Michael Odle, regional public & congressional affairs head at Bureau of Reclamation and public affairs officer at the 173rd Fighter Wing, Oregon Air National Guard reserves, has seen his share of crisis duty.
Odle shares the following tactics he’s used during wildfires in California, the worst firefighter aviation accident in U.S. history and the recent emergency flood operations in North Dakota.
1. You must have a plan that outlines roles and responsibilities, what to do, where to go, and what can and cannot be released.
2. Have pre-developed talking points. Odle shoots for 20 themes with five talking points per theme.
3. Make press conferences more than just a press conference. Include Web casting and online re-broadcasts of press conferences.
4. Use technology. Odle’s team sent tweets calling for immediate volunteers for sandbagging during flood operations.
5. Utilize local relationships. Use local opinion leaders to augment your story.
6. Release information ASAP. Even if it’s sparse, release something.
7. Have pre-developed (fill-in-the-blank) news releases to save time.
8. Monitor errors in facts and immediately correct.
9. Supply pocket messaging cards for all responders.
10. Stay calm. People respond better to a calm demeanor, especially when faced with life-threatening circumstances.