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Under Pressure 15 September 2023

Fighting Crisis Complacency

In the aftermath of a global pandemic when we all had to face dealing with crisis and emergency communication it is tempting to put crisis communication to the back of our minds. After all we have been there and done it.

Complacency is a big risk in these post-pandemic years. In some places testing and exercising has been cut back, there is a feeling that people are exhausted from dealing with crisis situations. And that communicating in a crisis is just about doing more of what people are doing every day.

We only need to watch the news on any day in recent weeks to see the potential crises that we may all face. There have been extreme weather events, financial challenges, reputational crises and cyber and data breaches. All of these are risks that can affect any organisation or business. When they happen they have the potential to severely damage the business and to impact on many people.

I deal with crises every day and I don’t expect people to spend every day doing crisis preparation. But we need to keep regularly trained and exercised so we can respond effectively. We need to ensure new members of the team know the crisis plan and what it means for them. We need to be considering the risks that are emerging in this chaotic world. We need to continue to test our plans to ensure they are up to date. Plans from 2023 forward need to have a detailed explanation of the role of social media and how to approach tackling fake news.

Keeping crisis ready is a vital part of being more resilient to the ups and downs that life continues to throw at us. I will soon be sharing the details of training sessions for 2024 so check them out if you are looking for some inspiration to help you avoid crisis complacency.

Meet Amanda at Emergency Services Show

The Emergency Services Show is a two day event with seminars, talks and exhibition stands focused on every aspect of emergency response. It takes place in Birmingham, UK on 19 and 20 September. Amanda is attending on the 19 September to present a talk about managing reputational challenges and being ready for them when you work in emergency management. If you are going to be there and would like to catch up, meet or chat to Amanda she is in the Resilience and Recovery Theatre at 12noon, or email amanda@amandacolemancomms.co.uk to arrange to meet. For more details about the event click here.

Crisis Communication Market Trends

A recent report has highlighted a continued growth in the crisis communication market globally. North America and Europe appear to be the growth areas for crisis communication work. Find out more here.

In Brief:

• Research by Loughborough University is considering the impact of populist leaders on the Covid-19 crisis communication and response. Find out more about the work here.

• Disney has been advertising for a crisis communication expert. It follows an interview with the Chief Exec where he appeared to criticise the striking writers and actors. Find out more about it here.

• The long term impact of emergencies and disasters has been highlighted as Maui now faces an economic crisis after tourists stay away following the wildfires. Recovery is as challenging, if not more so than dealing with the event. Read more here.

• The decentralisation of social media and increase channels will put extra pressure on crisis communication requiring more detailed plans. Find out more about in the impact in this article by Sprout Social.

Diary Dates:

• At the Emergency Services Show on 19 September Amanda will be running a lunchtime session looking at tips on managing a crisis in culture and will consider what next for emergency responders finding themselves managing reputational crises. Find out more about Amanda’s session here.

• If you want to refresh your knowledge about how to Develop a Communication Strategy, Amanda will run a session on 26 September for the PRCA. Find out more here.

• On 5 October Amanda will run the Getting Maximum Impact from a Disappearing Budget webinar for the PRCA. Find out more here.

• On 10 October Amanda will be running the full day training session focused on how to Manage an In-House Team. Details of the PRCA session can be found here.