External Communication: Invited Speaker

External Communication : Your organization has experienced a minor crisis. The
immediate situation is being dealt with but now you need to decide who needs to be informed and how.
Choose one of the following scenarios:
a. You’ve invited a speaker to the library to discuss one side of a controversial question or issue (you get
to choose the speaker and the topic – make sure you specify it in your communication). A group of
concerned citizens have complained and asked you to cancel the talk. You have made your decision as to
whether to grant the request.
b. Heavy rains over the weekend have overwhelmed the city’s storm sewers. There’s water in the lowlying regions of your building and, because storm and sanitary sewers are combined, there may be sewage
as well. Your institution faces material destruction and service disruptions but you don’t yet know the
extent of either.
c. The local newspaper has just reported that a registered sex offender has moved to the neighbourhood
where your institution is located, and has published the offender’s picture.
For whichever scenario you choose, ask yourself the following questions:
• What internal and external stakeholders are important to notify? Immediately? Down the road? What
adverse publicity might arise from this incident? What consequences might occur?
• What tough questions do you need to be prepared for?
• What kinds of external stakeholder communication are needed in this situation? What
communication formats are most effective for each (e.g., face to face, telephone, social media)?
Then write and submit to OWL:
1. A brief communication plan (can be point form) that responds to these questions, and
2. A 1-2 page communication for an external stakeholder or stakeholders (e.g., emergency
announcement, letter, press release).
You may find it helpful to consult:
• Ross, Catherine Sheldrick and Kirsti Nilsen. 2013. Communicating professionally. Chicago:
NealSchuman. , 9.5 Letters 322-328, 9.13 PR, Publicity, and Promotion 353-367. Thenell, Jan. 2004.
• The library’s crisis communications planner: A PR guide for handling every emergency. Chicago:
American Library Association, Chapter 4. Identifying library audiences and stakeholders 20-25,
Chapter 7. Building positive media relationships 44-51, Chapter 8. Communicating during a crisis 52-
59, 9. After the crisis: a time of opportunity.