Four street smart lessons for running a crisis communications scenario

We have seen a lot of demand for crisis communications workshops this year, but for them to be successful here are four street smarts you should know. These issues keep cropping up, so I thought to address them here.

1. Crisis comms founded on media skills - It's a good idea for participants to have some experience in regular, issues-focused interviews before we run a crisis scenario. If the participants don't know what interviews look like at the best of times, they will struggle to take part in interviews at the worst of times. Throwing business leaders into the deep end is unlikely to build their confidence. So, we recommend starting with traditional media skills before launching the crisis scenario.

2. Everything but the kitchen sink - It makes sense to ensure crisis press conference participants have foundational media skills first but resist the temptation to throw a multitude of interview- and presentation scenarios into the same workshop. Crisis comms requires specialist planning and skills. There will be little time to also practise conference keynotes, panel discussions, fireside chats, townhall meetings, and so on, in the same workshop. Focus on media- and crisis skills. That's it.

3. Create realistic scenarios - The same goes for the scenarios you plan. Keep them simple and plausible. On one occasion some years ago, a client asked for a crisis scenario that revolved around a cyber-attack, an on-site vehicular accident, a leak, a fire, an explosion, allegations of corporate malfeasance and the discovery of child labour on site - simultaneously! Such an implausibly broad range of scenarios is unlikely to lead to a productive outcome of a crisis comms workshop. Don't reinvent your Risk Management or Business Continuity Plan. If it's written well there will be lots of scenarios to choose from. At most two.

4. Bring real people with real jobs into the scenario - A real crisis doesn't usually just involve the senior leaders in the room. Other staff are likely to be involved, such as the Head of IT if you are rehearsing for a cyber attack. These staff should ideally be involved in the running of the simulation, such as by calling in or being there in person. But sometimes, companies shortcut this by seconding an intern or junior member of staff in an unrelated job function to play the role instead. This does not create a plausible scenario. Before long, they'll be called out. "You're the Head of IT? You sound like Sally from accounts." Instead, demonstrate the seriousness of the exercise by getting the most senior leaders involved. One of our multinational clients actually booked time for the CEO in Switzerland to call in. Nothing communicates the importance of crisis communications more than the real CEO dialling in and "demanding answers". Because that's what actually happens in a real crisis.

Broadly my hoped-for outcomes from these scenario workshops are:

1. "We have to surface everything" - One of the biggest issues most teams have is a culture where junior members of staff are too scared to raise issues for fear of repercussions. The hope is the workshop prompts them to create psychological safety to speak up and admit, for example, inadvertently infecting a PC with a virus. The damage is compounded when staff try to sweep crises under the carpet. If your company does not have a culture of speaking up, that's exactly what will happen.

2. "We gotta do something" - Crises compound in complacency. It's a good outcome when the team gets a bit rattled. The hope is it prompts them into further action, such as cascading the learnings to their direct reports, discovering where critical documentation is kept, and creating a culture where it's safe to raise issues when they arise. If participants come away from the crisis workshop with "done - nothing further to be said" it hints at complacency and the risk of problems later. The best outcome of the workshop is not that the team discovers all the answers, but discovers more questions to ask.

Getting on top of crises is an on-going affair. Imagine being so aware and well-practised that a crisis - when it comes - is dealt with easily without much fuss.

Are you there yet?