I’ll dispense with all the adjectives we are using to describe the COVID-19 crisis. You might too. In fact, there are many course corrections communicators should be taking right now to ensure you are maximizing the effectiveness of messaging to all stakeholders. Some of these corrections are tone, some of them are things you should stop, and some of them we should stop forever. Messaging and messaging process must both be examined in this crisis.
Review and Rework Your Editorial Calendar
Every channel you are communicating through should already have an existing editorial calendar. Halt your presses. On LinkedIn alone I have observed content publishers merrily pushing through their business as usual content calendars. Stop! No one is listening to your message about a new product launch, your culture initiative, or some ranking your company received. We’ll get back to those, but for now, you need to be generating new content designed to build confidence, empathy, and support your stakeholders.
Toss Out Old Phrases
Nothing makes me shake my head faster than reading another spokesperson say, “in an abundance of caution we are ….” Let’s use the Coronavirus to put this phrase under a tombstone and never rely upon it again. This crisis demands more. There isn’t enough caution that you can be taking. When lives are at stake, be direct. Be urgent and clear. Declare what you are doing, don’t seem like you are doing something because you are giving us the gift of your thoughtful wisdom. Let’s also bury “corporate speak” and ensure we are using the language of our stakeholders. If your executive’s quote of concern looks like any executive’s quote of concern, it’s time to rethink.
Unify the Communicators
Many communications functions are siloed both within formal communication functions and other functions such as investor relations or marketing. This crisis and every crisis demands unification of effort. Your leadership should be naming a single communications czar reporting to your crisis response team. This isn’t just a big company problem. Even small companies have “many” communicators. A crisis is a time for command and control management. Name a communications commander.
A Tone of Hope and Comfort
A number of national advertisers have begun to do exactly what needs to be done in all communications. These smart communicators are expressing empathy and support from their capabilities, not hawking product. In time, we must return to messages that drive revenue to help drive our economy and the health of our individual enterprises.
Track Your Lessons Now
All the years we spent creating crisis playbooks, seemingly faltered after just the 1st week. Like 9-11, we are living through another period where a failure of imagination has left us unprepared. Our profession demands that we rise in every crisis. It’s not too early to begin to track your lessons learned. We’ll each make some mistakes, but it is our responsibility for future communicators to help improve our ability to respond. We’ll have some real wins, too, that more effectively ensure our stakeholders are confident and secure to the best of our ability.
You’re in the middle of a battle. We all are. Unlike one we have ever encountered. Take a few minutes to ensure you aren’t facing a new enemy with old tools.