CRISIS COMMS
Review, Recovery and Resilience BY AMANDA COLEMAN
t the start of 2020 people would say they had crisis communication strategies and business continuity plans. There was a comfort in having something sat in some computer folder somewhere that said what would be done if the worst happened. I wonder where those plans are now. The future we face is uncertain, and as communicators we are trying to find a way forward. It may feel unlikely, but we can find certainty in the midst of chaos and confusion. This is the year that PR and communication will, and should, change.
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If it wants to build on the trust created through the response to this crisis, to continue to have a seat at the top table, and to help shape the future, then its day-to-day work needs to develop. Communicators need to become comfortable with risk management, and be crisis-ready all day every day. This doesn’t mean abandoning creativity, but it does mean introducing some new ways of working. OLD PLANS FUTURE CHALLENGES The starting point has to be going back to the crisis communication plans that existed before Covid-19 and reviewing them, updating them and ensuring they
are fit for future challenges. Those future challenges are something we can define after having risen to the challenges of the pandemic. It has been said that there are no crises that cannot be predicted, except perhaps alien invasion at this moment in time. PRs need to look at organisational risk registers and use their knowledge, insight and experience to bring reputational issues into discussions about threats to the business. The process is relatively simple once you have carried out the research required. A comprehensive list of risks is the basis for future crisis management, preparedness and ultimately the route to
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