ABSTRACT
The nature of the crisis determines who needs to be informed and when. One way to identify the impact of a crisis is using a simple grid, with 'Impact on reputation' on one side and 'Likelihood' on the other. For each type of crisis that school leaders have identified, they should determine who they would communicate with in order to manage reputation. This needs to be aligned with overall crisis management plan, as there is usually a single person responsible for coordinating communications to all audiences. During a crisis, what people say and to whom could convey messages that may prove damaging to school's reputation. This chapter presents some factors to consider when developing crisis management communication principles. School leaders may need to review their annual communication plan as a result and undertake specific interventions to rebuild or maintain trust such as having open days for parents or communicating more regularly on the specific topic of their crisis.
