You're facing operational risks at work. How can you inform stakeholders without sparking alarm?

When conveying potentially concerning or sensitive information, it's important to do so calmly and thoughtlessly to avoid causing unnecessary alarm. Start by assessing the situation, understanding the gravity and urgency of the information, and determining who needs to know and how soon. Begin with a calm introduction, using a neutral tone. Present the facts clearly and concisely, sticking to the facts without embellishment. Avoid using alarming language or exageration. Offer solutions or next steps where possible, suggesting actions that can be taken or steps already underway. Being patient and ready to clarify or provide more details as needed. Follow up with the person later to check on and adress any further questions.

We need to identify whether it is an operational risk or issue and assess how these could impact on our stakeholders- transparency is important to gain trust from the stakeholders. We need to take the stakeholders along the journey how we manage and monitor to respond to these risks. What are the worst case scenarios and how we plan to mitigate the risks to limit the impact.

Understand the risks yourself. Work out which risks are outside your firm's risk appetite, which are close to breaching it and moving that way so as to help identify action priorities and present a menu of solutions with the associated risks and, where possible, costs. This will drive a plan of action helping stakeholders to understand and address the issues in order of priority and the menu of solutions and costs gives stakeholders a feeling of control and making informed decisions.

Transparency is the most important factor for a company to gain the stakeholders' faith. There must be multiple channels for stakeholders to receive the news and updates from the company. Building this/these channels is the best way to inform the stakeholders about the company updates.

Risk transfer by contract management is an important part of mitigation. Including proper liability and insurance clauses is key. This requires education of the Organization.

Exacto .. se pueden minimizar los riesgos si dominas la operación y sabes por donde darle en caso de fallas presentadas ..!!!

We inform stakeholders about operational risks by emphasizing mitigation measures we've implemented. We present a clear plan outlining the steps we're taking to address each risk, such as enhancing controls, training staff, or updating procedures. By focusing on proactive solutions and our commitment to managing the risks effectively, we reassure stakeholders that we are in control and minimizing potential impacts, thus preventing unnecessary alarm.

From my point of view, you have to emphasize how these measures support the organization’s long-term strategy. For example, upgrading cybersecurity measures not only protects sensitive data but also builds trust with customers and partners, aligning with the organization's reputation management and growth objectives.

Mucha atención a las cifras que generas: monitoreo continuo, reportes periódicos, seguimiento a cifras, movimientos bruscos en tus números, métricas, etc.

We inform stakeholders about operational risks by highlighting our continuous monitoring efforts. We explain how we regularly track risk indicators, conduct audits, and review performance metrics to detect and address issues promptly. By demonstrating our commitment to ongoing vigilance and adaptive response strategies, we reassure stakeholders that we are actively managing risks and maintaining control.

It always helps to have a well structured template for reporting operational risks in a concise, factual manner including a call to action to address the risks. Focus on the root cause to ensure actions adequately address the problem.

Many companies have enhanced maturity in managing risk, while we find out many more lack of awareness of risks in their organization. Before we communicate how to manage risk, the first thing to be clarified is the organization’s understanding of risks. Tone from the top is a must and leadership commitment concerning risk is a capital in top-down risk communication.

Todas las áreas de la organización deben estar enteradas - comunicadas - de los objetivos que persigue la empresa debe haber un plan integral dise?ado para comunicar mensajes claves a un público específico de manera efectiva.

Manage communication about operational risks with stakeholders through a well-structured communication strategy. Provide clear, concise, and factual updates, focusing on the steps we're taking to mitigate risks and ensure stability. Regular, transparent communications, combined with a calm and proactive tone, help build trust and confidence. By keeping stakeholders informed without sensationalizing the situation, address concerns without sparking unnecessary alarm.

One of the important roles of a Risk Manager is to increase stakeholders awareness to risks and ways to manage them in order to reduce exposures. To achieve this, close engagement with the Business units is paramount , investing in education and regular training sessions with the teams.

Either by asking leading questions (“How would we respond if parameter X started to trend unfavorably?”) or by staging more formal tabletop exercises which focus on a single or a small number of adverse scenarios. Get the management team together and present them with a scenario (say, our systems have become unavailable because of a ransomware attack and we need to report the quarterly results in two days), then ask them how they would resolve the situation. Instead of creating a situation where one party may feel the need to be defensive (“We don’t have a risk! It’s all fine, always has been!”), we create a stress-free environment in which participants are encouraged to admit vulnerabilities and find ways to address them constructively.

El compromiso es de todos .. la comunicación es con todos … involucrar a los interesados para cumplir el objetivo.. abordar posibles inquietudes que aún no representan incidentes y anticipar futuros problemas.

Inform stakeholders about operational risks by engaging them through regular, structured updates and open dialogue. Involve them in the risk management process by sharing our mitigation plans and seeking their input. This collaborative approach fosters trust and ensures stakeholders feel informed and involved. By addressing their concerns directly and transparently, we maintain confidence without causing unnecessary alarm.

You have to foster an environment where stakeholders feel comfortable sharing their insights and concerns. This can be achieved through regular meetings, feedback sessions, or surveys. Encouraging this dialogue helps ensure that stakeholders are not just passive recipients of information but active participants in the risk management process.

You have to be transparent about future risk management plans and how they will be communicated to stakeholders. Regular updates on progress and upcoming initiatives ensure that stakeholders are informed and engaged in the organization’s ongoing preparedness efforts. You can incorporate mechanisms for stakeholder feedback on future preparedness plans. Engaging stakeholders in the planning process helps align preparedness strategies with their expectations and concerns.

This should be common sense, as this is no different than running the business. The main goal of risk management is to improve the chances of meeting or exceeding your goals. Check for weak links in the chain. Ask what-if questions, and assess potential mitigation given your risk-tolerance. E.g. what if the supply chain fails, how much down time in production does that cause and what would be the effect on current and future revenue (would customers likely walk away?) If that impact is too big, is the cost of the mitigation acceptable, i.e. is mitigation feasible, etc.

I ask me ,a more important question to be asking is, “How do my stakeholders want to be kept in the loop?” Leaders often assume that their stakeholders want daily updates or to be invited to weekly stand-ups, or that they enjoy in-depth recaps each fortnight—but they may not! Check in with stakeholders to find out what their preferred method of “staying in the loop” is. They’ll appreciate it so much more.