The Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ (CIPR) Crisis Communications Network and the Institute of Directors (IoD) have published a Crisis Communication for Boards handbook. It advises on the ‘five phases’ of a crisis – how to predict, protect, prepare, respond, and recover; and build resilience.
Among cases studies are the Grenfell Tower fire in west London in 2017 (pictured); the cyber attack on Jaguar Land Rover; and Heathrow Airport. The document includes checklists for reputational risk; AI ‘failure modes’ and what they mean; AI governance; what boards should look for in the ‘ideal strategic communications professional’; and for strategic communications; besides sample first response holding statements for a cyber incident and a natural disaster.
CIPR President Farzana Baduel says: “Communications professionals are uniquely well-placed for supporting boards in challenging times, yet too few boards actually include them at the table. They can see how disparate threats, from well-publicised supply chain shocks to subtle employee disengagement, can all coalesce into serious damage to an organisation. Crisis communications need to be embedded in daily management practices, not parachuted in only once the horse has already bolted. At this point a company is already behind, so this handbook gives boards the tools needed to get ahead.”
And Katherine Sykes, co-chair of the CIPR Crisis Communications Network, says: “This board-focussed handbook recognises the new and ever-growing challenges facing boards and is the Network’s most ambitious project yet. Reputation and crisis management invariably come hand in hand and have now reached new levels of urgency, demanding that boardroom and communication functions are constantly aligned and robust. Leaders across sectors need to rise to the challenges of the modern corporate governance landscape and recognise the vital importance of communications in their strategic operations.”
You can download the 125-page guide from the CIPR website: “Crisis Communications for Boards: A Handbook for Good Governance”.
