There are few parallels to the COVID-19 situation that marketing leaders can draw from, but the 2014 Ebola outbreak is one that holds several key lessons for how to best communicate. Paul Szablowski was a Senior Vice President at Texas Health Resources (the Ebola epicenter in the US) during that troubling time. He shared his first-hand experience at the opening session of the recent Virtual HITMC Event.
A Multidisciplinary Team
Szablowski stressed how important it is to bring other stakeholders from other departments onto the communication response team. Having experts who can talk to the facts and the science, is critical to providing accurate information. Plus, having multiple perspectives is always a good thing.
Also critical to a crisis response: A multidisciplinary team that includes not just experts inside your organization, but also outside, says @PaulSzablowski #HITMC
Example: Could your internal team create & publish a newspaper ad in 24 hours? That’s where partnership comes in pic.twitter.com/Vz6x6vS1wP
— Innsena Communications (@InnsenaComms) May 12, 2020
Choose Words Wisely
Although the media called the situation a “crisis”, Szablowski decided to stop calling their group the “crisis communications team” which had a negative connotation. Instead they started referring to themselves as the “rapid response team” – a much more positive and forward-thinking label. It might not seem like much, but it helped the people who were working the Ebola situation for weeks.
During the #Ebola crisis, his team stopped using “crisis communications” and started using the term “rapid response” during the crisis…Interesting approach! @PaulSzablowski #HITMC pic.twitter.com/sUXzPYbIwW
— Sarah Smith (@SS_SarahSmith) May 12, 2020
Compassion + Facts
Just sharing facts about the situation wasn’t enough. Szablowski explained how important it was to infuse compassion into all their messaging in addition to the clinical facts. This compassion took many forms, including being sensitive to the fact that many who were caring for Ebola patients (and suspected Ebola patients) were isolated from their families.
Communicate with compassion, emotion and facts. What does your messaging need to be understood and trusted after a crisis? @PaulSzablowski #HITMC pic.twitter.com/mb7v030ldD
— Sarah Smith (@SS_SarahSmith) May 12, 2020
Keys to Managing Your Reputation
During crisis (or a “high impact event” as Szablowski calls it), it is the responsibility of marketing and communication leaders to manage/maintain the reputation of their organization. His five points on how to do this were spot on.
Great advice for managing your reputation during a high-impact event from @PaulSzablowski at #HITMC pic.twitter.com/zUUhb7JBU8
— KNB Communications (@KNBComm) May 12, 2020
Don’t Forget Your Internal Audience
Szablowski and his team made it a point to check in with teammates during the Ebola outbreak. They would ask how people were doing and how their families were coping. This simple conversation not only helped support internal staff, it also helped provide valuable perspective that shaped future communications. After all, the emotions and concerns express by teammates were a microcosm of what the community was experiencing.
Interesting to consider the internal audience for crisis communications. Be human 360. Check in with internal teams – how are you doing? Ask about families. Celebrate together. – This is something you can draw upon to craft external messages. @PaulSzablowski #HITMC
— Stacy Goebel (@stacygoebel) May 12, 2020
This one tweet summed up Szablowski’s Virtual HITMC presentation perfectly.
My new goal is to have as many statistics rolling around in my head as @PaulSzablowski. Great data-driven and experience-based thoughts on managing your team and your communications through crisis! #hitmc #marketinganalytics
— Lydia King (@TheKingofData) May 12, 2020
Image Credit: Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
Add Comment