In today’s rapidly changing world, organisations face an array of potential crises, ranging from natural disasters, cyber-attacks, and reputational challenges. Effective communication during these critical moments is paramount to maintaining trust and ensuring the safety and well-being of the public, staff and stakeholders.  

In this Chairs’ Challenge, PCF members discussed the Board’s role in crisis communication.  

With special thanks to Chris Webb MCIPR, crisis management expert and to Heather Baily QPM, Chair, Security Industry Authority, for sharing their insights as guest speakers, as well as to Keith Fraser, PCF interim Chair and Chair of the Youth Justice Board, for hosting this session.   

Effective crisis communication begins long before the crisis occurs  

Crisis communication should aim to respond to an incident or an event that keeps people safe and deals with their needs and concerns and builds trust and confidence. However, building trust and confidence must be primarily based on proactive communication with stakeholders, including the public.  

PCF chairs were encouraged to take a strategic approach to ensuring that there is a good understanding of the crisis communication plan across their organisation. Open channels of communication with the public, and stakeholder community should be maintained and used regularly.  

Time has defined how crises are reported on  

Delving into how crises were described to the public in the last forty years, Chairs explored the patterns of news reporting on crises. They focused on understanding the few crucial moments when a public body must convey information on how a situation is being handled in order to maintain trust and the safety of all those involved.  

As expected, technological development and the involvement of social media have led to a change in the perception of risk and the necessity to re-evaluate crisis communication. As information and influence moves very quickly across every border and through many channels, it is important that oublic bodies respond promptly to crises, without leaving any ’vacuum’ of information. Poor or absent crisis communication can undermine the response effort, unintentionally facilitating disinformation. 

Key Crisis Communication Principles  

According to experts in the field, there are a few key principles of crisis communications which ensure that misinformation does not occur, and that enable public bodies to keep people safe and to respond to their needs and concerns.  

In this regard, Chairs were encouraged to invest time in proactive communication, openly discussing both their successes and their challenges. Maintaining trust and confidence is based on truthfully shaping the narrative from an organisation’s perspective, expressing empathy when needed and showing respect for those affected by a crisis. Communication in these situations must also listen to the concerns of the community, drawing an appropriate response and showing what is being done to mitigate damages and go back to normal.  

Crisis communication: A behavioural approach 

Public bodies were guided to develop a positive and proactive behaviour towards crisis communication. This would involve communicating consistently and frequently, using trusted sources and messengers and setting expectations that information may change quickly as more is known.  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government Communication Service adapted the crisis communication strategy for the public sector. Informed by existing and emerging behavioural science research about crisis responses, this useful guide explains how communicators can develop powerful and effective crisis communications plans.