This event took place on 9 April 2020 and all registered delegates were sent direct access details for the recordings. Please only book your place here if you missed the event the first time round.
Crisis communications skills have never been in such high demand as they are now. We’re in the middle of the biggest international crisis in decades, and many of us are learning as we go.
This timely webinar from Hough Bellis and Comms Creatives will equip you to do the job. You’ll learn about the pattern of a crisis, explore strategies for handling crisis communications, and learn top tips to help you get through the crisis.
Speakers:
Bobbie Hough, managing director, Hough Bellis Communications
Sue Fox, communications consultant and coach, Hough Bellis Communications
Helen Reynolds, comms training director, Comms Creatives
If you are a CharityComms member, you can watch the webinar by clicking ‘attend event’ above and registering your details. You will automatically be sent the link to the video and the password. Contact us if you have any problems accessing the webinar.
This webinar is 50 minutes and was filmed in April 2020.
Webinar kindly sponsored by
Don’t have time to watch the complete webinar, check out this one minute workshop instead
We’ve not seen a crisis like it. The COVID-19 situation is changing by the minute – and each day brings new challenges. Business continuity plans have been rolled out and every evening we anxiously await the latest guidance from Downing Street. In this unfamiliar landscape it’s good to know that some things don’t change. Whatever the crisis, the basics of good crisis communications remain the same.
Bobbie Hough, managing director of Hough Bellis Communications, shares his one-minute workshop on how to navigate a crisis:
- Communicate, communicate, communicate. Create a reliable source of information from your organisation. Communicate regularly to employees, suppliers and tenants and show leadership. Make good use of your intranet, website and social media, and brief all your frontline staff. Keep a running list of FAQs and update them frequently.
- Squash rumours quickly. If you don’t communicate, the rumour mill will do it for you. Listen to what people are saying (however hard it is to hear) and provide the facts. Rumours have legs and are difficult to squash once they’re running – so act quickly and decisively.
- Don’t speculate. It’s ok to say “I don’t know” or “It’s too early to tell” – as long as you follow up with the information as soon as you have it. See also – don’t lie, don’t promise what you can’t deliver and don’t blame others.
- Remember, it’s about people. Yes, businesses are having a very tough time – but people are at the heart of this crisis. A kind word will go a long way in the midst of pressure, prioritisation and efficiencies. If your employees feel supported, they will find it easier to support tenants.
- Plan and plan again. Those organisations with functional business continuity plans will have been grateful they put the hours in before the crisis. We need to keep asking the difficult “What if?” questions and explore the responses. If a scenario materialises, it feels better if you’re prepared.
Further Crisis Comms Resources
Article: Top tips for communicating in a crisis – Peter Gilheany, charity director, Forster Communications
Template: Crisis communications plan template
Guide: Crisis communications for charities – a best practice guide – Kay Paris
About Hough Bellis Communications
Our mission is to support people and businesses who want to make the world a better place to live. We help organisations to fulfil their potential by telling their stories in new and powerful ways.
From regeneration projects that will transform communities to new smart technologies that can bring clean energy to cities – we care about the businesses we work with.
Our work spans housing, health, social care, homelessness, energy, local government and beyond.
We set our standards high and pride ourselves on building lasting relationships based on trust. We deliver results time and again, and are there for you, when you need us, wherever you need us.
We’re a modern company and don’t need a fancy office. In fact, we don’t even have an office (so don’t worry about paying for our overheads). We hire the best in the business from all around the UK and empower them to deliver great work.
We’ve even developed The Hough Bellis Way, which puts integrity, trust and family at the heart of everything we do.
Want to know more about us? Feel free to ask around – or get in touch today.