Are corporate communications departments ready for the next crisis? A new C-suite outlook report from The Weber Shandwick Collective indicates that business executives have little confidence in their teams’ abilities to properly respond to an unexpected PR disaster.
But communications professionals shouldn’t panic. Executives cited their team’s lack of resources to handle crises—which creates a tremendous opportunity for CCOs and their teams to bring value to C-suites and play a bigger leadership role in corporate structures.
What does the report say?
According to Weber Shandwick’s survey, executives expect modest growth this year. This is supported by new data from the International Monetary fund, which said that U.S. real GDP will be higher than every other advanced economy.
But that growth is at risk from global conflicts, violent unrest or attacks from political leaders. And just half of executives say they are “not at all” or “not very” prepared for these outcomes.
Even worse, for communicators, is that just 17% of executives believe that their team is “very well equipped” to navigate these types of major and unexpected events. And 8 out of 10 executives feel their team is only “somewhat equipped.”
Clearly, something needs to change. Becca Chambers, chief communications officer for enterprise technology companies, said the key is to “embed communications in executive risk discussions, business continuity planning and corporate strategy—not just crisis response.”
She continued: “The C-suite wouldn’t wait until after a breach to invest in cybersecurity, and they can’t afford to wait until after a crisis to fund comms. The cost of getting this wrong isn’t just a reputation hit—it’s a business liability.”
How to talk to the C-Suite
So, with the business risk of under-investment in communications well-established, how should leaders build trust with executives? There are three steps:
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First, don’t be intimidated. Executives didn’t tell Weber Shandwick that they don’t trust the people running comms. They’re saying you need more resources.
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Second, empathize with the emotional and business pain points with which they deal everyday.
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Third, build trust by aligning your team’s needs with those of the organization’s.
"Trust from executives is earned by planning for every possibility,” said Samantha Riel, a former global tech marketing executive who is now CEO of Balsam&Cedar. “Sit down with your leadership team and map out potential challenges, areas of response and details on the resources you'll need to respond appropriately. This level of planning lays the groundwork for resilience and support by inviting leaders to see how every dollar spent is a calculated investment that drives growth and protects against disaster.”
Sarah Evans, Zen Media Partner and Head of PR, emphasized that communications teams should provide “a clearer strategy, stronger alignment and the right resources” that help the C-Suite “build a culture of readiness to lead effectively ahead of crises.”
“Build trust with executives before you need it,” concluded Evans. “Own the narrative by tying crisis preparedness to business outcomes like brand equity, investor confidence and long-term stability.”
Go get the resources you need
The chief concern from executives surveyed is delivering a return on investment to shareholders. That’s where strategic communicators are focusing their value proposition—on showing understanding of global scenarios, empathizing with executives’ concerns and then showing how executives can position their companies to withstand these crises.
Contrary to some of the panic, the Weber Shandwick report shows that executives want to trust the comms folks. They just think the outside world is too scary for the team to handle. Prove ’em wrong by selling them on trust.
The boss is actually asking you to do so.
Dustin Siggins is Founder of Proven Media Solutions.