Government communications (george mason university)

Government Communications

Jeremy Lasich, Deputy Director, Fairfax County Office of Public AffairsAnne Curtis, Chief Communications Officer, Town of Herndon

Full Picture of Communications

Owned Media• Communication channels that are

within one's control

• Exampleso Websiteso Brochureso Newsletterso Videoo Audioo Signso Email

Brand Journalism• Discovering and creating news on

behalf of a brand

• In-house “journalists” using news principles to create, compile and rewrite into news-like articles

• Focus on topical needs and interests of our community – what’s relevant, timely and actionable to the average resident

Brand Journalism

Brand Journalism

• Fairfax County NewsCenter Vision

o To create a new news site and more aggressively, but selectively, package, promote and publish relevant, timely and actionable information for our community.

Brand Journalism

Brand Journalism

• October 2010 • August 2015

Brand Journalism

Town of Herndon Brand

Positioning Statement A next generation small town pulses on the edge of Fairfax County. Turn off the highway and find yourself in a place that welcomes innovators, risk-takers, history seekers and family-keepers. This is where the roots of history help to grow the ideas of tomorrow.

Brand personality attributes: Focused, Open, Caring January 8,









Communications Toolkit

• Common Message, Many Voices

• Ensure a common look, feel, and message in all county communications, providing staff with quick access to county procedures, standards and guidelines


• 50+ County Agencies sending out information

• Hundreds of publications and letters using different formats and branding

• Thousands of employees using different business cards

• 1 million+ residents receiving mixed communications from their government








Social Media

Media vs. Social Media

• “... the old, linear model for information dissemination of authorities-to-public relations-to-media is outmoded...”

• (with social media) “ ... the public is able to take not only a more active part in seeking information, but also in providing information to each other...”

- Palen and Liu, 2007

Content

• Content can be shared on multiple platforms, but not in the same way; each platform has its own “culture”

• Tweets can point to SlideShare; Facebook can point to SoundCloud, etc.

• ECOSYSTEM

Social Tools are All Connected

Facebook Fundamental Truth #1

• You must always think about the Facebook NewsFeed.

• Updates will appear amid family, cute babies, puppies, celebrities and other organizations.


• Facebook Pages are not visited often.

• Very few people will actually visit a Facebook Page after they “like” it. They will rely on the NewsFeed for updates.

• Many people will never “like” a page but see updates shared from friends.


• NewsFeed Ranking is critical to be aware of on Facebook.

• It decides what content will be displayed to each user based on many factors.

Facebook NewsFeed Ranking


• Mobile is quickly becoming the dominant way people view content on Facebook.

• 78.9% of Facebook’s daily American users are on mobile.

Twitter = Most Important Social Tool

• Why?o Open network (not closed like Facebook)o You can see all updates*o People + Organizations + Mediao Hashtagso Breaking news

Twitter Fundamental Truth #1

• Listening and monitoring are critical to success.

• Find the conversations relevant to your subject matter and our community.

• Engage (as needed).

• NOT just a push tool.


• Twitter is a two-way conversation

• You MUST interact on Twitter.


• You must always think about the Twitter timeline.

• Updates will appear amid sports, news, celebrities, cute babies, cute puppies and other organizations.

• Add value, not noise.


• Your Twitter.com profile is not visited often.

• Very few people will actually visit a Twitter page after they follow you. They will rely on the Twitter timeline to see your updates.


• Tweet content multiple times.

• People on Twitter at 9 a.m. are likely different than the people at 9 p.m.

• “… if you’re making social media only a part of a 9 to 5 work day, you might be missing out on connecting with consumers during the times they’re likely to be online.”

• Just because you’ve said it once on Twitter doesn’t mean you’ve said it!


• Shelf life of a tweet is often 1 to 2 hours.


• Mobile is THE dominant way people view Twitter.


• Hashtags let anyone contribute to a local, regional, national or niche conversation

#hashtags• No one “owns” a hashtag. Anyone can use a

hashtag and contribute to a conversation about that topic.

• Media, TV shows, company brands, governments, conferences and others use hashtags …

#hashtags

#hashtags

Social Media Posts

• Relevant

• Timely

• Actionable

Preferred Types of Posts

• Relevant: Pertains to people’s daily lives


• Timely: Deadlines, events, related to current events


• Actionable: Register, attend, etc.

• Personal Opinions• PDFs• Commercial/private sector information (i.e.,

endorsements)• Internal content such as awards or employee

info• Do not try to control the conversation; be a

participant with facts

What Not To Post

Mobile+Social• Mobile devices have cemented the power

and reach of social media today

• This is THE game changer -- an information revolution like no other

• Mobile devices are everywhere

• 2005: Pope John Paul II’s funeral

(1 flip phone bottom right)

• 2013: Naming of Pope Francis

Smartphone Explosion

Other Social Media Tools

• YouTube• Instagram• Flickr• Blogs• Slideshare

• LinkedIn• Soundcloud• Pintrest• Periscope• Vine

Social Media

“We can no longer afford to work at the speed of government. We must remain relevant to the people we serve.”

-- Los Angeles Fire Department PIO Brian Humphrey about using social media tools

Emergency Communications

“There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.”

Henry A. Kissingerformer U.S. Secretary of State

Emergency Communication

• When emergencies happen, jurisdictions will usually:

o Activate the Emergency OperationsCenter (EOC)

o Activate the Joint Information Center (JIC)

Incident Command Structure

Joint Information Center

Incident Commander

PIO

OPADirector/Designee

JIC Coordinator

Writer(s)/ Liaison

Web/Social Media Admin/WebEOC Hotline

The Joint Information Center (JIC) follows ICS structure. Key messages are approved by the IC.

Staff LocationsEOC FloorSenior Policy RoomJIC (room 2207)Off site

Field PIOs


• A JIC supports EOC and the field PIO(s) at the incident scene.

• The JIC is the physical location within the EOC from which external affairs professionals from organizations involved in the response and recovery work together to provide critical emergency information, media response and public affairs functions.

• The JIC coordinates the release of information to the public, media, employees and other stakeholders about the county’s disaster response and recovery efforts.


• A JIC is the central point for coordination of incident information, public affairs activities and media access regarding the incident.

• A JIC supports EOC and the field PIO(s) at the incident scene.

• The JIC reviews and coordinates all information releases through all communication channels.

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Joint Information CenterJIC personnel write news releases, talking points, FAQs, update website/blog and social media content, support field PIO(s) and more from the JIC.

Media Briefings



• Toolso Emergency Information Blogo County Websiteo Mobile Website and Appso Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.)o Alertso Hotlineso Audio and Videoo Flyers


• When people are stressed or upset, they have difficulty:o Hearing informationo Understanding informationo Remembering information

• Rule of threeo Low stress situations

• Brain can hold 7 messages on averageo High stress situations

• Brain can hold 3 messages on average


• In the first five minutes, residents are looking for confirmation that an incident happened.

• Acknowledge and Identify the event with advisory/next steps (“verify” the event).

• ID only immediate actions for the public to take, where it occurred and the impacted area. Simple, basic facts.


• Accuracy versus timelyo Waiting for all information to be verified can create a vacuum

of informationo Releasing information too quickly can lead to inaccurate

statements that will spread quicklyo Release bits of information as they are learned

• Monitor regular and social media o Realize there will be confusion, instant reactions, photos,

eyewitness accounts, questions, concerns

• Show compassion


Be first.

Be credible.

Be accurate.

It’s not just the tweets … it’s retweets too!

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First Tweet – 5:21 a.m.


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Police Held Multiple News Conferences


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• @FairfaxPolice 1.8 million impressions (5 a.m. to 1 p.m.)

• Gained 2,000 new followers in 8 hours

• Power of a Tweet


Media Relations

“The questions don’t do the damage. Only the answers do.”

Sam Donaldson

The sooner we accept the fact that anything we say or do can become public, the better off we are.

Who is the Media?

Reporters’ Responsibilities:

o Immediately identify themselveso Immediately identify their news

organizationo State the purpose of the

interviewo Ask reasonable and intelligent

questionso Write and report an accurate and

fair story

Media Relations

Staff Responsibilitieso Call your agency PIOo Determine who will speak to

the reportero Arrange the time and place

and circumstances of the interview

o Prepare for the interviewo Respect reporters’ deadlineso Separate politics from policyo Don’t use jargon, buzz words

or government-speak

Media Relations

Cooperate through preparation

Convey your key messages

Control the interview

Three Cs of Communication

• Provide background information

• Set ground ruleso There is no such thing as “off the record”o If you don’t want it reported, don’t say ito Inquire about the type of questions that will be asked

• ask your PIO to do a pre-interview with the reporter

o Determine if you are the best spokesperson on the issue

Cooperate

Determine your key points and your goals and objectives:

Make your points early and oftenBridge your message to issues you

want to raise Prepare a fact sheetThe same question may be asked more than once and asked in different ways

Convey Your Key Objectives

• If there are injuries or property damage first express sympathy or concern o (We are very sorry about… We are very concerned for…

• Don’t offer anything not asked unless it is positive

• Always tell the truth• Remember who is in the audience• Use examples (not long stories)• Never argue • Never make jokes when there is bad news• Listen carefully

Convey Your Key Objectives

Control the Interview• Considerations for the

interviewo The goals of the agency and the county

o The key messages

o The unintended consequences of your remarks

o The reporter’s deadline

Control the Interview• Considerations for the interview

o What is the reporter’s angle?

o Who is the audience?

o Placement – where and when the story will appear

o Confidentiality – HIPAA, ethics, personnel issues

o Comparisons – who else is being interviewed?

Control the Interview• Don’t let a reporter put words in your mouth

• Correct all inaccuracies immediately

• Turn negative questions into positive answers

• Stay calm, cool, and collected

• Practice the waiting game

What o What is happening?

Why o Why has ______ occurred?

Howo How did _____ happen? o How much is it going to cost?

Whereo Where will _____ go?

Wheno When will _____ happen?o When will _____ be complete?

Whoo Who is responsible?

Expect These Questions

A case study in poor messaging

Media Relations

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEEq5ZaNJbU



Interview Exercise

Government communications (george mason university)

Education