Crisis communications simulations topped our first-ever pre-session LinkedIn poll to vote for topics to be discussed at our virtual ‘Open House’ event on 31 March.
‘Open House’ is the event where members set the agenda. This session focused on how to rehearse for crises followed by another popular topic: Heathrow Airport’s recent shutdown.
Crisis Communications Simulations: Inhouse or outsource?
The options are either to commission a specialist provider to tailor an exercise to the organisation’s needs or to develop one inhouse.
Those present who had experienced leading or taking part in a crisis communications simulation exercise recognised its value and agreed that a half-day was the optimal length.
Attendees also said it is important to set the right tone for reflection and learning. Participants will be motivated if it is positioned as a rehearsal rather than a test to be passed. The former fosters openness.
Felix Östman, a Crisis Communications Network committee member, is a corporate communicator who has participated in an exercise created by a specialist provider.
Felix Östman said virtual live crisis simulation tools can introduce high levels of realistic complexity into the experience. This replicates the experience of managing unforeseeable ‘curve balls’ that so often assail those involved in a crisis.
He said virtual live crisis simulation tools can introduce high levels of realistic complexity into the experience. This replicates the experience of managing unforeseeable ‘curve balls’ that so often assail those involved in a crisis.
The Crisis Communications Network’s website hosts a range of blogs including one by Kate Hartley, founder of specialist provider Polpeo, on crisis communication simulations.
Top tips for inhousing
‘Open House’ recognises not everyone has the budget to outsource, so a debate followed on top tips for inhousing an exercise.
The Crisis Communications Network’s co-chair Chris Tucker recommended its CIPR Best Practice Guide on writing a crisis communications plan, available to download from our website, which include the bow-tie model to develop scenarios.
How to use the bow-tie model is explained in the first guide: ‘Drafting a Crisis Comms Plan: Skills Guide’.
Chris also emphasised the importance of developing narrative arcs based on 10-12 ‘injects’ of bespoke, important points so the resultant scenario is as impactful as possible. The scenario should unfold in a realistic way to give participants a feel for the developing crisis and ensure they have enough twists and turns to react to.
Sara Naylor recommended using AI to generate initial scenarios to kickstart the creative process.
She said it was useful for rapid seeding of ideas to develop nightmare scenarios.
Sara Naylor, a Crisis Communications Network committee member, who specialises in board-level advice to the health, education and social-care sectors, recommended using AI to generate initial scenarios to kickstart the creative process.
She said it was useful for rapid seeding of ideas to develop nightmare scenarios. For example, she used it recently to seed scenarios iterating from introducing electronic patient records systems into NHS hospitals. This equally applies to other large scale public-sector organisations dealing with confidential information.
Sara added that other critical success factors include organisations pursuing a genuinely collaborative approach cross-function, practising integrated crisis planning and roll-out.
Chris concluded it was important to complete the exercise with reflection to inform the improvement of plans and recommendations for improvement with an agreed timeline to complete.
Heathrow: how a substation sparked a crisis
‘Open House’ also discussed the crisis at UK’s Heathrow Airport. It shut down when a nearby electricity substation operated by National Grid caught fire and interrupted the power supply.
Rod Cartwright, special advisor to the Crisis Communications Network and expert in airline crisis communications, gave his initial response in a recent PRWeek article. He told ‘Open House’ that only time would tell what lasting impact there would be on the airport’s reputation. He noted it may materially affect its strategic plans including its long-standing bid to expand.
Rod Cartwright pointed out the importance of relationships, noting the spat between the chief executives of Heathrow and National Grid in the battle for public opinion.
He said it also pointed up the importance of relationships, noting the spat between the chief executives of Heathrow and National Grid in the battle for public opinion. Rod observed that this is an example of how specific reputational impacts may not originate in the communications function. But, he said, it was also proof that overall communications and operations typically operate in lockstep in such crises.
One ‘Open House’ attendee, an expert in IT systems, predicted that such issues with UK infrastructure would increasingly feature in organisations’ crises. He also noted that as a business continuity consultant he found that business functions often acted in siloes and did not engage enough with communicators.
Dr Kevin Ruck, co-founder of PR Academy and internal communications specialist, said organisations are still overlooking employee communication. He said those that invested in deep and meaningful relationships with staff could hope to weather a crisis better because employees would be more likely to be ambassadors in difficult times.
Assurance for crisis communicators
There was strong interest at ‘Open House’ about how to validate crisis communications planning. Chris recommended using ISO 22361 for Crisis Management as a useful metric. The Crisis Communications Network committee later resolved this was an action to consider how we might best support our members’ need.
Further details will be in coming editions of our monthly newsletter, so if you’d like receive our updates please email the network at: ciprccrisiscom@gmail.com
By Sara Naylor, Communications Manager, CIPR Crisis Comms Network
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