Riya V. Anandwala | April 7, 2009
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| Photo by Riya V. Anandwala |
| Former FEMA exec John Philbin talked to several classes last week about handling crisis communications. His message: Have a plan in place. |
And they heard the messages from former Federal Emergency Management Administration external affairs executive John P. “Pat” Philbin, whose organization often came under fire during recent crises in the U.S.
Philbin, who has been in the strategic communication business for 25 years, spoke to an open session at the Ernie Pyle Hall auditorium during a two-day visit to talk to classes.
Touching on the basics of the communications business, he spoke about the trust factor in an organization, which involves doing things right and communicating them well. He supplied many anecdotes from his time at FEMA and many instances of handling crisis communications. For example, he talked about the fallout after FEMA staged a mock press conference during the California wildfires of 2007.
Today, Philbin has his own consulting business and also serves as a senior associate with Pier Systems. He is a member of Firestorm Solutions Expert Council.
An important fact to keep in mind, he said, is the increasing speed in the field of communication, thanks to technology. Just a few years ago, journalists carried huge cameras that required set-up, while today’s handheld digital cameras make their jobs much simpler – and faster.
“Speed trumps everything else,” Philbin said.
Technology also changes reporters’ jobs and the reporters themselves. For example, Philbin noted the way bloggers are functioning as reporters. A public relations manager must keep bloggers in mind while crafting strategies, as many mainstream journalists pick up leads from blogs. The bottom line, he said, is if you are doing PR, you have to be faster than everyone else.
Blogs aren’t only new influences. Philbin also acknowledged Facebook and Twitter, asking students if those are places where they get their daily news.
Philbin boiled down some of his advice on how to create effective public relations to the four “Ps” model: Policy, plan, people and platform.
He also has developed a risk communication plan, what he calls the 27/9/3 model. In a tense situation, people can grasp only short messages. So, Philbin said, communication managers should use no more than 27 words in three messages that take nine seconds to communicate.
Once the floor was open for questions, Philbin spent some time answering queries on how spokespersons are trained. He advised getting experience in the business by finding a job in Washington, D.C., specifically a government public affairs job. He suggested students start looking at the government Web site, www.usajobs.gov.
