How can you identify communication risks and crises?

Solid working relationships are key to assessing your communication environment. Whether you are in house or external, it should be a key priority to build strong relationships with the stakeholders who are key to delivering your organisation's work. They will have a good understanding of potential emerging risks or blind spots for your organisation.

Beware of echo chambers! Sometimes, being too close to your own work prevents you from seeing alternative viewpoints. Without realizing it, your team could be turning a blind eye to something that your customers or the public would consider biased, offensive or even unethical. It's always positive to step outside of yourself. Invite colleagues from outside the core team to meetings to get diverse perspectives, encourage challenges and even consider bringing on third-party consultants.

In any given crisis, the first step is always to pause and analyze. Given the pressure of a crisis, there is always a pressure to communicate something right away. This is not always the case. Sometimes, saying nothing can be a good communincation tool. During this period of “silence,” analyze, assess, and evaluate the conditions and determine whether there is a need to communicate further. Taking two steps backward can be a giant leap forward after.

I need to make sure that what I measure reflects what is considered high value by the organization and its people. Before I commence I'll know the following: - how the outcomes and impacts connect back into the broader strategic plan of the organization. - the key workforce and business skill gaps, threats and risks. - how the workforce currently perceives the organization and the challenges associated with it. While you can use all the digital tools you want, it is always most impactful to speak with the people who are receiving your communications. Use these personal moments of connections to gain their insights, ideas and advice. Act on where you can and inform people when you can't and why.

A big mistake people make in this phase is mistaking noise for the signal. Of course you want and need anecdotal, qualitative feedback, but stay focused on the quantitative metrics.

The point made by Bar Cudkevich above is just as applicable to this section - it's too easy to get complacent or find yourself relying on people who have done the same. If you mix it up a bit in terms of who you turn to for opinion, you will build a better safety net and potential a new source of opportunities.

In our era of information saturation, the challenge lies not just in acquiring feedback but in distinguishing the signal from the noise. Genuine, constructive feedback can often be obscured by a cacophony of unsolicited opinions, especially in digital platforms. The modern communicator should possess the acumen to discern the essential from the trivial. Adopting a holistic approach, where feedback is viewed not in isolation but as a part of a larger communication ecosystem, can be revolutionary.

The biggest mistake I've made in my career is in defending my original idea when receiving feedback and criticism. Try to avoid being defensive here and be open to opportunities to adjust your communications. Often, the most important reactions you're getting aren't literal. Pay attention to how they're speaking or what they are not responding to.

Know how you plan on using employee ideas, insights and advice before you engage. Make sure you can clearly articulate what the next steps will be and how you plan on keeping all the relevant parties up to date. Be honest with what people can expect from you in terms of motive and intent. Don't tell people what you think they want to hear because you feel uncomfortable and just want to move on. It doesn't work like that. Set real timeframes and deliver on these. Make yourself publicly accountable but don't over promise. Only then will people know you are good in your word and that you value their advice and insights.

Be open with the people and share the lessons and challenges along the way. Always be open with teams as to how you will use these lessons to do positively different in the future. Be clear on how you will continue to involve people in the actions and next steps. Don't waste the opportunity to evolve from these insights and make new connections with your people along the way. Be truthful and useful in what ever you do.

Learning from communication experiences goes beyond mere reflection on past engagements. In the age of digital interconnectedness, each communication experience offers a goldmine of insights. Consider these experiences as 'living data'. Unlike static data points, they evolve, offering richer insights over time. To truly harness them, one must delve deep into the qualitative aspects, capturing the nuances and sentiments that often go unnoticed. For instance, a failed marketing campaign might initially seem a setback, but with a closer look, might reveal emerging audience preferences. Moreover, with the rise of AI and machine learning, patterns from these 'living data' points can be analyzed to predict future communication trends.

This entails introspecting about the lessons, takeaways, and effective strategies derived from both your successful and unsuccessful communication endeavors, encompassing accomplishments, hurdles, and errors. That's why lessons learned is a crucial part of project management for future proof success.

Now you have a case study to attach to the plan, too. Assign someone on your team to write it up and show them where it now fits in the comms plan. Now you've added professional development to a process update.

Segment your audience to address their unique communication needs. Set clear monitoring timelines for timely issue response. Plan for crises in advance with a comprehensive strategy. Analyze performance across various communication channels. Utilize predictive analytics and invest in team training. Collaborate with other departments for holistic issue resolution. Establish a feedback loop with stakeholders and prioritize data security when handling sensitive information. Test communication scenarios for crisis preparedness.

Absolutely. It’s also important to recognize when an organization doesn’t have a dedicated communications team, and train accordingly. Team members may not have a shared understanding of what constitutes a “crisis” or “sensitive communications”, and it can be important to clearly define a framework of understanding across the organization. Teams posting/responding on social, answering support tickets, collaborating with partners, all need to be aware of potential red flags.

Train the team to understand the fundamental differences between issues management and crisis communications. Then test your crisis communications plan through tabletop and functional exercises involving leaders from across the organization. Use the exercises to validate your plans and / or to identify any gaps in your plans and the effectiveness of your crisis training program. Update your plans and training accordingly and continue the cycle at regular scheduled intervals as a matter of best practice.

To follow Daniel C & Jake M it is also engaging the people outside of your comms team. People at the interface of your org must be confident to flag issues and their observations early. You need to give them the channels and support to raise things from "this is a bit odd" right through to "I think we have made a big mistake" without concern about any ramifications.

In my experience, stepping outside of your role as a Comms pro and approaching any crisis or issue from a real human perspective truly helps. Strip away the buzzwords and don't assume that your audience fully understands the nuances of your business.

It's imperative to understand the evolving nature of communication in the digital era. For one, the rapid spread of information means that potential risks can escalate into crises at an unprecedented pace. To this end, it's not enough to merely monitor and react; organizations need to have an agile response mechanism in place. Embracing transparency becomes non-negotiable. In situations of crises, admitting mistakes, clarifying stances, or simply showing human empathy can deter a negative spiral. Moreover, in today's polarized world, neutrality is a myth. Cultivating a culture where every team member is a conscious communicator can be a game-changer, turning potential risks into trust-building opportunities.

When we're working with clients to identify potential crisis risks, we're also asking what they're doing as a company to mitigate those risks in advance. What are they doing to engage, protect, and/or advocate for their critical communities (employees, customers/partners, societies, and governments) before issues arise? Where we see gaps, we talk about how to fill them. Communicating through a crisis is only as good as what your company's actions reflect.