Communication in Times of Crisis

Here is a great article on communication written by a good friend of mine, Rhoda Kreuzer. While this article is geared more towards communicating with your in-house team, the same principles apply when communicating with your customers or community as well.

 

COMMUNICATION IN TIMES OF CRISIS

By Rhoda Kreuzer

 

If you can remember back to the beginning of this year, the word “Coronavirus” either was not part of your vocabulary or you only thought about it as something that occurred in other countries. It was not on our radar nor did we have any idea how devastating it would be to our health and economy.

A crisis rarely comes with instructions on how to navigate the disruption to our businesses. However, there are some keys that are imperative for all of us, one of which is communication. In particular, having a regular communication process is critical. When putting together your communication strategy, consider the following:

~Who will initiate communication throughout your organization? Typically having senior leadership communicate in times of crisis is important.

~What will be communicated? Transparency and authenticity are key in your communication. Provide your team with the confidence that they will know anything as soon as you know it.

~How often will you communicate? You can’t communicate too often. There is a lot of anxiety during times of crisis. I would suggest at least once a week or more depending on how much there is to communicate and how much is changing.

~What is the goal of the communication? The goal of your communication needs to be keeping people informed, calming fears, providing focus for their work, and outlining the strategy for navigating and overcoming the crisis.

While much of this seems to be common sense, communication is crucial in times of crisis. We often overlook the obvious in light of the urgent. Communication is a strong tool to influence and support your team. Consider these questions to succeed in times of crisis!