Learning the lessons
Learning the lessons
In recent reports of the Government response to the Grenfell Inquiry it appears some of the recommendations have been labelled ‘not proportionate’. The details can be found in Inside Housing’s recent article. It centres around the government saying it will not implement the recommendation calling for legal obligations to plan for the evacuation of high rise buildings and disabled residents in the event of a serious fire.
There are many concerns I have with the approach that is being taken. The first and most obvious is that there is a lack of any recognition of the importance and value that must be given to protecting people. It also neglects to provide the required support to groups and individuals. The protected characteristics are being ignored.
One of the most critical things from the aftermath of an incident or crisis is to review, assess and improve plans and processes based on what has happened and the response to it. The same is supposed to happen after any training and exercising of emergency plans. Sadly, this does not seem to be the process that is being taken. Anyone watching the Manchester Arena Inquiry will have heard details of how a terrorism exercise almost a year before the attack failed to lead to changes and improvements being made.
The key question is how can we ever develop our plans and prevent the same errors and problems in the future if we don’t learn? We are setting ourselves up to fail and when future crises emerge questions will be asked about the lack of action.
I have three things that I urge organisations to do once a crisis has concluded:
Ensure that you capture what worked well, and where changes need to be made
Develop a plan of how to implement the changes required and monitor progress
Training and exercise the updated plans to ensure people know what has changed and that the effectiveness of the plans can be assessed.
In focusing on these three elements we move crisis communication into change communication and can ensure we keep developing.
Crisis Guide with SoCrowd
Amanda Coleman Communications Ltd has been working with social media company SoCrowd to develop a simple guide to planning and managing crisis communication. It follows a webinar where Amanda talked about heroes and villains within a crisis response. Find out more by checking out the document here.
America’s Baby Milk crisis
Baby formula is in short supply in America which has caused panic among parents. The situation has become so serious the President has become involved. The situation has existed for some weeks now and appears to be linked to a problem at a major manufacturing plant. In the latest move, parents are joining together to try to find ways to help each other. In Maryland, Nappy Network has been running formula drives with the tagline: "Bring what you can, take what you need." A reminder to all emergency planners and communicators of the importance of working with volunteers and local people when a crisis hits. Find out more about the baby formula situation here.
In Brief:
A new report outlines how anxious leaders can influence the levels of concern among employees even when they communicate online. “When we interact and communicate with others, we not only transfer information but also feelings and emotions,” said study author Jon Gruda, an assistant professor at Maynooth University School of Business. Find out more here.
After two years managing the Covid-19 pandemic, communicators need to remain alert to the potential future health crises. The World Health Organisation has launched the first report on infection prevention and control. Find out more here.
Forbes has provided 14 tips for managing crisis communication in 2022. There are some important points to consider in the report. Read more here.
The World Health Organisation has published a results report looking at achievements even despite the Covid-19 pandemic. But it also highlights the further work that is required. Find out more here.
The marketing and advertising industry has been put under the spotlight for the approach to what happens across national borders. The World Health Organisation report looks at the extent of the marketing and the impact on people’s health. Read more here.
Diary Dates:
Training to get maximum impact from a dwindling PR budget is the focus of a session Amanda is running on 1 June for the PRCA. To book a place check out the details here.
A half day PRCA workshop looking at developing a communication strategy is fully booked on 7 June but another session is available in September if you don’t want to miss out this year. Find out more here.
If you have an ambition to manage an in-house communication team or you are a new manager, the PRCA are running a special training day on 14 June. Amanda will work through the skills required to successfully lead an in house team. Find out more here.
Crisis and emergency communication is the focus of a two day training course designed by Amanda for public sector communicators. The course is part of the Westco training programme and takes place on 16 and 17 June. Find out more here.
Public sector communicators and those who work with them will be interested in Amanda’s webinar on developing engaging content within public sector comms. The 90 minute session is on 15 June. Find out more here.
Amanda has been announced as one of the speakers for the 2022 Commshero Week. Find out details through the website here.