How COVID-19 Keeps Me in Business: Five Crisis Communications Tips (for Plague #11)

Five Crisis Communications Tips for Plague #11 (Remember Exodus & the first 10?)

I’m one of the lucky ones. I’m working. And I’m busy. 

Who would have guessed that my grueling time in the trenches of local and national newsrooms, and my years handling crises at an association management company and a global foodservice company would turn out to be a blessing?

In these very uncertain times, the insights I’ve collected over the years have come in handy, and for that, I am grateful.

For those not fortunate enough to have someone to handling your current crisis communications, allow me to share some high-level takeaways which you can use starting today. Sure, there are nuances that will be unique to your business that go beyond what we can include in a blog or LinkedIn article, but in an effort to share a fraction of what I’ve learned over the years, here we go.

1.      Prepare for the worst.

If you know me, you know I’m an optimist; the glass is not only full, but overflowing. But in times like these, my optimism has shifted to realism.

Even if you and your business have not yet been impacted, plan for the future. Prepare statements now – for your employees and the media – for when your first employee tests positive for COVID-19. Be ready to adjust as necessary, and be prepared to quickly share with your team and if need be, your customers. Then take it one step further. Figure out how you’re going to share the news if someone dies, because there is a chance someone will. 

2.      You owe the media nothing.

A wise mentor of mine (and she’ll know who she is when she reads this), once posed the question to me that if the New York Times and my CEO both called at the same time, who should I call back first? Answer: The CEO. 

Your company and your customers are your clients, not the media. With the COVID-19 story in particular, news moves fast. I’m not one to recommend saying “no comment,” but if you don’t have a statement prepared, or just don’t want to make one, don’t return the call. The worst they can say is that you can’t be reached for comment.

With apologies to my good friends still running newsrooms, now that I’m on the receiving end, trust me, there’s strategy involved. Is it always perfect? Nope. But it’s surely worth a try. (Ask me privately about yesterday’s win related to this!)

3.      Work quickly; proofread twice.

I thank Mrs. Slotterback at Three Tuns Junior High for teaching me to type – fast! My journalism studies and work added to that speed, but when a client needs comments written, subject lines developed,  statements for the press, or general internal communications, you should see these keys fly! 

If you’re not fast to start with, I’m not sure how to tell you to get there, but during this COVID-19 nightmare, turning things around quickly is key – in both your thinking and typing! And then read it. And read it again. Speed is great, but accuracy rules.

4.      Don’t be afraid to push back.

Everyone needs “issues management” help today, because wow, do we have issues! It’s crucial to believe in yourself and trust your gut. If your CEO thinks s/he has a great idea about a press release promoting all the good they’re doing today, it’s okay to say, “Not now, it’s not the right time, and it’s sending the wrong message.” I’m a little taken aback by all of the tone-deaf marketing that’s happening around me right now. (Note to Eddie Bauer – please stop. I don’t care about my next fleece jacket right now.)

That being said, if your company is doing something to help the cause, you can and should promote it in a respectful, sensitive way; it’s just not the time for boasting. A call to a newsroom letting them know you’re making 5000 masks a day or that you’ve turned your distillery into a hand sanitizing factory is terrific, because work like this leads to a solution for what ails us. Just don’t boast unnecessarily. Please. 

(Note to that distillery: We’re counting the days until you can make the good stuff again!)

5.      Use the tools!

Lord, who isn’t praying to the Zoom gods these days! I’ve been a Zoom user for a while, and never have I been so grateful for an online tool. For clients, colleagues, and even Bubbies (grandmothers in Yiddish!), Zoom has saved my sanity and kept me even more closely connected to our team, those we serve, and those we love.

We’re also using the hell out of Google Docs. Rather than send versions of statements back and forth and back and forth, use Google Docs. A godsend. Remember waiting for faxes???

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I’m one of the lucky ones. Yes, I’m working. Yes, I’m healthy and so is my family. For now. But this isn’t going away any time soon, so if these crisis communications tips help even one of you in one small way, I’m even more grateful.

Stay safe, will ya?