There are a few things I think crisis communication professionals (and professors who research in these areas) should be aware of going into the upcoming year.
Here are some trends we will see most likely for 2015:
- Rise of Personal Transparency: We are seeing this being discussed in the technology end of social media, and I think this is going to be a huge factor for crisis communicators as well. Instead, we have to have a transparent mindset when we are corresponding online. Be aware of the power of the screen shot for your messages and always remind yourself that what you post can be saved and viewed at a later time. We are seeing this even in start ups like this one with this mindset. I think this is something crisis communicators can be successful in as well as for creating a transparent and authentic culture within their organization.
- Listen rather than broadcast: Instead of pushing a message across, listen to what people are talking about and want to hear. We are still seeing brands making mistakes that could have been avoided if they had listened and did some research pertaining to what their community was talking about. Use social media to be proactive, rather than reactive to crisis situations.
- Be agile and adaptive: One of my favorite blogs is Christopher Penn’s, and he wrote a great post today about his three words for 2015. One of them is being agile, and I think this is THE word for crisis communication professionals today. We have to be agile with adapting our messages, key practices, and content for the appropriate channel as well as audience. Strategy and continuing research is going to be key here for the new year.
- Crisis communicators must become content creators and build a stronger crisis community: There are some great content creators out there with some great blogs (Melissa Agnes, Jonathan Bernstein, etc) and I think we need to get more researchers and practitioners involved in creating and curating their content. We have done a great job so far, but we can always improve.
- Embracing new mediums for crisis messaging: From what many of the social media professionals are saying, video and podcasts are some of the fastest growing areas for new media, and I think this is something crisis communicators can tap into as well. Whether it is sharing information or updating regarding a certain situation, there are a lot of possibilities here as well as exploring other video platforms like Facebook video and Vimeo compared to YouTube.
- Privacy is going to continue to be a growing concern and issue: The perception of privacy today, especially when it comes to social media, is non existent. We have to be aware of every email, tweet, update, and picture we share that may be viewed by others. Look at what has happened with Snapchat, Sony as well as the various cases involving athletes posting pictures or updates.
In summary, I think 2015 is going to be an interesting yet exciting year for the crisis communications field. I am looking forward to seeing more research exploring some of these topics as well as talking to fellow practitioners in the area.
What are some of your thoughts on possible trends for crisis communicators to note for 2015?
Hope you all are having a great day.
Best Wishes,
