Nipping the Rumormonger. (Communications).As soon as I arrived at the school, it was clear it was going to be a bad day. I was serving as the public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most manager for our state's largest school system with 65,000 students in 100 schools. On this morning I was called to duty at one of our more remote rural schools. A parent who had removed his child from school the previous day because he was unhappy with the actions of a staff member had returned to the school and sprayed Mace in an empty hallway. The aerosol got into the air conditioning air conditioning, mechanical process for controlling the humidity, temperature, cleanliness, and circulation of air in buildings and rooms. Indoor air is conditioned and regulated to maintain the temperature-humidity ratio that is most comfortable and healthful. system and spread throughout the school. Dozens of students and teachers became ill. Some with asthma problems had severe reactions, though thankfully none were life threatening. The parking lot was filled with fire trucks and ambulances. Paramedics were in the cafeteria tending to people who had become ill from the Mace. Several radio stations had made (more or less accurate) announcements about the event. But as I stood in the front entrance talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to the news media, several mothers came running up in succession, all crying hysterically because they had gotten phone calls from friends who told them "a bomb has gone off at the school and all the children are dead." Calming them was difficult. Human Behavior The incident led me to a startling star·tle v. star·tled, star·tling, star·tles v.tr. 1. To cause to make a quick involuntary movement or start. 2. To alarm, frighten, or surprise suddenly. See Synonyms at frighten. realization: While many of us fear the media the most, it is the grapevine that is our albatross. Winston Churchill said, "When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber An open standard for instant messaging (IM). There are tens of thousands of Jabber servers on the Internet, most of which are privately run within a company or college campus. There are also hundreds of public Jabber servers that any user can register with, Google Talk being the largest. ." Human beings are curious and social. We interact and we talk to each other. And, in the absence of information, we make up stories and explanations so our world will make sense to us. Rumors affect our entire society. We buy and sell stock on rumors. Unfortunately, since Sept. 11, our government has spent many valuable resources and raised and lowered terrorist alert levels based in part on "developing information." Yet with all the time and effort it takes to combat a rumor after it becomes a perception, we spend too little time--as our old friend Barney Fife Bernard "Barney" Fife[1] was the fictional deputy sheriff in the American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. He was played by comic actor Don Knotts. Overview would say--"Nipping nip·ping adj. 1. Sharp and biting, as the cold. 2. Bitingly sarcastic. nip  ping·ly adv.Adj. it in the bud!" Most educational leaders have had at least one experience where rumors of a big gang fight or something similar prompted fear in the halls, angry phone calls from parents and aggressive media inquiries. No amount of reassurance will prevent the ensuing spike in absenteeism on the day of the rumored event. If you wait until a rumor has spread before reacting to it, you are fighting a losing battle. People believe what they hear from friends and relatives. One piece of misinformation mis·in·form tr.v. mis·in·formed, mis·in·form·ing, mis·in·forms To provide with incorrect information. mis or a single half-truth can spread through a community in hours and take weeks, sometimes years, to debunk de·bunk tr.v. de·bunked, de·bunk·ing, de·bunks To expose or ridicule the falseness, sham, or exaggerated claims of: debunk a supposed miracle drug. . The only way to stop a rumor is to let the eagles scream. You must keep your employees, parents, students, community leaders and the public as a whole informed. If you rely solely on the media to keep people informed, you fail miserably. Media Shortcomings A shortcoming is a character flaw. Shortcomings may also be:
After almost 25 years as a communicator, 14 of those in the news media, I can tell you without hesitation that the media is a highly ineffective way to get your message out. Sure, we need the local press, but remember they don't tell your story. They tell their version of your story. Most of the time they fall short of the mark. Even if they manage to get it right, not everyone will read the paper that day or tune in to that particular newscast newscast Radio or television broadcast of news events. News gathering and broadcasting by the radio networks began in the mid-1930s and increased significantly during World War II. The television newscast began in 1948 with 15-minute programs that resembled movie newsreels. . Instead, you must communicate your message by getting in front of as many people as you can. Visit civic clubs, PTA/PTO meetings, gatherings of real estate agents and luncheons at senior centers. Face to face is always the best way to communicate. Then post information on your school district's website and send it via e-mail and fax to the opinion leaders in your community, to your parents and to your administrators, faculty and staff. Don't neglect bus drivers, foodservice workers and custodians. Remember, your custodian may be a deacon in his local church and to his community he is the school district. If he believes the proposed tax increase only means the superintendent gets a new car, the people in his community will not support it. While most educators panic when a negative school story appears on the front page, we barely notice when a school secretary whispers a half-truth. Keeping people informed is not easy. It takes time and resources, but repairing the damage caused by rumors takes much more. Tom Salter salt·er n. 1. One that manufactures or sells salt. 2. One that treats meat, fish, or other foods with salt. Noun 1. is communication manager for the Alabama Department of Education, 50 Ripley St., Montgomery, AL 36104. E-mail: tsalter@alsde.edu |
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