How do you foster a culture of preparedness and resilience among your communication staff and stakeholders?

Use the helicopter perspective: It’s been a busy few weeks. You feel hard done by. Everyone is grumpy and tired. Your breathing gets shallower. Your jaw gets tighter. You know the next person to annoy you is going to get ‘both barrels’. This 5 mins is your opportunity to choose. To respond, rather than just react. Breathe ???? Give yourself a helicopter perspective ?? Hover above the situation. Look down and ?? You know what’s annoying YOU, but can you see the pain points of others? I like to imagine colleagues are geotagged with information. ?? One has a sick child and hasn’t slept. ?? Another is under a deadline and feeling lost. ?? The guy speaking loudest is actually the most insecure. It’s not about YOU.

I believe that this engagement should be built into the culture of your organisation long before a crisis appears on the horizon. If you can foster a culture of openness and trust, where people feel they can not only trust what the upper management is saying but have a meaningful voice of their own, you are far more likely to be able to weather the storm of a crisis. A culture of trust means that when a crisis arises people will believe they can have good faith in the messaging from the company and that they have a stake in the situation. Colleagues shouldn't hear from you for the first time during a crisis.

Having a crisis playbook is essential but there is also the need to be flexible from a human perspective. While it's critical to stay focused on your respective responsibilities, don't forget that people around you - and maybe even yourself - need emotional support. Take time to pause and listen, comfort and console. Don't assume someone else will do that. It could be something as simple as handing the person your phone so they can call family and let them know they are OK. It could be an unplanned hall encounter where the supervisor of an employee who died breaks down. These are moments that strengthen connections and build trust in an organization. You cannot plan for them but should always be alert and ready to engage.

- Implement clear strategic plans that clarify the roles and responsibilities of each team member. - Encourage regular training exercises and workshops on effective communication, stress management, problem solving, and decision-making skills. - Facilitate transparent and open communication to build a culture of trust. - Foster a supportive environment and offer mental health resources to handle stress and improve resilience. - Regularly evaluate potential risks and develop appropriate plans by involving staff and stakeholders. - Lead by example. - Encourage flexibility and adaptability so that staff and stakeholders are better able to adjust to changes or unexpected circumstances.

- Develop clear communication strategy that defines roles and responsibilities of every team member in crisis scenarios and regular operations. - Conduct regular training exercises or workshop on crisis communication, stress management and decision making. - Teach the team importance of empathy and understanding. This will foster emotional intelligence.