M.Bettendorf_ Assignment 2.2_Practice Activity_Crisis Communication Techiques
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Southern New Hampshire University *
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Course
140
Subject
Communications
Date
Apr 3, 2024
Type
docx
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3
Uploaded by MasterFishMaster1092
Scenario One
You are working as a Department of Children and Families (DCF) counselor, and you are meeting with a young, single mother at the DCF office. The mother is present with a close female friend, and you, as the DCF caseworker, must deliver a custody order from the family court. The mother has been deemed temporarily unfit to care for her daughter, who is two years old. As the meeting begins, the mother is seated in a chair, holding her daughter. The mother thought the meeting was a regular monthly meeting and did not know that she was about to lose custody of her daughter. You tell the mother about the custody order stating, “I am sorry about this, but this is the best for your daughter, and you, right now.” The mother begins to cry loudly and is refusing to let go of her daughter.
At this point, what crisis communication technique would you use to immediately handle the situation, and why?
Immediately I would try and be compassionate with the mother. I would say “I understand this hard and emotional, and that is really difficult. But we can brainstorm ideas so that you can get you daughter back in time.” I would ensure the mother felt heard and validated in her emotional state. I would do this because getting a child taken away is never a fun thing for any parent. It is valid that the mother is crying, therefore she needs to feel heard and safe. That is done by showing compassion and giving options to achieve what she wants, which is custody of her daughter. An hour has passed; the mother still will not comply.
You now need to change your choice of crisis communication technique to handle the situation. What crisis communication technique would you use now, and why?
At this point, I would remain in a calm voice but be more direct. If there are reasons the court gave as to why custody is being taken away, I would explain those to her once her crying has settled down. In order to get her crying settled so she can actively listen, easier, I would do a breathing exercise with her. I would explain that I know it is hard but we have to follow the court
order. I would list the reason and ask the parent, “off the top of your head what are some ideas you have to fix these problems the court sees?” After that, I would ask the toddler to give her mom a big giant hug and then walk with me. I would tell the mom (kindly), to give her daughter one goodbye kiss. I would ensure to use words like goodbye so that this doesn’t feel permanent. It feels like a goodbye, like when the mom goes to work or the child to daycare/school. In doing this I would allow the mother to feel in control of her plan to get her daughter back, I would write down all the ideas she sprouted off and discuss them in the next meeting. I would also ensure to set up supervised visits if that is something able. This way the mom can still see her daughter while she is working on getting her problems in order so the court can reenact her guardianship of her child.
Scenario Two
A security officer (SO) at a local power plant responds to a report of a small group of protestors at the main gate to the property. The SO observes five demonstrators with signs demanding cleaner plant emissions, and they want to deliver a letter to the president of the power company. When asked, they state they will not leave until they deliver the letter. The ages of the demonstrators range from 65 to 80 years old. The SO advises the group, “You are trespassing on private property. I have called the police, and you will be subject to arrest if you do not leave.” The group responds loudly, “Hell no, we won't go!” When the police arrive, the group is again told to leave. In response, they begin to blow bubbles at the officers.
Acting in the role of the police officer, what crisis communication technique would you use in this situation, and why?
In this situation, as an officer I would find what seems to be the leader of the group. Normally standing at the front, or in this case holding the letter. I would speak to them in a calm fashion asking for the cause of their protest. This would communicate to the leader that I care about their
cause and am open to listening. After the leader explains, I would be direct but compassionate by
saying “I understand that you are here because you and your team want cleaner plant emissions. Unfortunately, you are on private property though. So, if you are open, I would be happy to share
a compromise I think could be beneficial. You have a message you want to spread, but the owner
of this plant does not want you here. My idea is that you and your team go a couple feet back from the property line. This would allow your message to be heard and the property owner could not say anything because you and your team are no longer on his property. What do you think about that?” I would say this in a calm and collected way. I am being direct by stating the issues at hand, but I am not threatening arrest which could rile the protesters up even more. I would also
suggest they send the letter via email or letter. This way the owner still gets the letter, and they could state they would not leave until the owner read the letter. Which is completely legal as long as they stay off the property.
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