram” them to Instagram.

• Upload behind-the-scenes photos and report live from events.

• Include a short description and hashtags.• Create 15-second videos and video

essays.

Instagram Tips

• 70-83% of Pinterest users are women,

• Predominantly white• Rural or suburban• At least some college education• 35-54 years old • Earning more than $50,000

Pinterest facts

• Put images on every page of your website

• Add the Pin-It button to your website• Use hashtags• Upload images and then add a link in

the description of the pin• Pinterest activity, like Facebook and

Twitter peaks around 9 p.m.

Pinterest Tips

Pinterest Tips

From Education Minnesota, Adapted from U.S. Air Force

Protocol for comments

• Do NOT delete all negative comments. This will bring into question your integrity to not only the complainer, but all your followers.

• DO block users who abuse the site, and remove offensive comments, ones that are too far off-topic, or just trying to use your site to sell a product or service.

Handling negative comments

ACTIVITY

Activity• Log onto Twitter• Compose a tweet about what’s going on

in your local using the hashtag #NSOWAR2017

• Twitter requires you to use 140 characters or less, including the hashtag

• Include an image in your post

Press Releases

Things to remember about press releases• Contact info

• Header/Logo

• Dateline

• Footer

Content of press releases• Write the story for the reporter• Include quotes from relevant speakers• Include photos, video, links,

especially if it’s about a closed press event

Picture from my iPhone

Top writing tips• Get to the point. • Shorten your sentences. • Resist the passive voice. • Eliminate weasel words. • Avoid jargon.

Aftermath of the strike• What worked?

• What was the lasting impact?

Lasting impact• In 2015, 3 new pro-teacher Board

members were elected, going from 4-1 minority to 4-1 pro-teacher majority

• Board fired law firm• Superintendent’s contract was non-

renewed

Nate WilliamsTwitter: @natewilliamsesqnate.williams.esq@gmail.com

Dinica Williamsdinicaq@gmail.com www.pinterest.com/dinicaw/digital

www.slideshare.net/dinica/nso-politics-of-crisis-communications-01122017