Emergencies and disasters start the new year
Emergencies and disasters start the new year
5 January 2024
Emergencies and disasters start the new year
2024 has started with a number of emergencies and disasters. If anyone was hoping that the chaos and permacrises would be a thing of the past it is clear that is not going to be the case. The earthquake in Japan highlighted the importance of effective early warning systems and is something that in the UK we need to start to become more comfortable with.
Storms have blighted the holiday period in the UK and weather problems have been seen in other parts of the world. In Greater Manchester there was a mini-tornado which is a rare occurrence. It was another reminder that warning systems need to be clear and have details of the actions that need to be taken. I also wonder whether people will start to switch off to the possible weather related emergencies as there are almost daily warnings being given.
The UK tested its early warning system in April 2023 and since then there has been little discussion or publicity around it. It will be interesting to see when and how it may be used.
Images of the jet on fire at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport were shocking but the fact all 379 passengers and crew managed to escape was a testament to the preparedness of the crew onboard. It is a reminder to all businesses and organisations that they need to test plans regularly and make sure that people know what they will do when a crisis or emergency happens. Testing the approach to communication is also essential.
And as well as these terrible scenes of devastation there have also been a number of reputational crises for organisations. The latest public sector organisation to face criticism about its culture has been South Wales Fire and Rescue which was the subject of a damning report published this week. During the last 12 months I continued to highlight that the next crisis may come from culture and inappropriate behaviour within the business and it looks set to be a major issue in the coming months. (The Post Office scandal is mentioned below.)
As 2024 gets underway there are three things I would urge you to remember:
Make sure your crisis communication and management plans are up to date
Put time aside to test those plans including the approach to communication
Listen to views of the business and identify your risks so you can take action.
Mr Bates v The Post Office
One of the most significant crises in the UK is still ongoing and has run for more than two decades. It is the Horizon computer scandal involving the UK Post Office where more than 700 sub-post office staff were falsely accused after problems emerged on the Post Office’s Horizon computer system, developed by Fujitsu. The impact of this scandal was huge and convictions were overturned. A public inquiry is now underway (find out more here).
Amanda has been following the situation for the past few years and provided some thoughts on it to PR Week (read it here) and was quoted in an article by the Metro newspaper (Read it here). For anyone working in communication the lessons from what happened, who was involved, and how to respond to such a huge reputational challenge will be essential to understand.
Gaining Influencing in a Crisis
Have you ever felt invisible when a crisis is happening? Do you get told what to do rather than operate strategically? The first training session Amanda is running for 2024 will look at how to gain more influence when a crisis happens. It will look at techniques to help quickly, and also how to build confidence to help in the future. Places on the two-hour online session are £50 and places are limited. It takes place on 31 January at 1pm. Email: amanda@amandacolemancomms.co.uk for more information or to book a space. For more details on the training programme click here.
In Brief:
An interesting article in The Japan Times points out that strategic communication is the missing element of the crisis response and management among many organisations. Read more here.
Reliefweb includes details of a scoping review looking at the role of social media in public health crises involving infectious diseases. To find out more check the findings out here.
The World Health Organisation has published a document about emergency preparedness. Find out more here.
Edward Segal looks at the lessons for executives from the crises in 2023 in an article for Forbes. Find out what lessons are highlighted here.
Amanda gave some thoughts on 2024 in a blog that avoided talking about predictions or resolutions. Find out what the key points were here.
The latest monthly crisis communication case study has been published. In the January edition of Testing Times there is a look at planned and spontaneous problems. Email amanda@amandacolemancomms.co.uk for a copy.
The World Economic Forum has provided details of the six stories that have defined cybersecurity in 2023. Find out what they are here.
Diary Dates:
Amanda will be running a half day session on improving decision making under pressure for the PRCA. It takes place on 10 January. During January there is also a training sale with the PRCA reducing the prices. Find out more here.
Amanda will be guest chairing the SASIG session about accelerating cybersecurity in healthcare on Friday 12 January. Find out more information here.
The PRCA webinar on Gaining Maximum Impact from a disappearing budget run by Amanda takes place on 16 January 2024. Find out more here.
Developing a corporate communication strategy is the focus of the half day training session run by Amanda for the PRCA on 6 February. Find out more here.