A Slam Dunk on a National Stage – Lessons Learned Off the Court
SportsVillanova University basketball guard Scottie Reynolds had just hit a last-second basket to give the Wildcats an impressive 78-76 victory over Pittsburgh, sending the ecstatic team to its first season finale tournament of the year. NCAA Final Four at age 24 when the phone rang. It was my communication colleague from the university who said “let’s prepare for all possible scenarios”.
You might wonder why a communications director would want to plan for the worst when nothing could be better than the joy of the moment. But this principal was far more forward-thinking than the campus celebration that spilled onto the streets during the wee hours of that Sunday morning. While there was no cause for alarm other than a small fire lit in a trash can that was quickly extinguished, officials and the surrounding community clearly remembered the raucous celebration that spilled into the streets when Villanova won their championship game in 1985.
The prominent Catholic and Augustinian institution wanted to do everything possible to ensure a safe and responsible celebration should the Wildcats proceed to the final championship game. While most of the problems occurred off campus, which is under the jurisdiction of the police, the university’s communications team wanted to come up with a proactive plan to clearly communicate their expectations for the civilized festivities without dampening the euphoria.
What happened over the next few days is a prime example of how to maximize opportunities to balance and communicate messages, build goodwill across multiple audiences, and enhance your reputation, even when all is well.
They began by gathering the kitchen cabinet. Like a political campaign that meets regularly with close advisers called a kitchen cabinet, this group included communication professionals, spokespersons and emergency management personnel who met to strategize messaging, action and determine how best to have a two-way dialogue and seek input. from the media, police and neighbors so they could all work closely together.
REACH
By communicating with key stakeholders, you build loyalty, trust, and make others feel that you value their opinions. University officials met and communicated constantly with law enforcement so that lines of responsibility on and off campus were clearly defined and security operations, including traffic control, were organized. By working hand in hand, they were able to coordinate operations, stay sensitive to community concerns, and strengthen the mantra of “celebrate responsibly.”
EXPECTATIONS
It was essential to balance enthusiasm with expectations when creating messages. Spokespersons were repeatedly quoted as saying how excited they were, but they always tempered that message with a reminder for students to do their best in this age of instant and social media. The university’s policies and expectations were repeatedly communicated through traditional channels, as well as through websites and social media.
MESSAGE MANAGEMENT
We spent most of the day and then some developing and fine-tuning core messages that could be communicated to all audiences. This included what to expect in terms of security and politics, sensitivity and respect for surrounding neighborhoods, and what would happen each step of the way before and after the game. Emails and phone calls were addressed immediately. University officials, from the coach to the president, took to the airwaves and joked with the jocks on morning radio, all in the “go team” spirit.
PROBLEM PREVENTION
To discourage students from leaving campus, the university provided a central location for post-game celebrations. The information was repeatedly communicated to all interested parties through numerous channels and the media were invited to participate.
ASK THE MEDIA FOR HELP
If you’ve ever been to a rally, protest, or large event, you’ll notice that people often “attack” for the TV cameras, especially when the lights come on. Crowd control, already a concern, can quickly get out of control and Villanova wanted to minimize the use of camera lights, but was advised that telling the media how to do their job was not the best approach. Instead, they set up a conference call with all of the city’s television news directors to share logistics, research information, and help stations get great coverage of local activities. In reality, because this was the big story in town, Villanova was already in the driver’s seat and could have dictated the coverage without intervention. But the two-way street turned out to be a win-win, as the university honored a request for a live broadcast location closer to the venue and the media worked with officials to minimize disruption.
HARD SPEECH
While some spokespersons make answering tough questions look easy, looking good is the art of being well-prepared. At Villanova, key spokespersons thought of answers to questions like: “Do you anticipate problems like the ones in 1985?” Anyone’s knee-jerk response might be to say something like “1985 is 1985 and what happened then happened,” but that focuses on the past when the goal is to help people understand what preparations are taking place now. It’s more effective to move messages forward by responding, “We’re taking numerous steps to do everything we can to ensure a safe celebration, including…” and then sharing what’s being done.
FOLLOW UP
Ultimately, the Wildcats lost to North Carolina and did not advance to the championship game. Even so, Villanova’s staff were available early the next morning to handle any media requests that came their way. Not only did they get good coverage of basketball, but they also benefited from other stories that showcased the institution’s academic expertise.
Villanova’s website says it is a place where compassionate minds are nurtured. By working as a team and taking all audiences into account, her compassionate nature shone through.
Copyright (c) 2009 Karen Friedman Enterprises, Inc.