Crisis communications: Getting the word out

BISMARCK, N.D. ( KXNET ) — Professional communicators who have the duty to inform the public during times of emergencies, attended the 2nd Annual North Dakota Public Information Officer Association (N.D.P.I.O.) Conference in Bismarck, June 15th to the 18th.

Over 140 N.D.P.I.O. members, who work in various local, state, federal, and tribal government agencies, from across the state, are attending the three-day conference at Bismarck State College’s National Energy Center of Excellence.

These public information officers know all too well that during major events, including public emergencies, their responsibility to get the word out can often times mean life or death for the people affected.

N.D.P.I.O. President and Co-Founder, Rob Keller, said that many of them are learning from each other at the conference on how to fine tune their skills that may be needed in a time of crisis. “We realize that everything we do in the communication world, if something happens, we must put the information out, and we can’t do it without the media,” said Keller.

He explained that honing those skills now will come into play later during a crisis situation, when there is very little time to deliver accurate and vital information to those who are in harm’s way. “During a crisis emergency there’s emotions going and there is a possibility you have to evacuate,” people he said.

Gwen Crawford, who serves as both a City Administrator and Public Information Officer for Valley City, had to keep her residents readily informed of events when an ice storm hit the town in December of 2023, causing power outages there.

She said that the Conference has since provided her with more insight by networking with other N.D.P.I.O. members and learning from their experiences with similar events. “Knowing that there are some other areas in the state that had dealt with it before, I could reach out to them and see some of the stuff they might have done, instead of trying to reinvent the wheel for us,” said Crawford.

John Bernstrom, who serves as Public Information Officer for the City of Grand Forks, also has experience in dealing with keeping his residents informed during times of crisis, including major flooding that has frequently affected the city over the years.

Bernstrom said that it was not enough to just rely on television and radio to get crucial information out about the floods, but he had to rely on other ways of informing the residents of his city. “So, in Grand Forks, we have college students, and we have people who have been lived in Grand Forks their entire lives, and their retired. They get their information from different places,” he explained.

So, Bernstrom said the conference is another way for his fellow public information officers to learn new ways on how to get their crucial messages out to those people, who may not get their news from TV or radio. “There’s not one tool that gets you there. You have to do multiple things, whether it’s website or social media,” said Bernstrom.

Keller said that he hopes that the public information officers attending this year’s conference are not only learning to enhance their skills and knowledge of crisis communications, but also wants them to build important relationships in helping each become more effective communicators.

He adds that everything they are learning now will help them later when they need to get the word out should a major event threaten the communities they serve. “When that happens we don’t have time to build relationships. We have to react and get the information out there to save life, limb and property,” expressed Keller.

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