Surviving disasters; Guiding voices; War - the ultimate crisis and Red Bull's crisis

In our maiden edition, we have carefully curated blogs that discuss these current global crisis:

1. Highlights from the Crisis Comms Network’s conversation with Professor Lucy Easthope about how companies can effectively handle the aftermath of disasters.
2. A new management report by Wadds Inc., commissioned by NewsWhip, which codifies a decision-making framework to support organisations in making a statement about political and societal issues.
3. The Russia–Ukraine war, which is not only being fought with planes, tanks, artillery and infantry but also with fake news.
4. Formula One crisis, where a void in communication appears to have worsened the situation caused by allegations of “inappropriate, controlling behaviour” by one of Red Bull’s leaders.

In conversation with Professor Lucy Easthope

"We are all disaster survivors now”

There can be no denying that the world has changed since 2019. Covid 19 has affected us all in more ways than we could have imagined and according to Professor Lucy Easthope, we are in the tailspin of that global disaster and are currently living through a post truth, post trust era.

And she should know. Professor Easthope is the UK’s foremost authority on recovering from disasters. Pandemics, together with other types of disaster, are very much her thing. She has been an advisor for nearly every major disaster of the past two decades, including the 2004 tsunami, 9/11, the Salisbury poisonings, Grenfell, the Covid-19 pandemic and most recently the war in Ukraine. Until she published her book When the Dust Settles in 2022, her field of expertise was not widely known, yet the truth is – what would humanity do without people like her who plan and prepare for disasters, create the structures necessary to build resilience, and support the recovery afterwards?

For the last two years the Crisis Communications Network has hosted numerous events on the various aspects of risk and crises and the move into disaster was a logical next step. We were delighted to host Professor Easthope in conversation with Chris Tucker on 29 January. What is fascinating is that this event – on disaster – attracted a record number of registrants. Is that because we are all aware that post-Covid we are, in Lucy’s words, all disaster survivors now? Or is it because we have realised, however subliminally, that the years of permacrisis we have experienced recently might be morphing into something even more disastrous? What then can we do? How can we prepare? ?

As Lucy pointed out, “all comms is comms” and the official (or verbal) message should be the same as the visual (or non-verbal) message.

Read the full article by Katherine Sykes, Co-Chair, Crisis Communications Network

Guiding voices: a strategic framework for corporate statements on societal issues

A new management report by Wadds Inc. commissioned by NewsWhip codifies a decision-making framework to support organisations in making a statement about political and societal issues.

Balancing business and societal imperatives are at the forefront of management and corporate communications in the UK and the US, with upcoming elections and increasingly polarised public opinion.

In my view, this issue has its roots in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic saw organisations over-communicate to support colleagues on furlough and working from home. Political and societal issues became a priority for corporate communications in engagement with employees and other stakeholders. When we met, we invited each other into our homes via video. Organisational communication became informal and human. Management prioritised the health and well-being of homeworkers who were away from the office and physically isolated from colleagues. As the boundaries between work and home life blurred, leaders were called upon to discuss social issues such as mental health and well-being.

An arc of societal and political issues emerged as a roadmap out of the crisis and this legacy has landed firmly on the desk of corporate communications practitioners.

An arc of societal and political issues emerged as a roadmap out of the crisis and this legacy has landed firmly on the desk of corporate communications practitioners. Issues that professionals have had to grapple with include the death of George Floyd, trans-equality, Roe versus Wade and conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.

Read the full article by Stephen Waddington, Founder and Managing Partner of Wadds Inc.?

Download a copy of the?Influence Through Insight?report.

War – The Ultimate Crisis

More than two years have passed since the start of the war in Ukraine. Former CIPR President Lionel Zetter considers how information warfare forms part of the new battleground.

The shifting landscape

Crises come in many forms. But without doubt war is the ultimate crisis. It brings with it all the other horsemen of the apocalypse – along with a few outriders. War leads directly to famine, pestilence, political upheaval, economic collapse and death. On that basis it really is the ultimate crisis.

Few recent events have had the potential to threaten us all than the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It has caused inflation and soaring energy prices in the West, and famine in the Global South. And if it is not contained, it could embroil the whole of Europe in its first full-scale conflict since 1945.

The principles that apply to war crisis management are the same as those for any other crisis. Expect the unexpected, prepare as far as possible, and ensure that your spokespeople are identified and prepped in advance. In the current Ukraine/Russia crisis President Zelenskyy has been a brilliant spokesperson for his country, Jens Stoltenberg has been highly effective for NATO, and Ursula von der Leyen has done an excellent job speaking on behalf of the EU.

Twenty first century wars are still fought with planes, tanks, artillery, and infantry. But they are also fought with drones and robots, and increasingly with cyber, AI and deepfakes. Just as the first casualty of war has famously always been reckoned to be truth, the first progeny of 21st?century warfare is undoubtedly fake news.

Just as the first casualty of war has famously always been reckoned to be truth, the first progeny of 21st?century warfare is undoubtedly fake news.

Read the full article by Lionel Zetter is former President of the CIPR and former Chair of the CIPR Government Affairs Group

Red Bull's crisis becomes F1's main event

The?controversial?first title win for Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing’s star driver, at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a watershed moment for Formula One.?

The Belgian has dominated the competition since then, securing three Drivers’ Championships and 29 out of the past 34 races since mid-2022.

Literally and figuratively, Red Bull is a well-oiled machine, with the company thriving on the track and tightly controlling what information is released into the public domain.

That approach has been threatened since early February, when?news broke?that Red Bull was undertaking an internal investigation into allegations of ‘inappropriate, controlling behaviour by Team Principal?Christian Horner.

Horner is something of a pantomime villain in Formula One, unafraid to push technical boundaries and happy to clash with his rivals in search of success.

While acknowledging that an investigation was going on, Red Bull failed to follow a basic rule of crisis communications – do not leave a large information void that can be filled by third parties, lead to speculation and ultimately make the situation worse.

Read the full article by David Alexander, Chair of CIPR Sports Network and Managing Director of Calacus

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Thank you for reading our maiden edition. We'll be back next month with another edition of Crisis Comms Talks.

This edition was curated by Adelaide Arthur, CIPR Crisis Communications Network