In the episode we chat to David Paterson,  an experienced management consultant who help clients to develop corporate strategies with particular expertise in problems involving complex reputation issues. With what is happening in the world with the coronavirus/Covid19, I thought it would be good to have David on the podcast after he reached out to me and wanted to talk about “the importance of communications in a crisis”.
We talk about What challenges do you see the coronavirus having on mining companies and what measures should they be putting in place during these times. Also how do you deal with the confusion that arises from shifting information and uncertainty around the facts being put out there and identify three important points about communicating during a crisis. We conclude by talking about what will mining companies learn or how will they adapt to this new way of working once this crisis has settled down.
KEY TAKEAWAYS

As a consultant for companies in the mining industries, David helps in educating them about the social and political risks circling around mining. He can attest that these kinds of risks are as likely as technical risks, which are more known to cause the closing of companies.
Communication is important more than ever in the mining industry. As much as possible, we want to continue providing our service while maintaining the quality all throughout, impressing the stakeholders, and getting the workforce engaged. But, during this hard time—amid the Covid-19 outbreak—it is our utmost priority to put the health and wellbeing of our suppliers, employees, and investors at the very top. Extend your help outside the company, to the vulnerable, to the community.
Since we’re in the middle of a crisis, and anything can change any day, it’s best that you already have a core group who are incessant on monitoring updates, resourceful when looking for solutions and flexible for operations.
3 Important Points About Communication Amid a Crisis:

Protect your company’s reputation as it is one of the most important assets.
Get excellent information to arrive at excellent decisions.
Don’t forget about the stakeholders—the suppliers, the employees, and the customers.


How do we keep our internal communications strong? Involve each person in the crisis plan. As much as possible, you, as a leader, must be the one to convey news to everyone else so they understand they’re being taken care of. Assure them that everything will go back to normal, and everything is handled even after the crisis.
There are many ways in how mining companies can extend help to the community. You can make use of the facilities, equipment, and vehicles. Authorities might need these rescue and relief operations for the affected communities.

BEST MOMENTS

“One of the key premises I got was, if you look at mining businesses that have shut down prematurely, it’s roughly half and half between technical risks and social & political risks.”
“It’s important that we all recognise that people are anxious everywhere and they’re looking for assurance.”
“It’s critical that you keep your workforce and other stakeholders focused and engaged… their optimism and moral as high as possible.”
“While there are a lot of electronic communication tools available, there is nothing really quite as effective as getting a face-to-face briefing with their leader.”
“There’s going to be a lot of rethinking that will go on once we get through this.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Dig Deep – The Mining Podcast on iTunes
W Resources - https://wresources.com/about-us/the-team/
Michael Masterman Twitter - https://twitter.com/mgmasterman?lang=en
Michael Masterman LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-masterman-0863592b/

 ABOUT THE GUEST
David Paterson is a well-known Management Consultant who helps his clients develop corporate strategies with particular expertise in problems involving complex reputation issues.
He has an impressive background in economics and business administration