Our roundtable discussion with Members of the Marketing & Communications Center on What’s Up and What’s New in Crisis and Issues Communications? showed how much the work of crisis communications teams has been changing. Anticipating issues has become more important, internal and external communications are integrating more, and AI is a new assistant—all of which requires new skills.

This is part 2 of the insights from the discussion. Read part 1 here.

Internal and external communications have integrated to a “mixternal” approach

External and internal channels have merged into each other. Many employees are on LinkedIn, for example, which some companies embrace, utilizing LinkedIn as a channel for postings that employees can share. Still, internal channels are used to communicate with employees.

Write messages that work both internally and externally. Employees might share internal communications externally, so keep that in mind as you issue internal statements. Alternatively, write external messages first and use them as a starting point for crafting internal messages.

“I've seen the term "mixternal" communications being used as channels continue to blend.”

Networking, emotion management, and AI skills are key for today’s crisis communicators

A variety of skills is becoming more important—and diversity can make a difference.

Connect widely and have your ear to the ground. A “hunting dog” mentality for seeking out relevant information is helpful. People that are dialed into what’s going on and that can tap into different communities internally—from legal to operations to IT—and externally are extremely valuable in crisis communications. Knowing the viewpoints of a variety of communities is very useful. This is where diversity has tangible value.

“[...] have a broad "jack-of-all-trades" knowledge set for the external factors and the different parts of the business is extremely important.”

“And diversity of opinion and insights is critical to make sure we don't misstep out of ignorance.”

Manage emotions. In crisis situations, strong emotions and opinions can surface, and those of senior leaders might have more weight. Try to manage temperaments and keep a clear mind. Communicators’ role as connectors lends itself to an “enterprise mindset,” constantly navigating and negotiating corporate priorities to balance individual interests and determine actions.

Mitigate executive bias. There is a “like me” bias, coming from a “this is what I think” attitude.  Communicators should foster the skill of getting senior management to see different perspectives.

“The skill of influencing executive management and is a skill that must be developed.”

“’Like me bias’—love that term! A double entendre!”

“Jack Welch once said ‘if two people around my table think the same thing, one of them is redundant.’”

In new crises, stay calm, stick to the facts, and think long-term. In the early days of a crisis, an overreaction is likely. Try to assess the issue objectively and stick to the facts. Also consider that statements will live on eternally, potentially having long-term effects. A short initial statement may be preferrable over a long one that could cause trouble later.

“Could not agree more. A strategic mindset to prioritize and filter issues that may or may not need a statement, based on business priorities and stakeholders.”

"Don't post things immediately without thinking how they will be read two weeks later."

Monitor for and address misinformation. Partners such as PR firms provide online tools for monitoring media. Being able to use such tools is ever more important.

“Dealing with fake news is a new skill we need to develop.”

Sharpen your AI skills. Given the widespread experimentation and use of AI in communications, learning to use AI is critical.

“I tell our early-career people, who are worried that AI will replace them: Your job in the future will require you to be highly skilled at using AI. If you don't, then yes, you might be replaced. But probably not by AI, but by someone who knows how to use AI.”

“The staples of relationship building, critical thinking, storytelling will always remain, but the industry is so rapidly [evolving] it's important to prioritize and invest in learning and development to future-focus skills and capacities.”

AI has made its way into crisis communications

Communications teams are on an AI journey. They are figuring out a range of AI tools and for what purposes they are most useful. Overall, there is satisfaction with productivity gains, especially to get a first draft—even in multiple versions and different languages. Companies are also experimenting with AI-based monitoring tools and contextual instead of keyword-based decision support systems.

Current AI output is generic and lacks the brand voice. What is on communicators’ wish list are generative AI tools that incorporate a company’s voice and style to not receive genericized but brand-customized output. Jasper, an AI writing assistant, allows to set a brand voice. It can generate multiple versions of the same content.

AI writing tools have valuable bonus benefits. One of them is that they level the playing field for international employees when they work across languages and write copy in a foreign language. 

“AI/LLMs are not yet mature enough to be useful for any meaningful communication.  If you're looking for drivel, by all means, use a robot writer! But if you want a message that is authentic, a human still has to create it.”

“AI can get you started. I use it for generating ideas I can use within whatever I'm writing but find it rare I can lift whole sentences/passages.”

“There is a tool called Jasper.ai that allows you to upload your brand voice in creating internal and external communications. [...] Jasper allows me to upload the brand voice [...]. The speed with which it did it was very fast and has more prompts/templates help me get the work done quickly. A great place to start.”