4 leadership communication techniques to use during the pandemic

When a crisis occurs, people tend to freak out.

As a communicator, it’s your responsibility to ensure that everyone in your organization has the right information at the right time. Here are four communication techniques that will help you keep people informed and confidence high:

1. Use direct, transparent language to explain how people should proceed.

Instead of offering a vague, “Use your best judgment,” communicate with authority, using terms that can’t be misconstrued. You don’t want any gray areas with your communication.

Instead, you could say: “Please cancel all international travel. All travel, regardless of the importance of the meeting, should be canceled and meetings rescheduled as videoconference calls.”

This gives your team the authority to modify plans without worrying about upsetting a manager. You can’t leave anything up to guessing, or mass confusion will occur.

2. Share important news as quickly as possible.

At one company, an employee contracted coronavirus and didn’t take any action until the news got out to media outlets. This put the company in a bad light and put other employees at risk.