Communicating Covid
As lockdown continues to lift businesses, places of worship, and community buildings will begin to open. However, people won’t necessarily flock to them.
According to an Ipsos poll, conducted in June, 50% of Brits have had their sleep disturbed and 64% find Covid-19 stressful. 30% of those polled believe it will take more than a year for things to get back to normal and 41% say the crisis has negatively hit their finances.
This paints a very clear picture of a country that is fearful. Or, at the very least, concerned.
Our goal, as communicators for business or venues, is going to have to be one of instilling confidence. If we want people to set foot in our buildings again.
In this blog I’m going to look at ways you can reassure people that your business is Covid-secure.
Use reassuring words and phrases.
The word Covid, so often written as COVID, is going to trigger a few people. Even the word itself is aggressive. It’s two syllables, both sharp. Even a small child can learn it quickly. If people regularly see the word, especially around your venue, they are going to be constantly on edge.
Our aim shouldn’t be that people forget about the virus. But that they are relaxed being aware.
Instead of titling warnings with “Covid safety measures”, try something softer.
Use reassuring words such as; Clean, Secure, Protect or Safe.
Try to avoid negative words such as; Don’t, Stop, Danger, or No.
Use ownership words or phrases; We have, our team will…
Ensure your staff are informed.
Your staff are going to be asked, in detail, about what measures you are taking. They are going to be informed of breaches and they are going to have people complain to them about what you have put in place.
It is important that your staff all receive training on the measures in place, but they also need to be able to communicate them clearly. The more information they can give, the more reassured people will be.
For example, if you are cleaning surfaces on a regular basis, can your staff name the cleaning fluids? Can they tell you how quickly it kills the Covid virus? Do they know whether it is safe on people’s skin? You will be asked all of these.
If you have a lot of staff, perhaps it would be wise to appoint a ‘champion’. This person would be the knowledge holder and be able to handle the questions. If it’s a lot to learn, then you can produce a small Q&A booklet for them to carry around.
Communicate the detail.
If you think you have covered all the bases, someone will tell you otherwise. In this instance, it’s better to lay out all the detail in an easily accessible manner. This doesn’t have to be in an overwhelming poster on the door, but the information should be easy to find.
Some hotels are producing door hangers (you know those ‘do not disturb’ ones?) and leaving them on the doors before you enter. They outline some of the obvious measures taken, “all surfaces have been wiped down”, but also some of the less obvious, “tea and coffee have been removed from your room”. Most hotels will have removed Bibles from their rooms. That’s not necessarily an obvious measure to most guests.
Communicating these will reassure people that you have though things through.
As a simple start, consider two pots of pens. Label one ‘sanitised’ and the other ‘used’. It will show people you’re attentive and reassure them.
Be understanding.
There is a lot more advice we could give, on how to communicate about being Covid-secure. But the best advice I could give is to be understanding.
The pandemic is a new situation for most of us. Everyone is having a different experience of lockdown, many have lost loved ones.
When I used to work in telesales, yes I was one of those people that called you to sell you broadband, I was given some of the best customer service advice I’ve ever received.
“You don’t know what that person was doing 30 seconds before they picked up the phone. They don’t know what you were doing”.
This is to say that, yes, whilst you expect to be spoken to politely, you have no idea why that person is so on edge or upset. Similarly, they have no idea how bad your day may have been. So they don’t know that they are the straw to break the camel’s back.
Not everyone will understand social-distancing. Not everyone is going to follow the rules.
Managers. Perhaps you can find somewhere for your staff to grab a time-out, when they’re stressed?
In summary.
We are not going to see the world return to normal this side of Christmas. So many say. Even if lockdown is fully lifted, people will remain fearful. We’re hearing stories of other viruses, new outbreaks, second-waves, all the time. You will likely keep your Covid-secure measures in place for some time to come.
So have a new responsibility, to reassure people and to communicate clearly.
If you want to see a good example, check out how Premier Inn have communicated their new measures. Look out for words like; enhanced, thoroughly, our, proven, added protection, extra.
Need help?
If you are a community focused organisation, or a non-profit, and you want help with your messaging. Drop me an email, I'd be happy to help out where I can.
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