One of the aspects I appreciate about communications is that it’s always evolving. We cannot live without it. No matter the obstacles placed before us, we find a way, and sometimes a better way, to tell stories, make conversation, educate, persuade, pitch and relate to each other.
It’s been nearly two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that has challenged what we know about our health, while also sharpening our skills as communicators. Isolation, social distancing, face coverings and working remotely are all hindrances to communication, but just like a plot twist in a movie, incredibly we emerged more aware and enlightened to how we interact with each other. There’s a lot we can learn, and are still learning, from the pandemic as it shapes the way we are communicating now.
It’s Written All Over Your Face
The “Zoom boom” taught us the importance of visual communication. We took this for granted pre-2020 when most workers were required to keep office hours in a physical space. As an early adopter of remote work and Zoom, I didn’t realize visual communication was so necessary until everyone was forced to go remote. Suddenly, clients wanted to meet via Zoom instead of conference calls. After multiple virtual meetings with clients whom I had previously seen in person maybe once a year, it occurred to me that my clients weren’t trying to micromanage my work with Zoom technology. Rather, they were lonely and hungry for visual connections that they were now lacking in their own office.
There’s a lot of truth in the idiom, “it’s written all over your face.” The pandemic underscored this in a huge way. There’s so much in our communication that is not spoken, but plainly visible on our faces. A good therapist, for example, requires patients to do sessions in person for this reason. An entire profession would have tanked during the pandemic had it not been for video conferencing. Instead, the mental health profession made leaps and bounds during COVID not only because of the stress the pandemic caused, but because therapists were forced to go online. As a result, more people were open to the possibility of “seeing” a therapist as it didn’t require a physical office visit.
Monthly Zoom meetings with my team is something I adopted during the pandemic, not because I needed it, but because I realized my team needed it. They craved more community with each other and they wanted to see the human side of their boss (that can only be accomplished through valuable facetime). Having gone remote a decade before the COVID-19 pandemic even began, I had never previously seen the value in visual communication, until everyone was cut off from it. To this day, I still have weekly Zoom dinners with my mother when we are distanced from each other. My relationship with her has deepened since the pandemic, because mundane updates are more complex than her words, as the real story is always written on her face.
Emojis Make Us Human
Another pre-pandemic form of communication I resisted was the use of emojis. My Gen X mindset was convinced this was a passing fad of Millennials and somehow, I could power through this seemingly childish form of communication by ignoring it with every text message that crossed my iPhone. But I changed my perception about the value emojis can bring to communication in the workplace during the pandemic.
In order to streamline communication and encourage more productivity with my team, I moved all internal email and text communications to an instant messaging platform, overrun with emojis, called Slack in early 2020. Ironically, one of my former Pitch Publicity “Millennial” interns, Paolina, who was then one of the top account executives for Slack, convinced me to do it. My first reaction to her sales pitch was, “Ugh, am I going to have to use those emojis?” To which she replied, “You don’t have to, but it can encourage your team to work harder when you give them quick feedback. You will be speaking their language.” Paolina knows how to make a pitch (I know, because I taught her), but she also made me realize something that day: As a boss, I’m hard to read, and emojis can make me more human. Plus, emojis are an easy way to provide someone instant feedback, acknowledgement and reassurance. They are literally a small digital icon that expresses emotion. Something that lacks in our written communication, which in business we do a lot of between email and messaging.
My favorite emojis to use with my team are thumbs up/approval, party popper/celebration, folded hands/thank you, clapping hands/applause and grinning face with star eyes to show I’m impressed, excited and amazed. Emojis express more emotion than the standard please and thank you in our verbal communication and they have absolutely improved productivity with my team, without me having to say a word.
Don’t Say It, Sing It
Another novel communication tool that took centerstage during the pandemic was the social media platform, TikTok. Surpassing 2 billion mobile downloads worldwide by October 2020, TikTok is a social media app that allows users to create and share short-form videos on any topic. Originally monopolized by middle schoolers to make funny videos and challenges with their friends, during the pandemic respected professionals took to TikTok in droves to educate audiences on health, politics and social impact all via lip-syncing, dancing and comedic stunts.
The concept of TikTok is nothing new from a communications perspective, however it underscores the importance of the KISS principle. Journalists are taught the KISS method when writing stories. It’s an acronym that originates from the U.S. Navy that stands for “Keep It Simple Stupid.” In naval terms the principle means that systems work best if they are simple and not complicated. For journalists, it means a story should be easy to understand, around an eighth-grade level. Using the KISS principle in all forms of communication is an effective way to get your message across without overcomplicating your pitch or story. TikTok combines KISS with another important communication characteristic: entertainment.
When I’m coaching distinguished experts for broadcast media interviews, we spend most of our time working on the entertainment value of their message. My rule of thumb for broadcast interviews is that experts must first entertain, then educate, before finally presenting their pitch. If the interview is not conducted in this exact order, the message will likely be ignored or cut short. As silly as TikTok may seem to most professionals, it foundationally follows all successful communication strategies since the beginning of time. So, don’t be fooled, TikTok is using a KISS principle that’s simply wrapped in a new technology that your eighth-grader acutely identified before you. Sit On It for a Minute (or more)
Finally, turning to a far more serious communication lesson learned from the pandemic, and one that some are still learning, is the speed at which we respond with reactions and statements. In this instance technology has not been our friend, but rather a fierce foe, elevating alter egos and personal agendas that need to first be vetted and digested from a corporate responsibility perspective before shared with the world as a company statement.
Although this was a problem before the pandemic, 2020 elevated the issue to another level as all eyes were on everyone (because the public was locked down in their homes with nothing else to do). I vividly remember in horror watching companies respond with lightning speed to the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests that followed. New corporate statements were flying, and social media movements were advancing quicker than anyone could thoughtfully muster a prayer. As a result, statements were retracted, apologies were made and some just dug a hole so far down they were never able to climb out.
Lesson learned: Quick reactions can get you in hot water. They might even get you fired. The cycle continued to repeat itself in 2021 with the first COVID vaccine authorization and in 2022 when Roe v. Wade was overturned. Why is it so difficult to communicate during turmoil? Mainly it’s because most companies try to get by without any crisis communications strategy in the first place. I guess it’s like getting your last will and testament done. We all know we are going to die eventually; we would just rather not deal with thinking through the logistics of it. And we all know what happens when someone we love dies without this important legal document; it’s a big mess, as it will be with your company if you don’t think through a plan before the next crisis.
While you add developing or updating your crisis communication plan to this year’s to-do list, I’ll give you a public relations tip on how to get your company through the next calamity (because there will be more) without one. First, don’t react, but sit on it for a minute (or preferably a few days, if possible). If you are the type of CEO who takes to Twitter “Elon Musk” style, just delete any social media apps from your phone or anywhere that you can easily send out a statement in the middle of the night, which no one needs to be doing. Recognize that not every issue that hits the headlines is your company’s issue to address. Don’t follow the trend of responding, but rather respond to your audience (if necessary, and if they need to hear from you). Use the RACE formula. It’s an acronym used in public relations that’s easy to remember and can be applied to anything you do.
Using the RACE Formula
RACE stands for research, action, communication and evaluation. Step one: Research. There’s a misconception that research is expensive or time consuming. A simple place you can start in your research is to talk to someone who looks like the audience you are centering your campaign or message around. You can’t put yourself in someone else’s shoes if you don’t know what their daily walk is like. Then take action. Develop an action plan based on your research, not on a brainstorm meeting from inside your company’s own corporate bubble. Next, communicate to your audience the message that is going to resonate with them, because you did your research. And last, but not least, evaluate your approach. Was the result effective and positive? If not, go back to the research step and debug what went wrong.
It’s important to not skip the research step. It’s the most important step in the RACE formula and if you skip it, your action and communication steps will most likely be off-kilter and not aligned with the way your audience thinks and perceives your company. The other step not to skip is the evaluation step. It’s hard to objectively evaluate yourself on something when everyone wants to view their work as a success. But an honest evaluation, done not only at the end, but throughout the communications effort, will help you stay on point with your message and motivation to make the world a better place. NIE
Amy Summers launched Pitch Publicity in 2003, and is credited as the first to strategize live media interviews at both the deepest and highest points of the planet. In 2020, she launched INICIVOX to help individuals improve a wide-range of soft skills centered on the complexity of communications. Her microcast, “The Pitch with Amy Summers,” is one of the most highly rated flash briefings on Amazon’s Alexa. Summers earned her Bachelor of Science degree in public relations with a minor in health science education from the University of Florida and currently serves as board member and founding partner of Naturally New York. Learn more at: www.pitchpublicitynyc.com and www.INICIVOX.com.
