On 25th May 2021 the UK Government is to run a trial of a new emergency alert system. The trial, which will see SMS text messages being sent over the mobile network to East Suffolk residents, will test the effectiveness of an alert-by-mobile system which was first proposed in 2013.
If successful, the system will be rolled out across the UK later this year, warning people of floods, fire, terrorist attack and other public emergencies. Announcing the trial, Paymaster General Penny Mordaunt said: "This new system builds on existing capability and will allow us to more quickly and effectively get life-saving messages to people across the UK."
The alert system is another example of the growing perception of the importance of rapid and accurate communication in today’s world. We’ve seen it throughout the Covid crisis taking the form of regular briefings. And we’ve seen it in business with the requirement to ‘comply or explain’ and to provide meaningful insights in annual reports.
Take director remuneration for example. A Financial Reporting Council (FRC) review [1] of the way in which remuneration practices are reported in annual accounts has revealed that following the updating of the Corporate Governance Code in 2020, companies in general are providing more information on remuneration. However, the same review also found that “many company reports were similar, simply using the wording from the Code, often boilerplate, and lacking detail in the way the application of the Code’s Principles and Provisions related to remuneration were described.”
Communication is one thing, effective communication quite another.
So what can companies do to ensure that they are not just sending out a message but sending one out which will be received and understood? Here are a few tips:
- Keep the message simple. If you need to share lots of complex information then do so as an appendix or a link to an online page. Give too much detail at the outset will only serve to confuse rather than clarify. For example, the new emergency alert message will include a link to a web page which will contain further information.
- Know your audience. This applies whether you are having a one-to-one discussion or addressing a mass audience. Knowing who you are communicating with enables you to structure the message in the way that it is best understood.
- Never assume. You might know what certain acronyms mean or why you chose to compare certain data sets. Your audience may not. Review your communication from the point of view of a recipient and if you need to add further explanations, do so.
[1] https://www.frc.org.uk/news/may-2021/corporate-governance-code-increases-reporting-on-r
