Design Brief
How Might We, address and improve the school’s community preparedness plan and communication methods during climate emergencies.
Strategy Adopted
Research
- Researched the Communication structure of NYC 311 (New York’s State Mechanism)
- Reviewed the communication patterns during emergencies at large corporations such as: Apple / Microsoft / Google
- Conducted surveys with the Students/Faculty/Staff of the new school
- Interviewed Scott from campus security for his valuable insights on the existing communication channels
- Interviewed Dorm GRA’s and several advocacy groups in NYC for insights on climate related preparedness in the city
- Discussed, Brainstormed and Prototyped at several phases during the process
The Analysis
We utilized a variety of Project Facilitation tools to collectively generate ideas for solutions and intervention strategies aimed at enhancing safety communication within ‘The New School’.
The invaluable contribution of our team members’ diverse backgrounds and experiences added depth, as each
individual brought unique perspectives and insights to the table.
Considering the robust communication channels at TNS, our approach to this project was centered on improving existing communication methods to rapidly disseminate crucial information to all individuals associated with TNS. In the following slides, we outline actionable changes that we have identified and that could be implemented at TNS with relative ease
Responses From The Surveys
“Better communication and explanation of the procedure for preparedness”
“Clear communication on what the plan is”
“Something engaging in-person, or make it mandatory in the beginning of the term”
“Send alerts through both text and email”
“More sensitivity to climate crisis - an email saying remote was optional that day......”
“Maybe do a required virtual training like we do for sexual harassment? and the school”
“Maybe even during non-emergency times, sending quick tips and remainders”
“An interactive experience, how to use stairs, open windows, doors,etc”
“I find the emergency system to be thorough and multi-pronged”
“Running through scenarios”
“Canvas 15min training promoted in the newsletter and weekly remainder until done..”
A one pager or quick link
Proposed Comms Channels
Leveraging newsletters sent by other departments to send safety updates and reminders
Feedback from Scott Belford
Assistant Director of Emergency Operations, The New School, Manhattan New York
Thank you for sharing the executive summary with me. I am very impressed by your suggested improvements to our alert system and various channels of communication. With your permission, I would like to begin the conversation with the various stakeholders to implement your recommendations. I will always give you all the credit for the improvements, after all they are your ideas, and hopefully you will begin to see them come to fruition in future iterations of the communication channels. Let me know if you have any questions and thank you again for advancing our alert system.
Scott