Communicators: Prepare for the what-ifs

You’ve probably heard of Cobbler’s Children Syndrome. It’s based on the parable of a cobbler who spends busy days making shoes for customers, leaving little time – or inclination – to properly shod family members. 

As professional communicators, it offers a relevant parallel to what we're facing as we grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Often, we're called on to deliver strategic advice and communications in times of crisis and challenge.

But what if the crisis hits closer to home? 

In the flurry of actively communicating about how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting your organization and those you serve, have you thought about some ‘what-ifs’ that could impact your ability to create and deliver those communications or keep other projects moving?

In short, do you have a plan?

Peter and I recently asked ourselves that very question. It’s something we have addressed in piecemeal ways in the past, but the Covid-19 crisis offered the urgency we needed to set aside the bulk of a Sunday afternoon to think it through. 

We emerged from the conversation with an approach that gives us greater visibility into each other’s individual work, as well as an action plan to quickly tap the expertise of some of the writers, consultants and designers we work with should the need arise.

Out of that exercise -- and through some advice we’ve been reading on contingency planning -- three clear ‘what-ifs’ have emerged that PR and communication teams of any size should be asking now.

What if you or a key member of your team is unable to work? It’s important to have good and ongoing visibility into what people are working on, the status of individual projects, and contacts for those they are working closely with. That process makes it much easier to keep a project moving forward with limited interruption.

What if several team members are unable to work? It’s difficult to think about, but the reality is that several team members could be sidelined. And, in all likelihood, the work will still need to get done. Brainstorm who could back up members of your team, and figure out a way to share frequent updates. If you work with outside partners, get a sense of their bandwidth should you need to quickly call them into action.

What if key contract partners can’t deliver? Do you rely on outside partners to consistently execute your communications or handle major projects? If so, it’s worth a conversation to get a better sense of their availability, and if they have a contingency plan in place if they were to face staffing issues. If nothing else, asking the question might move them to action to do some planning of their own.

The bottom line. You want to make sure all your team members and partners have a good pair of shoes. 

It appears we’re facing a marathon and we want to be sure we can go the distance.