More than a pandemic
Crisis is more than a pandemic
You would be forgiven for thinking that Covid-19 is the only crisis that communicators need to be considering. There is a huge risk that we become distracted by this current situation and fail to identify those other issues that may be on the horizon. There are some huge national disasters and humanitarian crises that are happening around the world.
But even closer to home there are problems appearing that threaten trust and confidence in organisations, companies and brands. The threat from cyber criminals is growing and recently the American Colonial Pipeline Company made a ransom payment to hackers so that its network could restart.
There have been product recalls, protests, and a whole range of other issues that are happening. So what do we need to do?
The key is to ensure there is a robust risk management process in place not just within the business but within the communication team. PR and communication professionals have a unique position and have vital information about reputational issues that need to be highlighted.
I have worked with communication teams over the past 12 months to help them improve their risk management and most importantly to increase their ability to identify risks. Remember there is more on the horizon for all of us than managing the ongoing pandemic. If you would like some support or advice on risk identification and management contact me at amanda@amandacolemancomms.co.uk
Banish the imposter
Like many people, I have moments when I suffer from imposter syndrome (IS). I blogged recently about how the problem of IS appears to have increased during the pandemic and lockdown. (Read the blog here) One of the ways you can overcome this is to focus on some training in those areas where you feel you can develop. It isn’t about attempting to be amazing at everything because we need to accept that is not possible. It is why I have put together some coaching in crisis and risk communication for those who need to develop in this area.
New crisis comms paper
A new crisis communication research paper has been released considering whether public segmentation matters in crisis communication. Thanks to Dr Martina Topic for highlighting the paper. Find out more here.
Testing Times
You can read about a long running crisis in my latest edition of Testing Times my monthly crisis communication case study. Read it here.
In Brief:
The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response have published an interesting report on Covid-19. Thanks to Philippe Borremans for highlighting and you can find out more about the report and what it means for communicators here.
Peloton’s delayed recall of treadmills is analysed in a Forbes article by Edward Segal. Leadership, transparency and action are seen as critical to the response. Read more here.
A survey looking at the food and packing industry found that communication was critical to businesses in negotiating Covid-19. Read more here.
There is an interesting analysis with graphics of the Covid-19 response from the Netherlands. Failing crisis communication is highlighted as one of the reasons why the pandemic has not been brought under control. The news site Innovation Origins features the article.
It was a surprise to see I was in the list of top PR influences released by Commetric. Find out who made the list here.
Diary Dates:
1 June - Amanda will be presenting the Maximum Impact from a Disappearing Budget webinar for the PRCA. It looks at home to make the most of your PR and comms when it is on a shoestring. Details here.
The 8 June half day session on Developing a Communication Strategy that Amanda runs for the PRCA is sold out but keep a watch out for future dates if you are interested in looking at bringing all you communication together in one clear strategy.
Starting on 1 June and running on 8, 15 and 22 - Amanda’s Practical Crisis Communication course will be running. The comprehensive training is support by P World. Details here.
If you are new to running an in-house comms team, or you are looking to take that next step, join Amanda for a full day session looking at the skills required to be effective leading an in-house team. The session is run virtually with the PRCA. Find out more here.