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For most people working in PR and communications, 2020 will forever be known as a crisis. That’s it. Continual crisis. And while crisis stymied many industries this year, it made communication more essential. When clear delivery of information becomes a necessity, the communication industry should grow. While the advertising world watched agencies shrink due to client losses and budget cutbacks, some PR shops expanded. We look at several examples of growth.

While counterintuitive, broad acceptance of technology to advance productivity and efficiency reveals a greater need for the human elements required to manage tools and think about data they generate.

While many businesses are accustomed to working virtually, essential workers have remained on site during the pandemic. In pre-coronavirus times, internal messaging routinely thanked staff, celebrated victories, updated employees and bolstered morale. During the past nine months, the volume of such messaging has risen significantly.

Philanthropy always played a significant role within PR—and vice versa. A public figure or corporation wants the right PR campaign for a favorable image through philanthropy. Nonprofits need campaigns and influencers to raise awareness.

Just when you thought you understood the complexities of the relatively new California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), on Election Day 2020, voters in the Golden State decided to take CCPA even further. By a wide margin (56-44 percent), they approved the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). Think of this new package as CCPA 2.0. There is a lot to unpack in this new law and how it might influence communicators and their clients doing business in California.

[ Editor’s Note: Having a plan is the minimum requirement for crisis pros. That’s not always possible as veteran brand communicator Bobbie Carlton tells us in this Q&A.] PRNEWS: Give us the scenario

The goal of crisis management is to return as quickly as possible to business as usual, right? Actually, regaining public trust might be a better target. However, regaining the public’s trust takes time. In addition, it requires a change story that’s communicated consistently during the transition to normalcy. A good example is Chipotle, which continues to communicate its change story. The brand is a Wall St darling again.

AstraZenica committed classic crisis PR mistakes last week with its initial announcement about its coronavirus vaccine. Its incomplete reporting to the media led to several subsequent statements that could degrade trust in the company and its vaccine.

The PR industry might need to come up with a new term for Internal communication now that so many staffers are working from home. For HPE CCO Jennifer Temple the issue seems permanent. In a wide-ranging interview she tells us nearly half her company’s 62,000 global staff probably will not return to the office on a regular basis after the pandemic. Temple tells us how her team plans to engage a segmented employee base.

One of the most enjoyable parts of PR and communication is that you’re constantly learning, even when doing pleasure reading. In this post from Crisis Insider, we learn about two novels with fictional PR crises at their center. While these novels offer fictional crises, the lessons they offer PR pros are real and useful.