Episode 81 - Communicating in a Crisis with Christopher Budd

Security and Privacy Expert and author, Christopher Budd, is welcomed to the Hacker Valley Studio podcast! You will hear some great communication tips and how to handle people who fear worst case scenarios during a crisis. He explains how to showcase your authority and credibility during a tough situation. He talks about traits that make someone great at handling these situations, the importance of temperament, and improvisation. In this episode, Christopher Budd shares his journey to becoming an expert in crisis communication. He spent ten years with the Microsoft Security Response Center. He has worked with other security and technology companies as a consultant and full-time employee. He says, “...and if I can sum up what it is I do best, I always say, I take awful news and make it just bad.” Christopher gives some examples of his communication approach. 1) He says he is upfront about news being bad news. He recommends getting credibility by leading with the truth. 2) He then explains reasons why it is a bad situation. 3) Finally, he explains reasons why the situation could be better than you think it might be. He explains that you are not only dealing with the situation itself but also peoples’ fears and projections of the situation. Christopher talks about different personality types and how they handle crisis management. He explains the importance of temperament, the ability to compartmentalize, and thinking about action steps. As the episode draws to a close, Christopher shares some of his thoughts on the workplace today and some of the changes in the COVID environment. He elaborates on topics like privacy and communication. He highlights how technology has allowed us to function as well as it has in the past few months. Links: Learn more about Hacker Valley Studio Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon Follow Hacker Valley Studio on Twitter Follow Ronald Eddings on Twitter Follow Chris Cochran on Twitter Follow Christopher Budd on Twitter Learn more about Christopher Budd Check out christopherbudd.com You can reach out to Christopher Budd at [email protected] Learn more about the MSRC Christopher Budd is published in Great Thinkers A-Z