Tips to effectively manage a crisis

Beyond the typical game management issues, an athletic administrator may face a unique, unexpected crisis. What qualifies as a crisis, you might ask? It could be weather-related, something associated with sportsmanship or the deportment of an athlete or team, or a major health-related concern.

Wildfires, a pandemic, and a hazing incident, for example, may be specific or more prominent in different areas of the country. But just like having emergency plans in place for your various venues and taking into account the specific needs of different sports, it is wise to also be prepared for these additional situations that may be identified as a crisis. Having plans in place is the prudent step.

A good starting point is to seriously consider what could happen in your area and within your community. In terms of weather, will you possibly experience wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, or other events? Even though virtually no one could have foreseen the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, will you be affected by other health issues, and what might they be? This step will involve being aware and making an honest analysis of what has happened in other settings and determining if it could occur in your situation.

In your effort to be proactive and prepared, it is vitally important to establish who will be the spokesperson in the event of a crisis. To be effective with communication, there should only be one individual serving in this capacity, and it may not be the athletic administrator. Often, the sole spokesman is determined by the scale, impact, and exact nature of the crisis, and this person could normally be the superintendent of schools or his or her designated person.

Before you are faced with a crisis of any nature, you should have conversations with your upper-level administrators and determine who exactly will fill the role of the spokesperson. It would be wise to have a prepared list of potential situations that might occur for these planning sessions to leave nothing to chance. The goal of these conversations is to eliminate any questions or misunderstandings, and it would be wise to put all the pertinent details in writing.

Once you have established protocols of who and under what circumstances the spokesperson will be, it is also important to communicate the details and the approach that will be taken in the face of a crisis with your coaches and staff. This is done to prevent any false or misleading information or statements that anyone might make, and it very clearly points out that they should say nothing.

The following represent a few other considerations for your spokesperson when dealing with the situation or event.

1. Once the official statement or message has been communicated — either through a written notice or a press conference — it is also advisable to indicate if or when there will be an update. Indicate that if or when new information or details become available, they will be shared when possible.
2. There are some details, however, that cannot be shared, and the spokesperson needs to understand the legal limitations. For example, details concerning students have to remain confidential in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This consideration would include a student’s name, address, contact information, and academic and disciplinary records; all of this would need student or parental consent to mention or share.
3. For any situations that involve student deportment problems, the message has to be clearly crafted, indicating that the school considers the situation serious and important. Also, the statement should include that accountability and corrective action will be taken.
4. While the spokesperson should be factual, every effort should also be made to be comforting, encouraging, and supportive. Providing hope, particularly related to weather or health-related events, is vital in addition to reporting on the details for the effort of rebuilding, regrouping, and moving forward.
5. If any of your venues were damaged due to a weather-related event, it would be helpful to share what temporary, alternative, and possibly creative steps will be taken to host the rest of the season. In addition, an indication of when games will resume will also be beneficial for everyone to try to get back to some small degree of normalcy. Your athletic program can be a rallying point for the community.
6. It is important to remember that regardless of the type of crisis that may have affected your school and program, there will be a recovery period. During this time, it would be wise and appreciated if you or your spokesperson provided periodic updates informing the community of the progress that has been and will continue to be made. Athletes, coaches, parents, and community members may need support and encouragement for an undetermined amount of time. Be there for them!
7. Lastly, as with most activities, events, and situations involved with your athletic program, spend time analyzing and evaluating the school’s steps and actions taken. This evaluation effort is critical so that you can make improvements to your protocols so that you are better prepared for the future and dealing with another crisis, even if it is of another nature or variety.

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Hopefully, you will never have to deal with a weather or health-related event, and you are lucky enough to avoid any student deportment issues. But it would be prudent to think ahead, be proactive, and create protocols to guide your response should one ever occur.