Dora Lipper- Kids Quest Highlights:
Dora gave us some great examples of
verbiage that is used when speaking to an upset visitor, and how choice of
words impact the flow of the conversation. When a visitor is upset, it is
important to remember the following:
“WOAH”
words or phrases slow down lines of communication:
- Unfortunately.../ I'm Sorry.../ But.../ However...
These “WOAH” words send the wrong message
that they need to brace themselves for disappointment.
“GO”
words or phrases move communication in the right direction
- Let me find the answer to that.../I will.../Thank you.../I would be frustrated too if..
It is important to let go of the need to
be right
“When given the choice between
being right or being kind, choose kind” R.J. Palacio, Wonder. Be open to feedback, don’t be
afraid to ask for backup.
Tip
for threatening situation with an upset visitor: Raise hands at a low level in front and close to chest,
demonstrating a non-threatening pose to the angry individual, but expresses your
discomfort with the situation and alerts other staff that something is wrong.
Anais Rodriguez- Miami children’s Museum
Highlights
Anais Rodriguez from the Miami children’s
museum talked about their implementation of security checkpoints to ensure
safety in their facility.
Anais described her experience with a
safety threat at MCM. In 2011, a parent found a gun inside the museum. The
parent took it to security, and MCM Staff proceeded to call the police. MCM did
NOT inform/ follow-up with visitors, surrounding school districts, or media. They
made no public announcement about this incident, and a few weeks later Word had
gotten out through social media and the incident was published in a news
article by NBC Miami
Anais stressed the importance of
identifying which audiences need to be informed, and addressing media after a
crisis or event such as this
Some
important things to remember during an emergency:
- Call security ASAP
- Identify who needs to be informed
- Ensure department leads have appropriate information
- Train staff, practice language, and how to remain calm
Merilee Jennings- Children’s Discovery Museum
of San Jose Highlights
Merilee discussed how most of the
tension and aggression they see in visitors arrises from being in a majority
minority city. They strive to recognize cultural differences in a proactive
approach (Term “Culture” used in a broad sense: Ethnic, age, religion)
QUESTION: “How can our
environment inspire positive interactions?”
ACTION: San Jose Formed an advisory committee
to educate the educators. Staff become the learners and receive in depth training
about visitor experiences
- Always debrief with staff: it can be an emotionally challenging situation
- talk openly with staff about the situation and handling it
- bring in feedback
- take action on anything that needs to be changed
What
is a crisis? "Any situation that threatens the integrity
or reputation of the organization. It may include a situation pertaining to
legal dispute, theft, injury, fire, flood, earthquake, gas leak, pandemic
influenza, or any threat to the museum
Message: when the emergency occurs, the need
to communicate is immediate. Answering media requests as quickly as possible is
essential to positive public perception of handling the crisis. The info should
be definitive.
MaryAnne Viviano- Kidspace Childrens Musuem,
CA
Discussed her experience at Kidspace when handing a
crisis in 2015.
A tree fell on their property and injured a number of
campers.
Crisis
communication steps
- Call 911 and inform all staff of incident.
- ID a team internal team of senior staff- you trust them, they discuss to media
- ID Audience
- Release a Public statement
The panel emphasized the importance of creating a Crisis Communication Policy. Try to anticipate situations and create responses staff can use for the media and public.
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