Communications in Times of Uncertainty

Forest Park, Portland, OR - March 14, 2020 ©LeslieCumming

"It's OK to be brave and afraid at the same time." Brene Brown

There's no way not to address the biggest story in the news, COVID-19. It's a big story and one that triggers each of us in different ways. The news is all-consuming, but making sure family, friends, and our communities are safe is the top priority.

My clients are in the US, Europe, and Australia. We're all taking precautions and measures to work from home, care for our families and communities, and find rest to decompress from the flood of information coming our way. I'm fortunate to work from home and on the whole, my work doesn't require me to be on the front lines of prepping for a pandemic. It does include helping clients navigate communications and PR in times of uncertainty. In the process of helping my clients, I thought it would be helpful to share lessons learned. I hope they help.

Breathe. Take Breaks. I can't state this enough times. It's going to be hard. We're all in sprint mode, but what we're really in is an endurance race. As an endurance athlete, the first rule of thumb when training for the long haul - pull a negative split. That means start slow - be thoughtful - and gain momentum over time and as things become clearer. That doesn't mean you won't have to make hard decisions, quickly or make mistakes. You will. We all will. For most of us, we can take a moment when overwhelm does happen. When it happens try to remember - stop, honor the feeling, breathe, and take a break. Get outside. Apologize if and when needed, regroup and start again.

We’re in uncertain times. We don’t actually know where the finish line is. Be prepared to go the distance. Be thoughtful. Come from the heart. Be kind. Keep moving forward. Always.

Be Transparent. Live your Values. If COVID-19 directly impacts your customer and business, be transparent about what you are doing - internally and externally. Start small. But start. Bad news is never easy. Ever. But it does have its form of comfort. We can take action from it. Be brief and to the point. Provide the next steps and resources. If you don't have all the next steps at the time of bad news, make sure to set up follow-up communication and evolve as the situation dictates. As a customer, we're invested in you for the long haul, knowing what you're doing and being open (vulnerable) reminds us we're in this together.

How can you take immediate action? This is top of mind for many of us, especially in retail. There are several ways for businesses to stay engaged, be it through virtual classrooms, free shipping, home delivery, or curbside pickup. If you're philanthropic in nature, ask your small business associations, public school district rep (private too), homeless groups or Rotary Club how you can help. Can you donate food or time?

Audit your Content. Content and timing matter. Take a look at your content strategy for the next several days (weeks and months) and adjust it as needed. Provide your audience with what your specialty is, not what it's not. Be open to changing your content to address a fluid landscape. This may mean more content that's 'in the moment' vs. long-lead planning—vette for appropriately timed promotions, ads, memes. Delete as needed. We're all overwhelmed at the moment. Make your content relevant to your experience, expertise, and at the pace, you and your communities would like it.

Listen and Monitor your Communities. Ask your communities what they'd like from you and when. If you use internal and external social platforms to communicate set boundaries and policies of what's OK or not OK. Stress is high, and many are on edge. We're all trying to do our best, and we don't know each other's stories. Kindness goes a long way in making sure our environment retains a sense of community and collective responsibility.

Initiate. Be open. Think creatively. This is a hard one. When in crisis or uncertainty it can be hard to do. Yet, try. Work to make small moments of time and space to start to think about if you need to adjust your offerings and/or how you do business. It may be a perfect time (or maybe not) to explore other avenues of how you do business. Maybe some ideas have been on the back burner. Can you dust them off and brainstorm to see if they might not only work but how you could get your ideas out into the world? If you’re to overwhelmed to tackle this. It’s OK to step back and not do. There is not ‘behind’ the curve. Ever.

Be strategic. Be proactive. Think outside of the box. Take risks. Be thoughtful in what, when, where, and how you communicate. The rule of thumb is less is more.

And above all else, share your journey from a place of the heart over time and when appropriate.

Don’t be Pushy. If your business doesn't directly help solve a COVID-19 problem, step aside to let the companies that do grapple with what they need to do now. By all means, let your customer and communities know you are available for them - when they are ready. There are still opportunities to do business as usual. But it's not a time to be opportunistic. Be sensitive. Acknowledge that we're in difficult times and don't make pressure sales unless what you have is what your customer needs in today's immediate environment.

Ask for Help. We're in this together. Don't be afraid to ask for help or accept offers of support if it will help you - personally or professionally.

Build a Plan. Communicate It. This one is a big one. And… it takes time. When the dust starts to settle (a couple of weeks) take some time and begin to question your business value to determine if what you offer is relevant for the foreseeable future. Some businesses provide immediate value in times of crisis, others fall into the support category. Both are important. Regardless of which one you are, sit down and sketch out your why, what, and when you need to do things and how you're going to communicate. Take it in phases. Take breaks. This is a significant endeavor. Ask questions of your community and yourself of what you and they'd like. Listen to what they say (or don't say), and build and respond accordingly (see above). Some of us will decide to evolve, some of us will decide to close. Regardless of what you choose, don't lose faith or hope. In times of stress, small steps and planning can alleviate stress and help put structure into what we'll do next.

It's going to take time to get through this. But we will get through.

Love always,
Leslie