Why The Crisis Zone puts school leaders and communicators on the clock
I spend a lot of time thinking about what keeps adult learners engaged.
The people in my professional learning sessions bring experience, judgment and instincts with them. I want to give them something worth thinking about, let them bring that experience to the problem and challenge them to make choices.
That’s part of why I developed The Crisis Zone.
The Crisis Zone is a hands-on school crisis communication training experience built around real situations schools and districts have faced.
Put them on the clock
I’ve participated in traditional crisis tabletop exercises, including through my local emergency management association. They’re valuable and thorough.
But I’ve also spent eight hours working through a crisis scenario.
You know what I’ve never had during an actual crisis?
Eight hours to decide what to do next.
I can’t manufacture the stress of a real crisis in a professional learning session. But I can simulate the pressure of making decisions by putting you on the clock.
The Crisis Zone gives teams scenarios ripped from actual headlines involving schools and districts. They have to quickly determine what’s happening, who matters most, what needs to be communicated and which communication tools make sense.
Then they have to make their choices—and explain why.
There isn’t necessarily one right answer.
That’s the point.
Practice thinking fast
Robert Cialdini’s work on influence includes the principle of scarcity. In The Crisis Zone, I make time scarce.
The goal isn’t to make people stressed. It’s to practice thinking when time is limited.
People lean in. They point at the board. They debate. Someone changes their mind. They strategize. They get competitive.
And yes, the game markers are candy.
If I’m putting you on the clock, the least I can do is sweeten the deal.
I’ve facilitated The Crisis Zone four times this year—with superintendents, assistant principals and school communication professionals through AASA’s Leadership in School Communication program, ALSPRA, NSPRA and the Alabama Association for Middle School Principals (AAMSP).
Different rooms. Different roles.
Same result:
People get into it.
The game isn’t really the point
The board is a tool. The scenarios are tools. The candy is a tool. The clock is a tool.
What I really want people to take back to their schools is a frame for thinking:
What’s happening? Who matters most right now? What do they need from us? What communication tool makes sense? And why are we choosing it?
I could put those principles on another PowerPoint slide.
I’d rather create an experience people can think back on when the real call comes.
Learning should feel like something.
Because when the stakes are real and the clock really is ticking, that’s when I want the lesson to come back.
BRING THE CRISIS ZONE TO YOUR TEAM
Practice making strategic communication decisions before the clock is real.
