8 rules for better communications during COVID-19

I’ve been hearing lots of questions from clients and team members alike in the past week or so about how to go about our jobs in the face of current events.

Undeniably, it’s the smallest of concerns in light of those suffering today. Still, as many of us try to carry on, there’s a great deal of uncertainty around what is “business as usual” for PR pros today?

I’ve been around long enough to have experienced previous upheavals like Y2K, 9/11, the “Dot Com” bubble and the 2008 global financial crisis. All were trying, unsettling times. However, it’s difficult to wrap my head around the magnitude of what’s happening today, with entire industries grinding to a halt as we all do our part to stop the spread of coronavirus.

This one feels uniquely different.

We’re in unchartered territory today, and there’s no playbook for responding to the challenges facing the clients we represent—yet alone managing our own business. Here are a few observations I’ve noticed in recent days.

One caveat: Given how circumstances are changing from day to day, and even hour to hour, take these insights with a grain of salt because this is such a dynamic situation.