1. Class of March 16 Crisis Management Simulation (no advance preparation required, but read Blakeney and Borins chapter 17, Goldenberg prologue and chapter 16) Examples of political communication: Pierre Trudeau informal interview Stephane Dion interview John Tory ambushed by two little old ladies Stephen Harper YouTube Q & A Crisis Management and Communications in Government

2. Crisis Management (Blakeney and Goldenberg) Advice to the Leader (minister, premier, etc.) Have a clear objective Its your decision Get good independent advice Get your message out to the media Use your website and social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) Get to the scene of the crisis if possible and desirable Clear your schedule

3. Crisis Management (Blakeney and Goldenberg) Advice to the advisers Do contingency planning regularly resist group think, include diverse points of view, and devils advocates generate and analyze a range of options and test assumptions empathy: think about it from your adversarys perspective Maintain open lines of communication to your adversary consult with stakeholders clear your schedules

4. Crisis Management (Blakeney and Borins) Importance of saving face to end disputes Sleep and clear thinking Operational team on site closely linked to strategic team minimize hierarchy Actions to resolve a crisis will take time, effort, and additional resources

5. Communications in Government Distorted Mirror theory of media Influence of owners views Influenced by competition for viewers or readers Constraints of time and space (length of stories) Interplay between media and their sources

6. Implications of Distorted Mirror Theory Media (over)simplify Media dramatize (e.g. conflict) Media personalize stories (focus on leaders rather than impersonal factors) Pre-formed story lines (narratives) Unexpected events tailored to fit pre-formed story lines

7. Advice for Media Relations Inverted pyramid principle Get your message out Dont answer leading questions Dont lie Do a practice session Be yourself There is no off the record Dont attempt to coin a phrase or be too clever

8. Advice for Media Relations Different media have different viewpoints (choose the friendly ones) Disaffected people leak documents and create nasty surprises Rules of libel and slander: defenses are truth and fair comment

9. Media Relations in a Crisis Get your message out (Blakeney) Get bad news out quickly On-site press conference Political and technical person (Quebec government approach to ice storm) Purposive action Avoid blaming Be decisive (1 bad genl>2 good genls) Tailored messages to different stakeholders

10. Student Presentation, March 23 How is the Ontario Public Service attempting to be an employer of choice for youth and new professionals? Describe how the Ontario Internship Program (www.internship.gov.on.ca) works and outline other opportunities for Youth and New Professionals (www.gojobs.gov.on.ca/YNPS.asp). Do you think the OPS approach is effective? How might it be improved?www.internship.gov.on.cawww.gojobs.gov.on.ca/YNPS.asp

11. Class of March 23 Anticipating the final exam Student presentation on Ontario Internship Program and opportunities for youth and new professionals Alternative Service Delivery Highway 407 privatization case Reading: Blakeney and Borins, chapter 11