Interagency communication can be challenging as it pertains to conducting, monitoring and promoting communications within a disaster management / preparedness setting. The challenge is becoming more and more convoluted in terms of the growing physical size of organizations, technology and the expanding trend of less face to face communication. A manager’s communications skills have to be multi-faceted in order to communicate effectively across a wide medium of informational platforms. These skills are in demand on any given normal day at work. Additional stress is created by disasters or crisis events as the manager now may have to add the public to their growing list of groups to communicate with. Disaster events have the potential to engage a large number of agencies, organizations, and individuals from all levels of government and the private sector for an extended period of time. Catastrophic disasters may draw the communication skills of a manager for months, even years in returning their jurisdiction to normal. Proactive, credible interagency communication skills both day to day, as well as during and after a disaster or crisis event is critical to the survival of a manager within their organization and with the public.
The issue is the growing complexity and challenges of interagency communication that has to be conducted, promoted and monitored by today’s manager. Participation in one group or collaborative effort at a time is quickly becoming an example of past communication challenges. Participation in multiple groups, agencies and inter-departmental collaboration efforts is the new norm. This participation may be face to face, but is more likely to utilize a technology platform such as video conferencing, web meetings or conference calls. This type of interagency communication often requires additional communication skills that have not been taught to or experienced by the manager. Interagency communication can very well mean inter-cultural communication in today’s global setting. Additional skills of trust building, “reading” the words between the lines in voice inflections, understanding pauses and interruptions, and developing a “gut feeling” about an idea or person – without ever sitting down face to face and meeting is an entirely new skill set. The accompanying issue that revolves around this growing complexity and challenge is the inevitable occurrence of some type of disaster or crisis event that takes these extenuating circumstances to an even higher level of complexity.
A manager’s interagency communications skills are a direct reflection of his capability to manage and facilitate organizations in a successful capacity. Sound management and administrative theories have to be applied to strengthen interagency communication skills, prompt recognition of communication failures, make examples of interagency communication successes, and heighten the expectations of interagency communication needs during and after a disaster or crisis event. Interagency communication is strengthened by good listening skills by the manager. One of the best ways to actively validate open communication lanes is for a manager to spend a day “in the shoes” of his employees or peer agencies. Actually receiving communications at different levels of the organization can only strengthen the process and help to identify communication bottlenecks.
The output at the street level of any public agency is a direct reflection of the manager’s communication skills to have the agencies culture and values exemplified at the lowest level. How employees at this level understand and carry out their responsibilities is vitally important to the success of any manager, and especially any manager involved in an active disaster or recovery event.
