Communicating in the Time of COVID-19

In her recent I3Digital webinar, "Effective Communications in the Time of COVID-19,” Invest in Incredible consultant Kristine Nickel shared tactics for nonprofits to navigate this new virtual landscape paved by the pandemic—to an audience of eager communicators.

As she welcomed the group, Kristine said, “The past seven months have been an unprecedented time for the world. For all of us, it has been a time of uncertainty, anxiety, fatigue, and many other emotions.”

An indisputable intro that sparked the first question of the day: How do we avoid the clichés we’ve all become so accustomed to hearing during the pandemic? During these unprecedented times. Now more than ever. New normal. The answer? Don’t use clichés that sound inauthentic. Take that opportunity to get creative and craft your language to get the same point across.

While many communication do’s and don’ts were discussed throughout the presentation, the top five takeaways were:

• Keep your information simple. 
  Avoid communication “noise” by using the power of three: limit the number of messages, limit each message to 12 words, and stay on a consistent message. 

  Provide information from a trusted source. 
  Remember the four elements of trust: competence, dedication, honesty, and empathy.

  Be appropriate for your mode of communication. 
  When meeting virtually, be fully attentive and look directly into the camera. For face-to-face meetings, remember to practice social distancing and to wear an appropriate face covering. 

  Use your words carefully. 
  Now more than ever we must remember that words have consequences. Follow your four elements of trust and speak openly and honestly while being mindful of others.

  Be prepared. 
  Determine your communication strategy, build your message, and keep it short and to the point. We could not have predicted the pandemic, but we can now prepare ourselves with a disaster communication plan based on our experience.

• Kristine also provided plenty of real-life examples from her personal experience as well as relevant examples of how local organizations have handled challenging situations brought on by COVID-19. If you missed the live presentation, you can watch the entire webinar here.

• Gulf Coast will remain responsive to the changing needs of our nonprofit partners, with additional timely webinars coming soon. Meanwhile, pre-recorded webcasts and other resources focused on supporting your team, COVID-19 legislation, and finance and fundraising are readily available on our website or our YouTube channel.