Navigating Crisis Communication: Strategies for School Leaders

How can schools build trust and alignment to weather any storm? In this episode, Scott Allenby, Chief Strategy and Communications Officer at Proctor Academy, dives into the critical connections between strategy, communication, and culture.

He reveals how identifying “immovables”—the non-negotiable core elements of a school’s identity—can guide crisis responses and daily operations.

From fostering trust among stakeholders to crafting authentic messaging, Scott shares actionable insights to help school leaders strengthen their communication practices and align their teams for long-term success.

Whether preparing for the unexpected or looking to refine your strategy, this episode offers a wealth of practical takeaways.

What You'll Learn From Scott Allenby:

• Preparation Is Key: The groundwork for effective crisis communication lies in pre-established trust and alignment among stakeholders.
• Authenticity Matters: Crisis messaging must reflect the school’s authentic voice and align with its mission to maintain credibility.
• Immovables Define Identity: Identifying and understanding a school’s non-negotiable core values (“immovables”) provides a foundation for consistent messaging and strategic decision-making.
• Trust Capital: Consistently authentic communication builds “trust capital” over time, crucial for weathering crises.
• Proactive Relationships: Regular interactions between the head of school, board, and communication teams are essential for maintaining alignment and trust.
• Culture Drives Messaging: A strong school culture, grounded in shared values and mission, supports alignment in crisis and non-crisis moments.

Discussion Prompts

• Pre-Crisis Preparation: How aligned is our leadership team regarding our school’s mission and values? What proactive steps can we take to strengthen trust and communication among our leadership team and the board?
• Crisis Response Planning: Are our roles clearly defined during a crisis? Who is responsible for key communication tasks? Do we have redundancies to ensure crisis messaging can go out smoothly even if a key team member is unavailable?
• Building Trust Capital: Are our current communication strategies fostering trust with stakeholders? How can we improve? How do we balance vulnerability and professionalism in our messaging to maintain authenticity?
• Identifying Core Values: What are our school’s “immovables”? If one of these were to change, would our school lose its identity? How can we ensure these immovables are consistently communicated to our community?