73: Communicating COVID-19: The Best Advice for Informing Your Stakeholders During The Pandemic

It's been less than 10 weeks since the world first learned of a new virus that would change the way we live, we interact, how we shop, where we eat, and how we work. The COVID 19 disease has spread quickly and has wreaked havoc for many organizations. The coronavirus outbreak is the biggest crisis they have ever encountered since they opened for business. Crisis plans all over are being downloaded, some pulled off the shelf, dusted off with the hopes that a section titled Pandemic. For others, the COVID 19 crisis is the first crisis they have ever managed. If you own, manage, govern, or communicate for a business or an organization or a cooperative, you are now in the business of crisis communications. For communicators, you may be receiving conflicting information from the people supposedly in charge. Is there an issue of sending corrections and clarifications? Per Leaders aren't clear and concise and accurate the first time around. Now you're running the risk of people not trusting your information. This week on the podcast, I'm sharing a communication triage for the leaders of businesses, organizations, cooperatives, and associations. I want to show you the value of a strong communication plan and the importance of arming your communicators with the best tools to manage your external and internal communications to help you keep the lights on and the doors open. And to the communicators, I'm with you. You are overwhelmed. You are the face of the organization right now. All eyes are on you, and you need the right tools. You need the proper guidance. It's. This episode is one about managing expectations. The expectations of your customers, your employees, maybe your bosses. The lockdowns and suspensions are forcing businesses and organizations to modify how they serve their consumers. And yet another segment of the population is worried about keeping their businesses afloat. Some of you, I suspect, do not have any communication experience at all, much less crisis management experience. However, managing a crisis is much different from getting through one. So you got through your first week. Now we're starting week two of the pandemic, and you might be saying to yourself, well, now what? Or you could be working as a communicator. You're trying to cull all the inaccurate information from the accurate information while trying to find the best way to communicate with other employees who are working remotely from home. There are many messages out there telling people not to panic, but if you own a small business right now or work as a consultant, you can't help but do anything. But I lost $30,000 in bookings in three days when I was writing the last paragraph of this podcast today I lost another $8,000 in bookings. And you know what? I know I'm not alone. And I know there are even more cancellations to come. And I know a lot of people are feeling the same pinch that I am. If you are struggling with how to communicate your way through the coronavirus crisis, then this is your episode. You'll hear how to provide timely and accurate information to your customers, your members, consumers, partners, vendors and the press and an important stakeholder in the mix, your employees. The only thing about the virus that is certain is that phases of the impact from the outbreak are profoundly uncertain. A business must effectively communicate with their constituents during a time of national emergency. So whether you are open for business or suspending it, your customers need to know your plans for today's episode. I've assembled a group of savvy professionals who all work in crisis and risk management, public relations, strategy and planning. All communicators really, who I gather to share their wisdom for creating communication immunities that will protect you during this global pandemic. Listen to their advice and I'll follow up with my favorite takeaway tip that you can implement immediately in your communication plan. I loved every bit of advice that I asked from my collaborators and I'm going to use all of them, so I am confident that anyone hearing my voice right now will be able to use their tips as well. Let's start on the planning. My first contributor is Mary Beth West. She's with Fletcher Marketing pr and Mary Beth has extensive experience managing communication strategies and campaigns, and she's also an activist in the PR industry for accountability standards. Mary Beth shares an important distinction that everyone should understand before they even attempt to write a communication plan. Many longtime communicators make this mistake all the time, which is why I wanted all of you new communicators out there. And really, that's everyone, folks, this last week to learn this important distinction, I have already observed this mistake happen in the first week of the pandemic response. Mary Beth will save you from it.

Greetings listeners of the Confident Communications podcast. I'm Mary Beth West, Senior Strategist with Fletcher Marketing PR in Knoxville, Tennessee. First of all, kudos to Molly for her leadership here in sharing these best practice ideas amid an unprecedented situation that the coronavirus is posing worldwide. In my experience, one of the biggest challenges, especially for smaller businesses and organizations, is to get management teams off the dime to take action and start a crisis and business continuity planning process, particularly if they've never really had one before. And believe me, for far too many. Crisis planning is a completely new undertaking. A common challenge for leaders stems from paralysis by analysis. You know, that's the inertia or even denial that often go hand in hand with facing a rather overwhelming situation such as this one is so first piece of advice, Engage public relations counsel now. Someone with significant crisis planning and real experience to help your team find a plan. To get a plan, they can help you set a relevant planning agenda. Second, understand the distinction between having an operational crisis plan and a communications crisis plan. They are components and neither will work well without the other. Don't shrug off the valid urgency about needing the communications piece under some false premise that a mere operational crisis plan is enough, because in this day of social media, it is not. Finally, take an inclusive and multidisciplinary approach. All key management functions of your organization, most certainly pr, should be represented at the crisis planning table. Avoid silos. Your PR council might even best lead and shepherd the ent. Best wishes to everyone out there. Godspeed and stay well.

The key takeaway Understanding the difference between an operations plan and a communications plan. They are two entirely different plans that are not interchangeable but serve to complement each other. You need both. You especially need it during the response to COVID19. If you want to hear more from Mary Beth west, you can listen to her podcast Misinterpreted and I will have a link in the show. Notes now you learned about two plans, let's add another one to the mix. Jared Mead is the founder and principal of RAIN Strategy Group and he explains the importance of a plan every business should have right now.

My advice to any small or mid sized business is to learn from the situation. The coronavirus pandemic proves the importance of a crisis communication plan and why it must be in place long before it's needed. If you found yourself unprepared, then a crisis communication plan must be top priority once the situation normalizes itself. In my experience, while a communication plan is essential, many businesses allow that plan to box them in during a crisis. Your plan should be a living document, meaning it's only a template and not meant to be followed rigidly. A communication plan must adapt as a crisis situation develops. Every communication plan should have four activation guidelines because not every issue is going to be a crisis. A detailed action plan to ensure nothing gets overlooked pre approved strategy and messaging because getting those approvals during a crisis can be challenging and a thorough contact list. The last thing you want to be doing during a crisis is looking for contact information. If there's one thing to remember it's not to forget your internal audiences. Focusing on external messaging exclusively risks losing your greatest asset in a crisis. Your employees. They need the same level of communication and transparency as external audiences and if done correctly, your communication will motivate them to become your greatest brand ambassadors. The key to communicating with employees is to truly understand them as individuals and as a group. Businesses are made up of employees from diverse backgrounds and you will have to communicate in different ways in order to reach all of them. The better you know them and how they best receive information, the more effective you'll be in communicating During a crisis. Businesses need to consider their long as well as short term response plans. During the coronavirus pandemic, we aren't sure how long this will continue and it's a very fluid situation. There will be no one size fits all answer for every business. And businesses must be flexible with their policies, procedures and messaging as the situation develops. What may be the right method and level response today may not work tomorrow.

The key Takeaway Pre approved messages. These are the statements you can post to your website. You can tweet or post socially or tell a reporter without needing any approval from the top. Because after all, sometimes all a reporter is after is a quote. They don't need a long, drawn out interview, they just want a message that they can put into their story. The preapproval message. Especially in a time of crisis, that immediate response will get you the ink, which is nice. But more important, get your message out there and heard. Next. Mark Hoffman is a senior crisis management and business continuity consultant. He was also a guest on episode 51, cybersecurity issues that will keep you up at night. I have a link in the show Notes.

Here's mark here's my 92nd or so condensed recommendations to small and medium businesses. If you haven't started thinking about how you're going to respond to the pandemic, the time to act is now. But it is really important that you don't come into this from a position of panic. While it's important to be prudent and diligent right now, panic is the last thing that you want. Communication with your staff to let them know what your plans are is really important. And it's important to not confuse urgency with scare tactics or, you know, a message that's going to raise their alarm unnecessarily. Common sense still goes a long way. Things like personal hygiene, washing your hands, social distancing. Start to think about travel bans. Not traveling for anything that's not essential. Certainly stay away from the restricted areas as outlined on various government websites. The other thing is you need to start thinking about how you're going to deal with people who are infected, isolation routines and the return to work policies. And finally, give some immediate thought to your high risk staff. People who might have a history of respiratory illness, people of a certain age. I'm not going to insult anybody by saying what that is 60 and people who might be pregnant. So, you know, give consideration to maybe allowing them to work remotely or isolate them a little bit more. There's a lot to think about, but you don't have to panic but it is time to act now.

We've heard the key takeaway many times before in the past few days, but it's true. Don't panic, but if you haven't started making plans, now is the time to start. Panic, after all, is a mindset. My next contributor also speaks about mindset, and it's succinct, but it's spot on. Joe detavernier is a principal at De Tavernier Strategic Communication in Austin, Texas, and he adds a nugget that I loved.

To communicate efficiently in a crisis, you always Whatever the crisis is, whatever the audience is, you always need to project.

Two things, empathy and control.

This is what your customers, your business.

Partners, your employees, your contractors, all of your stakeholders are wanting from you right now.

Show people. Explain to people.

Make clear that you care and that.

You are on top of your game.

That you know what you're doing and that you are helping alleviate their concerns.

As best as you can. The key takeaway Communicating to your key stakeholders that you have the ability to show concern in the time of the unknown is critical. But more important, showing that you have control over the situation is even more powerful. Managing expectations is critical for managing a crisis. Reassurance is a key word for the customer, the consumer, the member and the employee. Michelle Garrett is a PR consultant and a prolific freelance content writer. She's all over Twitter and she runs an amazing Twitter chat on freelance writing. There is a particular communication strategy that many organizations I believe are reluctant to do in normal times, but it's beyond helpful in the midst of a national crisis. Take a listen.

The advice I would offer a small to mid sized business is to over communicate with your audiences. Use email and social media to openly share what steps you may be taking during this time to address their needs and concerns. When I say audiences, that includes employees, customers, partners or any other stakeholders. In my experience, over communicating is better than saying nothing or saying something that might create fear. People are looking for a source of reassurance during this time. We know that the situation is changing rapidly, so it's important to monitor that and to share any updates with audiences as soon as possible. Hesitating or withholding information is never a good idea. Some of the messages from brands that I've been seeing include advice for customers sharing what the brand is doing to help them feel safe. Another point that could be addressed is how workers will be treated. So if your workers become ill and can't work, what will you do to help them during this time of hardship? I think that can go a long way toward helping your customers see that you are concerned about your people and have thought ahead and planned for possible absences and how to address their needs as well. If this crisis does anything, it underscores the need for every business to have a crisis communications plan ready to go as something that should be developed and revisited periodically, not just written and put on a shelf. Every crisis is different, but having something prepared to guide you can really help if the need suddenly arises.

The key takeaway from Michelle over communicating Almost impossible to do in a time of navigating the unknown. Another tactic that may raise an eyebrow or two was suggested by James Green. He's the Director of Risk Advisory Services at sa. What do you think? Take a listen.

One piece of advice I would like to offer to small to medium sized businesses right now is to offer paid sick time to your employees. Now before you think I'm crazy, I totally understand this is a very expensive proposition. But what's even more expensive to your business is if an employee comes in sick and everyone else gets sick and you have to temporarily close because you don't have employees available to work. One thing we would like all businesses to consider is with coronavirus we're really seeing something that we've never seen in the United States before, right? We have school closures at all levels. We have sports team seasons being suspended, which is very unusual. We have conferences that are being canceled. So your employees are going to be scared. So they're seeing things in the media, they're hearing things from their friends and they're not sure what to believe. So you really want to show them that you have their health and well being first in mind that you're going to take care of them, that you're going to do the right thing and that together you're going to get through this as a business and as employees together.

The key takeaway Pretty gutsy move, but showing you are concerned about the health and well being of Your employees goes a long way in getting through the uncertainty of this pandemic. Now, it so happens that concern for community is the seventh cooperative principle. Cooperatives were founded to meet the unique needs of all their members. If you haven't heard of a cooperative, you have, but you probably don't realize it. There are food cooperatives, electric cooperatives, credit unions, even cabbage, cheese, all cooperatives. And as the founder of the Cooperative Way, it's a consulting firm dedicated to assisting all types of co op businesses and help them succeed. Adam Schwartz is passionate about being an advocate for cooperatives. Listen why?

I've often said that the cooperative business model is the best business model on earth. And I believe that because every co op is both an economic organization but also has a deep sense of social responsibility. We are guided by our seven cooperative principles and the set of values that clearly showcase that we're a different type of business. The current coronavirus pandemic gives us yet another opportunity to showcase that cooperative difference. So I am encouraging all co ops to be very intentional about how they are going about and doing the good work in their community. Reaching out to community partners to see if there are any needs that the co op can offer in the face of the the current situation. The co ops serve all different types of industries, from child care to credit unions, electric co ops, food co ops, hardware stores, and that gives us a great place in our community. And I think that co ops can use this time to really showcase to bring out the best in people.

The key takeaway, the cooperative business model, in Adam's opinion, is the best business model on earth. It brings members together for the good of a co op. However, in a time of a pandemic might be not so easy to do. You want to accommodate for social distancing, but don't isolate yourself from your members or your customers. The pandemic is a highly emotional time for people. My next contributor is Hinda Mitchell. She is the president and founder of Inspire PR Group and she provides communications, market marketing, digital and public relations. Hinda is going to touch on some of the pitfalls you want to avoid.

If you're a smaller brand or organization trying to figure out how to communicate about the coronavirus, now known as COVID 19. Some really important things to prepare for are to have a variety of materials at the ready for everything from an event cancellation to a school closure to complying with a new order from the government. It's also important to recognize that people right now are really concerned and really unsettled and any communications that you put out should really work to connect with those audiences through values and recognize that this is a really highly emotional issue. It's changing the way people work day to day, it's changing the way we act at home, and it's really changing all of our regular habits. And when you communicate with folks who are feeling unsettled, you have to really connect to with them by talking about values and recognizing their feelings. A pitfall for companies to avoid is to start providing their own conclusions about what is safest or what is healthiest. At a time like this, you need to share accurate data from public health experts. None of us is an expert like these public health officials are and we need to let them do their jobs and avoid doing their job for them. With regard to internal audiences, especially employees, this is a really critical place where we need to be effective in our communications. Are you talking with employees about your illness reporting and sick time policies? Are you going to change your remote working policies and what is that going to look like for employees? If school districts close and employees have to care for their children at home, how are you going to support them in that? And what's going to happen with absenteeism? These are really tough issues that you need to anticipate and communicate about in advance with your employees. Lastly, you really need to assure employees that any disruptions in your business are not going to negatively impact their jobs or the future of your business, and that you're as focused on taking care of them as you are of taking care of your own organization.

The Key takeaway Everyone needs to accommodate for change. In many cases, habits need to be broken and new ones need to form. It's difficult to discuss the pandemic without mentioning the fear and concern we hear in the news daily Now. My next contributor is Julia Joy. She wrote an article titled How CEOs can lead the Way Through Coronavirus Concerns at Work along with her co author Jocelyn Brandeis. It's a great article. So anyone leading in the time of the coronavirus, especially small to medium sized business owners or their managers or communicators, I highly suggest you read the article. The link is included in the show Notes. It offers advice for leaders for how they can prepare at any given time for a crisis that happens in their community that can affect the company, employees, stakeholders. Take a listen to Julia.

The advice that I would offer to small businesses is to really focus on the two areas of concern that are likely most related to their businesses and that's going to be number one, their employees and number two, their customers. And we're seeing a lot of news and a lot of tweets and a lot of posts about the pandemic, and there's a lot of fear and uncertainty. But I think it's really important for businesses to really focus on their areas of concern and not to jump into the fray, but do a good job protecting their people and protecting their customers. So that would be my first point of advice. I would tell everyone to measure the response against potential outcomes and potential successes. You won't likely change the hearts and minds of the entire nation. So just focus on your region, the people you interact with, your stakeholders, and again, most importantly, your employees. There's no need to go wide with this. There's no need to make it a national statement from your organization. Focus on your community and those that you need to care for.

The key takeaway you need to focus on your community and try not to spread yourself and your communications too thin. The details of dissemination Are you communicating in places where your audience will find you in the time of a pandemic? Are you reaching your employees by text or by newsletter or by phone call? It matters. It's understandable that many people don't know how to manage their operations in the time of an unknown unknown, which the coronavirus certainly is. Every day brings something different. However, heading now into the second week of the pandemic, the leaders and business people who will stand out are the ones who have strategic foresight. These are the people who can think beyond immediate concerns and plan for the future. Now, how to do that? My next contributor is Stephanie Elsey. She's a VP of marketing and communications at the Lust Garden foundation in Woodbury, New York, and she gives us her opinion.

The two basic keys to communicating with your employees are simple actual communication and contingencies. To be effective, you must communicate early, clearly with authority, transparency, and frequency. You must also plan contingencies with consideration. And what I mean by that is, in a crisis like what we're experiencing from the coronavirus, you're going to have to think beyond your immediate business concerns and consider the larger community in which your employees reside. What's your business continuity plan if schools close and employees have to be home with their kids, can they work from home or do they have to take leave? What are your plans if some staff are stranded in another city because of flight cancellations? Do you have to cancel events? Where could you be held liable if an employee brings the virus to the office? And finally, add some compassion to the mix. People are frightened and anxious and their minds are naturally going to shift to.

Protecting what's dear to them.

So help put their minds at ease by not forcing them to wonder what.

Is expected from them professionally during the crisis.

Again, communicating to your employees, to these stakeholders that your business relies on to function is critical during a time of crisis. My last contributor is Leah Hunt, the public relations director at Hope for Women magazine, and she is discussing this critical piece of communications that you need in times of crisis.

So when dealing with a crisis, in particular the current coronavirus pandemic, if there's one thing to remember and it's to be open, honest and transparent with any crisis, that is the key is to be forefront and honest with your public because people want to know and they have the right to know. People want to know the truth. So your focus is to deal with the situation at hand, gather as much information, accurate information, as possible, and again, to communicate that info quickly and honestly to your public. And as we've seen recently, this has not been done effectively by our government in regards to the coronavirus. And the key, again, is keeping your internal public informed and making sure that everyone within your organization is on is on the same page, making sure everyone knows exactly what the goal is at hand. And again, we've seen this. We've seen this with our government. We've seen the conflicting information. We've heard the conflicting information from our president and his administration and with doctors. So this misinformation leads to panic, which causes information to be diluted and inaccurate. And again, you just have to remember there is no time to waste. In a crisis, every minute is critical. There is zero time to be wasted. And again, it's very important to be open and honest and to hit the ground running and to be sure that everyone is aware and has the knowledge at hand to know what the next steps would be.

There you go, Leah. It takes courage to be open and honest with your constituents during a pandemic. It's not easy to admit you don't know what will happen to your business and in the ensuing weeks and months. But it is necessary. If you are honest with your constituents, then they will return the favor by being a reliable customer or an engaged member. Transparency must start at the top. However, a leader is only as strong as the person manning their communications. And the only thing about this virus that is certain is that phases of the impact from the OUTP outbreak are profoundly uncertain. A business and organization must effectively communicate with their constituents during this time of national emergency. So whether you are open for business or suspending it, your customer needs to know your plans. And what everyone is rapidly learning is that businesses and organizations that are not prepared for the fallout from the loss of business, supply chain disruption, cash flow and operational losses. Those are the businesses that may never recover. So there you have it. A roundup of all the things that you need to do in this first few weeks of the COVID 19 crisis. If you want more information on how to communicate for your organization, your association, your business, your cooperative in the time of COVID 19, head on over to the website ResponseKit. There you will see the special COVID 19 communication response kit. It is a free resource to help you become a trusted source for your audience as it relates to communicating about the coronavirus. There is an abundance of content there, plans for engagement and a network of support on our special Slack channel where you can engage with other people, other communicators, business owners, people who are responsible for communicating to their key stakeholders. So head on over to responsekit.org the next few weeks I'm going to be broadcasting podcast episodes about COVID 19. So if you are in the business of communicating to people about your business during the coronavirus outbreak, then you'll want to tune in. I'll also have special bonus episodes from interviews with people with public relations consultants, communicators, crisis communicators, risk and crisis management experts who will educate all of us on how we can communicate better during this very unusual time for everyone. So head on over to responsekit.org thanks again for listening to this week's episode. I look forward to talking to you again next week.