What does transparency really mean in practice?
This week I was listening to a Police and Crime Commissioner talking about the way the police communicate. After two decades dealing with these challenges it caught my attention. But one thing that came through the radio interview was the issue of what we mean when we talk about transparency. Everyone will have their own definition of what it means in practice and where the boundaries are or are not placed.
It is something that matters a lot in a world where everyone has a mobile phone and can film at any time, where there is extensive comment and discussion publicly on social media, and where there is a trust deficit.
There will be information that for many reasons can’t be made public. It may be because it will be part of court proceedings, or it is commercially sensitive or may be restricted legally. Throughout my career, what information is released has often been a source of discussion, debate and disagreement. For those working in public bodies it can often be viewed that they are withholding information for some higher good. But if that higher good cannot be recognised or accepted there is a slide into allegations of cover up.
Transparency appears to operate on a sliding scale. At one end we release everything and at the other end we release nothing. The important part of this for crisis, issues or emergency response is to root it in a strong ethical foundation. For me the communicator needs to challenge the organisation so that they don’t consider what information to make public but rather they consider why they should withhold something.
We need to challenge ourselves on a daily basis about what we are doing with information when we develop statements and communication releases. For those in public sector roles the challenge is also whether the work would be duty of candour compliant. Even though this has not yet become law in the UK it is a worthwhile test of how open we are being. Being transparent when a crisis occurs is difficult and pressured which is why we need to make this element of the communication response part of crisis exercises and simulations. There is a lot more work needed to understand the impact of information management and perhaps we have to take the plunge and be more transparent to rebuilt trust.
Are you ready? Take the assessments and find out.
Amanda has made two short crisis communication assessments available to help people recognise whether they are ready to face problems. The first is a basic assessment of five questions. Take the assessment here.
It was followed by an advanced assessment considering some of the more challenging issues that will be faced when a crisis or emergency happens. This more detailed assessment can be found here.
New members of the team announced
Amanda Coleman Communication has welcomed three new faces to the team. Associates Dee Cowburn, Rosie Watson and Ali Vowles are now able to expand the offer for those focusing on being crisis prepared. Details of their skills and experience have been added to the website. The team is also boosted by Sheenal Patel who provides admin support and is likely to be the first point of contact for anyone inquiring about training sessions. Find out more about the team here.
Crisis Communication In the Spotlight
Amanda joined a panel on the America radio show 1A on WAMU as part of their ‘ask a..’ series. There were some interesting questions from listeners that highlighted how crisis communicators and those working in PR need to be more transparent about the work they do to build trust and confidence. Find out what was discussed here.
In Brief:
A team of Cornell scientists have developed a new way of detecting doctored footage. They use a system of flickering lights which could help to identify misinformation. Find out more here.
Amanda wrote a blog on the challenges of how people perceive events and compared it to AI hallucinations. Find out more here.
The latest crisis communication case study has been published by Amanda and can be found on the website here. It looks at the flash flooding situations around the world and what it means for communication. If you are interested in the subject this article on Texas and emergency warnings shared by Crisis Response Journal may also be worth reading.
A survey has found an increase in the number of Norwegian people who fear a further war in Europe. It also revealed almost half believe there will be a new world war in the next 10 years. Find out more here.
Details of how Florida is using artificial intelligence to help in the preparation for emergencies have been shared in an article on Police1 website. Find out more here.
Congratulations to Maxim Behar on the publication of his book The Power of Trust. Amanda provided some insights to help inform the book and is looking forward to reading the final version. Find out more here.
UK’s communication watchdog Ofcom has published its latest report on trends in the UK media sector. Find the report here.
Homeland Security Today featured an article considering the impact of deepfake technology and what law enforcement and emergency responders need to consider. Read more here.
Energy Research and Social Science published an article considering the evidenced based communication strategies around energy shortages. Find out more here.
Diary Dates:
On 13 August Amanda is running a crisis communication simulation where participants will be asked to make the decisions as a situation unfolds. All the spaces have been taken so if you would like to book on a future session or find out more email office@amandacolemancomms.co.uk
On 16 September Amanda will be running the popular half day Developing a Communication Strategy training on behalf of the PRCA. Find out more here.
Also on 16 September Amanda will provide a webinar on Crisis Management on behalf of the PRCA. Find out details of the session here.