The Fog of War
Communication has been at the forefront of all the tense developments in the past week and it is challenging to cut through propaganda on all sides. In these situations we can often feel powerless and in many cases voiceless. There is a lot of confusion and deliberate obfuscation.
At the start of 2025 I said this year would be a huge test for those in PR and communication roles. It would be a time when our ethics would be put to the test in a way we have not experienced before. I feel this is where we are now.
Poor approaches and even bad behaviour is evident in crisis and emergency responses. This has always been the case but after years of talking about the importance of transparency, honesty and ethical behaviour it is more significant that this is being ignored.
When a crisis hits the stress levels increase and those in leadership positions can become heavily focused on certain aspects of the response while ignoring others. I have witnessed this first hand. This is why communication advisors need to be in the room and have the influence to provide challenge and an alternative view of events.
If you haven’t watched the documentary on Netflix about Grenfell I urge you to take the time to do that. There are so many unanswered questions and so many areas left. It is added to with the recent discussions around the Hillborough Law or duty of candour which has been criticised by many for being watered down.
So, with all this fog and confusion, poor behaviour and obfuscation what can we do? If you are a comms professional ensure you know, own and have updated any crisis communication plans. Make sure that you are recognised as a strategic advisor. And ensure that you have the skills and knowledge to be able to challenge approaches in the heat of the crisis.
If you are a responder or involved in managing crises take a moment to consider whether you are considering different views. Are you open to different perspectives and will you be able to understand what people need.
These are definitely challenging times and finding the right way forward is important for us all.
Next Training Session - Crisis Communication Exercise
The next training session Amanda is running takes place on 13 August and will create a scenario for participants to work through. They will need to consider the actions to take at key stages during the crisis. The session is a great way to test your decision making under pressure. Spaces are limited and email office@amandacolemancomms.co.uk for more information.
Being Human in a Crisis - SASIG event
Amanda is sharing some thoughts on how to be human through communication when a crisis happens for the SASIG group. It will consider the importance of trust and how social media and technology are changing the approach that is needed. The session is on 3 July online find out more about it here.
Books CPD
Reading Amanda’s books can now count as part of CPD points for CIPR members. Thanks to the CIPR for supporting the books as part of professional development.
10 Minutes With
There are two interesting 10 minute conversations between Amanda and people with something interesting to share that is relevant to crisis, risk and recovery communication. You can find all the previous conversations including the most recent one with senior emergency planner Jenny Jones here. The new conversations will be published in the next couple of weeks. If you have an interesting angle on crisis communication and want to take part get in touch with Amanda at office@amandacolemancomms.co.uk
In Brief:
Crisis communication in North Bosnia during floods in March this year has been criticised. Find out why here.
Emergency alerts have been added to the public transport screens in Prague as part of moves to share messages quickly. Find out more here.
Reuters have published the 2025 Digital News Report which provides a global perspective on how consumption of news is changing. The growth of TikTok as a news channel and the maintained position of X (Twitter) are among the points highlighted. Read more here.
An article in Nature considers UK first responders talking about how they can create instantaneous trust. The conclusions consider elements of communication including the messaging. Find out more here.
For any social media managers CEO Today considered the question of whether Government and senior leaders should be allowed to run their own social media. Read more here.
It has featured in many issues recently but the use of mobile messaging apps will not be possible for those working in the Scottish Government. The policy has been introduced requiring the removal of apps like WhatsApp from government devices. Find out more here.
A report has found the American emergency 911 system is being affected by a growing number of outages and attacks. Read more here.
Academic Professor Timothy Coombs has written a paper on the future directions for crisis communication research. It looks at where academics should put their attention to advance theory and practice in crisis communication. Find out more here.
The recent AMEC conference has been extensively discussed. If you want a round up this article from Stuart Bruce may help. Read his words here.
Diary Dates:
As mentioned earlier Amanda is running a crisis communication webinar for SASIG on 3 July. Find out more here.
On 13 August, Amanda’s next training session will be a realistic crisis communication exercise. Spaces are limited. Email office@amandacolemancomms.co.uk for more information.