Your institution’s reputation can be your most valuable asset—or your biggest vulnerability. With campus protests, social media firestorms and global events influencing student opinion, reputation management is a key component of any crisis communication strategy. Dean Browell, a faculty member at AccessU and chief behavioral officer at Feedback, recently reflected on how campus protests disrupted campuses across the US in an editorial with the Richmond Times-Dispatch. While researching this disruption, Browell uncovered another major crisis looming ahead for colleges and universities – the FAFSA rollout crisis.
The FAFSA rollout concerned families and prospective students more than protests this spring. It’s easy to see why, with some students making deposits at multiple colleges while they mull their options and doubts abound about whether this year’s rollout will happen on time.
Meanwhile, as Browell states in his editorial, “Admissions departments are worried about how to tackle both the FAFSA slowdown now and in the future, while administrators fret about how to handle potential protests this fall.” As the former PR director at Ferrum College and current instructor at VCU, Browell brings a depth of experience to complement his analysis.
The FAFSA crisis and potential protests related to the election, the Israel-Hamas war, or other unforeseen issues will have an impact on colleges as they continue to focus on how to manage both funding and enrollment.
Leading organizations through events like this requires a focus on crisis communication skills in order to navigate public perception concerns while balancing the event as it unfolds. As these events unfold, managing your institution’s reputation becomes crucial in maintaining trust and credibility. We have provided some key considerations to guide you as you move through an incident on campus that activates crisis communication protocol.
Respond Quickly and Thoughtfully
Many times, we see school administrators delay response in an attempt to craft the perfect message that will keep all stakeholders happy. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good. You want to ensure that your messaging is accurate while meeting the needs of your audience, but it doesn’t have to be perfect. The most important thing is communicating, especially initially. Your audience will forgive small mistakes that are corrected later. Every communication builds relationships and trust, and these are the most important things to have during a crisis event. Once you’ve established initial communication, it’s equally important to show empathy in order to help bridge the gap between the administration and the campus community.
Show Empathy
Alluded to above, it is important to acknowledge the concerns and emotions of all parties – both directly and indirectly involved. Seek to understand, not to agree. Understanding is where you will find the common ground to move forward. While empathy is crucial, actions speak louder than words.
Focus on Actions, Not Just Words
Every stakeholder is looking for more than words; they want to see actions that support the words you are saying. More than that, be sure that the words you are saying mirror what is happening on campus. If you tell stakeholders that there are no concerns on campus, but students are live-streaming videos of an active protest, you risk losing trust. Leaders cannot speak their wishes into existence. To maintain credibility, consistency in your messaging is vital.
Be Consistent
Consistency in information and tone across tools and audiences unifies your brand. While some customization in message and timing may occur, every audience should receive the same basic facts or you risk creating an information gap. Even with consistent messaging, it is essential to remain open to feedback. Listening can provide invaluable insights that enhance your reputation management strategy.
Listen and Learn
When you listen to your audience (Feedback is a great tool for this!), you will always find ways to improve. More than that, listening to your audience can help you adjust your approach to ensure you are meeting the recommendations above. Hearing from your audience is a gift because they are entrusting you with dialogue. Learning from the feedback and determining how strategy and reaction may need to adjust will help you continue to build relationship with your audience.
Reputation management is about more than damage control. It allows you to actively shape the narrative around your institution. These tips will hone your crisis communication efforts while you weather the storm of an incident on your campus.
Searching for more crisis communication resources? Check out the resources we compiled for the College Communicators Association.