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Crisis communication is PR’s key skill in 2022 – Are you ready?
PR Week recently published the findings of its fifth Communications Bellwether research, in partnership with Boston University. The ability to handle crises is now the most important PR skill.
The standout finding of the survey of 1,500 communication professionals: “the ability to handle crises” is now the most important PR skill (with a 4.74 median on a 5-point scale). Just under 80% of client-side respondents strongly agreed that the ability to handle crises was important to the future of the industry – over 82% for Gen Z.
In an era of constant flux – which the Center for Creative Leadership have termed ‘RUPT’ (Rapid. Unpredictable. Paradoxical. Tangled) – organisations of all kinds have realised the extent to which the systematic management of reputational risk is simply business-critical.
The standout finding of the survey of 1,500 communication professionals: “the ability to handle crises” is now the most important PR skills (with a 4.74 median on a 5-point scale). Just under 80% of client-side respondents strongly agreed that the ability to handle crises was important to the future of the industry – over 82% for Gen Z.
In an era of constant flux – which the Center for Creative Leadership have termed ‘RUPT’ (Rapid. Unpredictable. Paradoxical. Tangled) – organisations of all kinds have realised the extent to which the systematic management of reputational risk is simply business-critical.
Over much of my 25-year agency career, I specialised in issues, risk and crisis communication. And in the three years since we opened the doors of Rod Cartwright Consulting, I’ve had the privilege of working in this space with clients from the private, public and non-profit sectors – covering preparedness, training, response and recovery – across continents, countries and cultures. Here are just a few of the cornerstone concepts on which I rest my crisis advisory work and which you might find helpful:
The expectation tsunami: the RUPT environment and COVID pandemic have accelerated and amplified a range of pre-existing trends, but they did not create those dynamics.
The crisis iceberg: there is rarely such a thing as a ‘PR crisis’. Reputational risk invariably stems from a combination of operational, leadership, structural, behavioural, governance and cultural factors. Crisis preparedness (80% of the task) and response must be a whole-organisation endeavour.
The human imperative: an effective crisis response must be driven by a clear understanding of human needs, wants, values and beliefs, hard-wired into your strategy, communication, behaviour and brand. And never forget to operationalise empathy.
Relational vs. reputational risk: While reputational risk (how people think and feel about you) matters, relational risk (how they behave and act towards you) matters more.
Commander’s intent: All crisis decisions should be based on an agreed strategic intent, genuinely reflecting your organisational values.
As Boards and investors increasingly view risk and crisis communication as a fundamental element of their organisational preparedness, are you ready to grasp that opportunity? And what are your North Star crisis comms principles? I’d love to hear…
Rod Cartwright, Special Advisor, is a member of the CIPR Crisis Communications Network and Principal of Rod Cartwright Consulting.
Image by Dilok Klaisataporn on iStock