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Changes in our working lives caused by the Covid-19 crisis have created significant communications challenges for organisations of all sizes.

The rapid move from business as usual to home working has forced us all make changes, but there’s more to quality internal communications than moving all your meetings to Zoom.

This week I spoke with a friend who holds a senior role at a major international company. He told me that since moving to home working the number of conference calls he has been invited to has got out of control. Monthly catch-ups have become weekly. Weekly catch-ups have become daily. Daily office chats have become phone calls at all hours. As a result, he said, he was finding it hard to carve out the time to actually do his work.

So how do we ensure that we communicate effectively without impacting productivity or harming the wellbeing of our colleagues?

There’s no single answer to getting this right, and specific strategies and communication tools will vary from organisation to organisation.

Here are our three top tips for getting your internal communications right during this challenging period.

Get the balance right

Over-communication can be as counter-productive as bad as under-communication.
Micro-managing staff who are already feeling the pressure of living through a global crisis, juggling complex family lives and adapting to new ways of working won’t improve your productivity – quite the opposite.

Place your trust in your teams to fulfil their roles and give them the space they need to work. Encourage them, where possible, to stick to normal office hours and ensure that they get the chance to rest and recover.

Remember to listen

You’ll doubtless have important information you need to get to your teams, but remember that communication is a two-way process. Share the information you need to share, but remember the importance of listening too.

Provide opportunities for your teams to give find back on what’s working, what’s not, and what their concerns are. Take the time to find out about their successes and celebrate them.

Don’t be too hard on yourself

If things aren’t working as well as you’d like, don’t beat yourself up. This is new for all of us, and the important thing is to learn from your mistakes. No one knows how long it will be before life returns to normal. In fact there’s a strong chance that home working will become more common when the crisis is over, so what you learn now is likely be a good investment for the future of your organisation.

• Need advice or support? Contact us to find out how we can help you redesign your internal communications strategy in these changing times.

Sometimes what you don’t say can be just as important as what you do say.

At times of crisis a PR consultant can help you to craft the message that will tell your side of the story.

There’s a cliched view of people in the PR profession as ‘spin doctors’ who bend the truth and employ subterfuge and manipulation as their main tactics.

But the reality is that most PR people know that honesty is always the best policy, and anyone who is prepared to lie on your behalf is falling way short of the integrity expected of the of the profession.

Anyone can respond to a journalist’s question or knock together a press release, but when you or your organisation is facing criticism, you need a seasoned comms professional on your team.

Context and timing is everything, and an experienced PR expert will know how to nuance your response depending on which news outlet you’re talking to, what questions are being asked, and how the situation is developing.

And sometimes it takes experience to know when the best thing to do is to not respond. Faced with a hostile journalist or publication, rebutting a story might feel like the best approach. It will certainly make us feel better. But is it making matters worse?

That detailed and factual response you just wrote has now provided the content for another story. Another will come up tomorrow when someone pick holes in what you’ve written today.

But working with a PR pro can help you steer the conversation the way you want it to go, avoiding becoming embroiled in a public argument and instead focusing on getting your real message out there.

If you’d benefit from affordable PR advice from experienced professionals, contact Rosebank Media today.

We love a bit of sport here at Rosebank Media.

From supporting elite athletes on the international stage to local teams and clubs, there’s no more powerful force for bringing people together.

Local sports clubs unite communities and provide the opportunity for athletes at all levels to pursue their passion.

Like any organisation, communication is vital for sports clubs. Sharing fixtures and results, communication with your players and raising your profile can all be made easier with the right tools and the correct strategy.

And we’re here to help you identify your communications needs and put together an affordable package of support.

Whether you want a website for your club, help setting up an email newsletter, a social media strategy for recruiting players or attracting supporters, or photography and video or your players in action, we can help!

Get in touch and let us know how we can support your club.

Who you are is every bit as important as what you do when it comes to letting people know about your business.

And having a strong strategy for your personal social media is a great way of telling that story and getting it out there for your potential customers to see.

Telling your story in an authentic way is a great supplement to your official business social media presence, letting your customers find out more about the services you can offer them.

Share your successes and the highlights of your working day to show people how good you are at what you do.

Show off your latest finished project, tell the world about how you’ve helped a client, or share your latest good feedback. 

Having a strong personal social media presence can also be an asset in times of crisis.

If things go wrong, there’s a lot to be said for using your platform to tell your side of the story. People value openness and honesty, and the right approach can help to diffuse difficult situations.

Whether you’re part of a local business or an international company, your thoughts, ideas and insights are valuable tools that can help you to build your brand. Don’t be shy – start a conversation with your audience today!

• Don’t know where to start? We can help. Contact Rosebank Media to find out how we can help you build your social media strategy.