Concrete ways to boost your internal communications and prepare for unforeseen change.
By Lisa Lapin
President Trump was one week into his first term, in late January 2017, and the panicked phone calls and overnight media inquiries began. A Stanford graduate student was detained at JFK Airport while trying to return to campus after conducting research in Sudan. Her flight had been in mid-air when the executive immigration order took effect, temporarily banning people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. Despite her legal U.S. residency and green card, and 20 years of living in the U.S., the PhD candidate arrived unknowingly to a new world, was subjected to confinement, handcuffed, searched and confined, and found herself the focus of national and international news attention.
It was the first in a series of early presidential actions that directly impacted foreign students and academics not only at Stanford, but throughout the country—actions that sent higher education leaders scrambling to translate new rules and communicate to their campuses, while simultaneously providing support to students, faculty, staff and their communities.
Might more of the same happen again? The lesson from 2017 is absolutely, yes. Expect the unexpected. Expect direct campus impacts that can’t yet be envisioned and expect disruptions that will likely amplify anxiety and divisions. Not unlike the sudden nature of the COVID shutdown, or the student protests of the past year, the presidential transition brings campus leaders another challenge that will call for robust internal communication. Amidst the uncertainty, there are ways to build trust, minimize the anxiety and help your campus community by preparing ahead to communicate about change.
How well you communicate in the face of any change directly impacts how smoothly your organization will weather the upheaval. Even if you don’t have every answer, you can be prepared to issue clear communication about campus values, resources and actions in the event of unforeseen change. You can establish internal communication channels—via the web, email, social media—where people know they can go for updates and accurate information as it becomes available. And you can create ways for inevitable concerns and questions to be aired and vetted through deep listening.
At Stanford in 2017, a small team scrambled within hours to create special web sites and FAQs around immigration questions. Even when we didn’t have every answer, we could direct students and other panicked members of the campus community to people they could speak to. Student Affairs staff were able to track specific cases and reach out to students, faculty and staff from directly impacted international communities. Web sites were updated regularly. Counseling and outreach services were made available. And regular, empathetic communication from campus leadership reassured that the university was seeking clarity on the new policies, and that it valued everyone as members of the community.
Some basic steps you can take now, even before any issues arise:
Provide timely, easy access to facts and information. Be prepared to quickly create an issue-oriented web site on a specific topic. Be able to promptly issue a campus-wide email, or at a minimum a targeted email to specific communities. Make sure the staff needed to do so are ready to go. Have clear channels and policies about where and when you issue leadership statements, particularly when an issue has direct impact on your campus community or operations. And even if all facts are not yet known, still create the channel, so people know there is a place they can turn for accurate information when it becomes available. Prepare to keep the communication open and frequent—even if there is not new information to share, the community will know you are paying attention.
Think ahead about your position on topics likely to be raised. Immigration reform, changes to student loan and financial aid policies, and changes to research grant budgets are just some of the topics that have been discussed and could have a direct impact on campus communities. How would you want to convey your values, and campus values, around the importance of each?
Send empathetic, supportive messages. Even in the face of the unknown, acknowledging those who are frustrated, frightened or confused helps to ease tension and the inevitable emotions that arise in the face of change. Everyone will be asking the question: What does this change mean for me? When people feel seen and heard, they feel respected. When there are direct, tangible impacts to community members, it will not be a time for leaders to go silent.
Be prepared to provide resources and support. It can be more empowering for people facing any change if they have the tools to take some sort of action or if they know where to seek help. As soon as you are able, tell people what the change will be, how it affects them, and what if any action they need to take. Provide contact information for people they can speak with, whether it is campus financial aid experts, immigration legal assistance, student affairs or counseling staff.
Prepare to foster engagement, listen and seek contributions and ideas. Leaders should prepare to be present with their communities and to convene impacted groups to hear from them directly what concerns they have, what support they need, any ideas they have for managing, and how leadership can be helpful. If the campus community can be included in decisions about change or any adjustments that may be needed, they may feel more engaged and less like victims being subjected to new rules. Creating feedback channels also can ameliorate some tense circumstances. Do you have ways to help students, faculty and staff respectfully speak their minds? And is there two-way communication so they know what campus leaders are thinking?
Begin contemplating how you will respond now, and you will be better prepared to respond when change arrives. Done well, clear, transparent, empathetic, internal communication can help campus communities navigate uncertainty. Recognize that the natural inclination is for people to resist change. Clear communication can reduce anxiety, fear and mistrust. It can prevent an onslaught of misinformation and provide people a more certain path to action and resources. Engaging and involving the people who will be most impacted, listening to their concerns and ideas, will result in a higher degree of ownership and acceptance, even amidst new policies that they cannot control. Effective communication around change can help build a more resilient organizational culture and a more mutually respectful community.
Lisa Lapin is the founder of Lapin Strategy and a Senior Associate with the Peterson Rudgers Group, serving as an advisor to higher education and non-profit organizations on strategic planning, public affairs, communications and marketing. Previously, she was Vice President for Communications at Stanford University and the J. Paul Getty Trust.