Thinking the unthinkable

Under Pressure 24 May 2021

Think the unthinkable

The National Audit Office produced an interesting report looking at the learning from the initial response to Covid-19 from the UK Government. It made a number of important recommendations including the need to develop ‘playbooks’ for potential future crises. It also looked at the importance of effective communication in sharing immediate updates of what to do but also to build trust and confidence in the response. For many who work in crisis communication this will not be a surprise but what matters now is that there is action to put some of these measures in place.

I blogged about some of the findings and what they mean which you can read here.

NB: it may be worth watching former UK Government aide Dominic Cummings when he speaks to a parliamentary committee this week. In a series of tweets on Saturday night which were covered in the Sunday Times he stated that the original policy on Covid-19 was to aim for herd immunity. There is more to come on this I am sure.

UK emergency text alerts

It may be a surprise to many that this doesn’t already exist but the UK government are looking at a text alert system that can get emergency messages right to people’s phones. It will be trialled in East Suffolk on 25 May and then in June in Reading before being rolled out nationally. New Zealand already has such a system. There are a few things to check for: what is the governance around what messages are sent? Will it be kept out of politics? And how will it be publicised to gain trust and credibility? Watch this space to see how things develop. Read the BBC details in an article here.

Communication in Europe

The European Communication Monitor 2021 has been published. It includes details of the role of technology, the future of video conferencing and what comes next for communicators. There is so much detail that it is a must read. Find out more here.

Think through Biscuit Brew

Saturday 29 May is National Biscuit Day, so it is the perfect time to share this I produced some months ago. Remember if you would like a free 20 minute think through brew to recharge, refresh and refocus your communication just get in touch by emailing amanda@amandacolemancomms.co.uk

In Brief

• The journal Nature recently published an interesting article about the way studying human behaviour is changing due to Covid-19. Scientists are working more collaboratively and internationally, much of which has been due to the scale of the pandemic. Find out more here.

• Edelman’s latest Trust Barometer presents some interesting findings that show public trust in business is more than others including the government. It also highlights the impact of mental health issues and job uncertainty caused by the pandemic. To read more click here.

• The next edition of the monthly crisis communication case study Testing Times will be out on 1 June. If you would like to receive a copy send your contact details to amanda@amandacolemancomms.co.uk

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.