4 Strategies Administrators Can Use to Respond to Negative Comments on Social Media

Principal and author Jessica Cabeen, a believer in the positive impact of social media, recognized the emotional impact of negative comments and shares her approach for managing the social media scene.

Cabeen describes a scenario in which a middle school administrator is tagged in a series of comments to a post regarding recent “fights” at school. Parents and community members are giving their opinions about what should be done, suggesting the administrator needs to have better control over the school.

1. Snooze, mute, or sleep on it: Responding isn’t a race. Notice the physical reaction in yourself prompted by the post or comments (or emails). If you’re grinding your teeth, holding your breath, or feeling flushed, you need time to de-stress and re-regulate before responding. Give yourself permission to press pause. Call your mentor or another colleague to gain additional insight and perspective. Take a walk. Engage in breath work.
2. Find a frame for your response. In the scenario referenced above, after sleeping on it, the leader decides a response is needed. Cabeen recommends the BIFF framework—Brief, Informative, Friendly, and Firm. She offers the following post as an example in response to the scenario: "Thank you for your care and concern for the children of our school. School safety is a priority for our students, staff, and school community. If you have specific concerns about school safety, please reach out and contact us directly. Thank you, Principal Cabeen." (Additional examples of how to use the BIFF to reply to angry texts/emails).
3. Make the call. Never post/send something that would be better said in person. “Taking time to call parents in the feed to see if they would be willing to meet and discuss in detail takes it offline and expands the opportunity to have a conversation, in private and without a character limit.” Speaking on the phone provides the added benefit of hearing tone, and meeting in person lets you hear tone and see body language—important to receiving the complete message.
4. Let it go. Our tendency is to dwell so much on the mistakes we’ve made that we forget the learning we gained. Don’t let the criticism from a few cause you to stop using social media to keep telling your story to the many. 

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