Truth and Lies
Truth, lies and the grey in-between
I have often spoken about the importance of honesty to building trust and ultimately confidence in businesses and organisations. This is particularly true at a moment of crisis when you are providing advice and guidance to others on what they should do, and explaining what has happened.
This week has seen UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologise unreservedly after video of staff appearing to joke about a Christmas party that they may, or may not, have had. It follows more than a week of denials that any Covid-19 restrictions had been breached and an attempt to avoid confirming a party took place. The whole situation has been an example of how not to approach a reputational issue, and how to create your own crisis.
As we have seen with other cases this year, when you get to the point that confidence is at a low level it is a long road back. Rebuilding is only possible if there is an acceptance that change must happen and that people must see a different approach from those at the centre of the issue. It will be interesting to see if this happens at any point during the inquiry into the ‘party’.
What has made the video more shocking was to hear the stories of those who were not able to see loved ones, and those who lost loved ones at the time this was happening. They had personal information, details and in many cases clearly trauma from what they had experienced.
My advice to any organisation is to be proactive when situations emerge, be honest about what has happened, and take some direct action. And do all this while focusing on the people who are most affected by what has happened.
Amanda
Book Competition
I am giving away a copy of my book Crisis Communication Strategies as part of a festive look at management incidents. Between now and Wednesday 15 December if you share a crisis communication lesson from 2021 with me through Twitter, LinkedIn or by email you will have a chance to win a copy of my book. Find out more on my LinkedIn Page here.
Moving to Plan B
There will be many communicators feeling exhausted and a sense of deja vu as they start to look at what Plan B Covid-19 restrictions mean for those in England. It is important to remember that we are not back in March 2020 territory. Things have moved on and above all there is a huge amount of learning that has happened. Dust off those previous Covid-19 communication plans and look at what you can take from them. It is always helpful to review what worked and look at how it can inform future plans.
Festive Survival
Crises and critical incidents don’t neatly happen at the times that benefit communication teams. Inevitably, problems emerge at weekends and overnight when the ability to respond quickly is compromised. It is important to plan for the Christmas and New Year period to ensure that you have cover available and able to respond if needed. It is important to allow people to have time off but also to ensure there is the ability to reactive if required. Have a plan, make it realistic, and know where to find extra support.
In Brief:
A report looking at European Government’s response to Covid-19 has found a lack of transparency, mixed messaging and questioning of government legitimacy fuelled public distrust. Find out more here.
Tackling the cyber threat was at the heart of an article on Security Infowatch. The article looks at four problems in the cyber threat response and the points are useful for all crisis managers. Read more here.
There is an interesting review of the boss who fired staff on a three minute Zoom call in this PR News article by Seth Arenstein. Read more here.
The National Union of Journalists has launched an online tool to help journalists deal with cyber threats and hostile environments. Modules include dealing with risk into hostile environments, psychological trauma and well-being, cyber risks and dealing with injury. Find out more here.
Diary Dates:
Amanda is running a new course for the PRCA on 11 January 2022. The half day workshop will focus on making better decisions under pressure. It will look at practical tips and techniques for making sure you can keep calm and manage the situations you face. Find out more here.