Communicating through isolation fatigue
By Susan Finco, Leonard & Finco Public Relations
Now that we are into the second month of stay at home
directives…you are starting to hear about isolation fatigue. It is very real.
And it also applies to communication.
You need to remain
focused on good communication, with your employees, clients, vendors and
community. Whether your business is open, working remotely, temporarily closed
or closed indefinitely, you must remember that as a leader of your business,
people want to hear from you.
But you cannot keep using what have now become – in less
than a month – tired, old phrases. It is easy to identify those phrases because
they’re the ones that immediately came to mind when I said “tired, old
phrases.” Do these sound familiar?
“We’re in this together.”
“In these challenging times.”
“In these unprecedented times.”
“The new normal.”
Instead of relying on clichés or sharing information your
audience has heard over and over, focus on what is happening right now with
your business – and what you’re doing to keep people safe.
Let them know you understand this is stressful. Share what
resources you have or know about if they are feeling overwhelmed. If you are
working on reopening plans, share what you know or are thinking at this point.
Ask for feedback; find out what will make your team and customers feel
comfortable when you do reopen.
Above all, communicate regularly. It doesn’t have to be
lengthy and it doesn’t have to be daily, but it does have to be consistent.
It’s OK if you don’t have all the answers, feel free to say that.
People know things can change day to day, but they want to
know you are thinking about them and how to move forward.
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