Gina Rubel participated as a guest speaker on the SMART Business Revolution podcast, hosted by John Corcoran. Corcoran is the co-founder of Rise25 a company that works to unite businesses to ideal referral partners, clients, strategic partners and industry influencers.
This episode highlights and offers insight into How to Communicate in a Crisis Lessons for Covid-19.
“The time for crisis planning has passed, now it is reassuring clients, customers, and employees about where they stand. I think one of the things I have found a little off-putting is the language business as usual, it’s not usual this is not usual for any of us, in fact it’s business unusual,” said Rubel.
Some of the key tips for navigating COVID-19 communications include:
- Accept that this is business unusual and it is time to be agile.
- The time for crisis planning passed soon after Coronavirus hit the U.S. Now is time to figure out what is next and to have an A, B, and C plan.
- It is okay to show empathy and to allow yourself and the people you speak with to be human.
- Traditionally structured corporate communications have gone out the window.
- The way we present ourselves to the public matters but that does not mean we have to go overboard for virtual meetings.
- Take time to have a healthy routine to make your day more productive.
- Be mindful of what is happening in the world and make sure your content online is not tone deaf. This means reviewing your scheduled content regularly.
- Coronavirus content is still a relevant event in Q3 of 2020. It is not over.
- It is okay to share news stories while we are weathering the coronavirus storm – there is COVID-19 fatigue.
- Crisis phases include response and recovery. Many of us still are in response mode and need to plan accordingly. The crisis is not over.
- All business owners should be thinking about succession planning. If we have learned anything firsthand from 2020, there are two things we cannot avoid: death and taxes.
- There are opportunities in crisis.
- Reinvent your business plan if you need to. It is okay to make changes.
- Ask: What have we learned and what would we do differently if this happens again.
- Do the things on your “maybe” list.
- Keep your relationships strong. Take time to connect with clients, colleagues, thought leaders, referral sources and others.
And most importantly, know we will get through this.
Listen to the full episode here.
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