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Industry
Watch: Risk Communications
August 2006
Q:
How did you get started in risk communications?
A: I've always been involved in risk communications. My first jobs in public relations were with state and local government, and part of my work was triaging what the politicians I worked
for said. My entire PR career has been spent trying to understand and help people avoid self-defeating behavior.
Q: How are public relations and risk communications related?
A: It's a mistake to see the two as completely separated from one another. PR is a tool of persuasion. We're here to get people to change their minds and their behavior. Because of that,
every interaction has a degree of risk - is what you're advocating hurting an individual or a community group? Most companies, by the way, don't handle risk very well - management often
relies on reason and rationality rather than addressing the emotional needs that need to be met in a stressful situation.
Q: are some of the unique challenges you face when working for clients?
A: The most important thing to remember in a crisis situation is that the greater the stress, the greater the traditional rules of success change. As an example, say a report comes out
that a children's vitamin negatively affects the liver. You can't begin to reach me as a scared parent or begin to triage the situation until you address my emotional reaction. Managers
have a tendency to default to facts, logic, and benefits when what people want is empathy and direct answers about risks.
Q: What's the greatest professional success you've experienced?
A: I've worked on some really high visibility campaigns that were successful. But the best I feel is when a past client will call and ask for advice. When I see clients
incorporate my advice into what they do, I realize that they've "gotten" it. But the best experience is when I see clients begin to incorporate my advice into what they do on their own.
Then I realize that they've "gotten" it and I have the sense of having passed on my knowledge and experience.
Q:What tools of the trade do you consider essential to getting your job done?
A: Honesty, integrity, a good sense of humor. Teams that have the authority and the autonomy to get things done. Survey research to see what's really driving behavior and good intelligence gathering and analysis. Training is also very important.
Q: If you had to sum up the key ingredient to success in risk communications in a few words, what would they be?
A: Empathy, sympathy, and understanding that reason and emotion are inseparable. You must address the emotion first - both yours and the audiences. Realizing how rules change in a stress-charged situation.
Q: What skills or characteristics do you think are critical for people entering risk communications?
A: The art of persuasion. Good writing, which is becoming a lost art. Asking why. Challenging accepted wisdom. Ability to create sustainable behaviors. And lastly, remembering that behind every negative opinion there's a hurt feeling.
Mark Shannon has over 25 years experience in corporate reputation management. He has written and spoken extensively about issue and crisis management, risk communication, environmental issues, litigation communications, industry restructuring, and other issues.
He was selected as one of the "Five Faces to Watch in Public Affairs," by PRWeek magazine, November 2000. Mark works out of McLean, Virginia and can be reached via email at mschannon@cox.net.
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