Coronavirus: As communicators what have we learnt?

A group of 25 PR industry leaders from the North East came together last week at the CIPR North East Strategic Communicators Forum to discuss and debate what we have learnt during the pandemic so far, share good ideas, consider how to enhance the value of communications to our organisations, and our region.  The event also raised £100 for iprovision

Communicators have a more important role than ever
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The last six months have shown the truth of a fundamental PR principle … to keep communicating and being proactive. Organisations which moved quickly and confidently to digital channels for either internal or external communications speak of impressive results.

But the impact of the pandemic is much more profound.  As one forum member said: “The ‘crisis’ is not Covid but the permanent change to society it has brought, and the new demands that places on our profession.”

From day one of lockdown a big challenge for communicators has been avoiding fatigue whilst trying to keep pace with changing Government advice.  It has been essential our audiences and stakeholders receive swift and accurate information, which has meant keeping pace with the announcements, making sure the needs and priorities of the organisations we represent are still reflected, and ensuring we are involved and influencing not just the messages but the actions of our leadership teams. 

And this means there is greater top table recognition of the range of benefits communications can deliver.  Its value and worth as a strategic management discipline have come to the fore.  We are seen to be adding value.

At the forum Lucian Hudson reminded us of a second fundamental principle when he said: “Communications is about being human. There is so much to do but we are not just human doings we are human beings, and we need to get the human side right to get anything else right,”

This means understanding the mood of our audiences to use the right tone.  Communicators need to be mindful of the way other people feel, consider feedback, appreciate difference yet work for common ground.  As we leap towards digital channels, Zoom meetings and fast-changing yet critical public information, are we remembering this?

It is not just technology that is important to getting a message across – it also requires effective culture, processes, leadership, and teamwork.

Campaign, Collaboration and Change

Lucian Hudson, the new Director of Advancement and Communications at Durham University, and his colleagues Claire Whitelaw and Rachael Richards began the forum by exploring how we might not just respond to the impact of coronavirus, but plan for a future in which the profession has a more important role than ever for the organisations we serve.  Lucian’s approach with the team at Durham University has been built on three principles: Campaign, Collaboration and Change, summarised in the accompanying slides.   

So what did we learn … 

Forum members broke into small groups to discuss these principles further, and share their experience of the pandemic, across sectors and organisations, in a unique way.
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1. This is an unprecedented crisis

• Six months in, the immediate crisis is no longer the focus – we are in a new normal and must figure out how we work effectively in it. 
• The true ‘crisis’ for communications is not covid-19 for most PR practitioners (though it is an issue that must be managed) it is the changes to society that it has brought.
• It is not just remote working that is affecting our work-life balance. The pandemic is impacting both work and homelife - it touches on new areas of life almost every day, and creates a world with conflicting messages, guidelines, and laws.
• The challenge with the pandemic is that the situation keeps evolving without the scale of crisis lessening!  It seems to defy traditional PR models of issues management and recovery.

2. It is taking a toll on individuals and teams

• It is a huge challenge to sustain energy and resilience as the initial adrenalin drains away, and in a crisis without end.  We need to recognise many colleagues are feeling this.
• As one form member said: “For the first five months the laptop was only switched off at bedtime. Working from home felt more like living in the office.” 
• We need to look-after our teams, appreciate what people are doing, recognise stress and find fun things for them to do – but not forced fun; this can be new work projects or creative downtime.
• We need to advocate for our teams and request more resource. Some internal stakeholders do not appreciate that communication teams are close to their limit and exhausted – but are now queueing up to demand ‘normal’ projects on top of the crisis response. 
• Progressive organisations are investing in communications, even under financial pressure because it does make a difference.

3. We are in it together

• We face common communications challenges and opportunities.  PR professionals constantly have experiences that we can share and support each other on.
• Identifying issues on which organisations can unite and collaborate helps create cohesive action which provides a measure of resilience. 
• The scale and complexity of this crisis mean we sometimes have competing priorities but can still buy in to the same over-arching aim.
• Information and decisions driven from central government do not always match the situation and mood of the North East and can lead to conflict. Collaboration is important to reduce this and challenge the national agenda when we need to.
• The more we work collectively across sectors the more the North East will emerge with the coherent voice it needs, both as the crisis continues and during a long recovery.
• PR industry leaders at the forum have found new friends and allies - we need to retain the collaboration that we are building in this crisis

4. We need to turn quantity into quality

• We are getting huge audience numbers, externally and internally, that we have never seen before and unprecedented engagement – the challenge for professional communicators is how do we turn the quantity to quality.
• There are lots of exciting new ways to communicate but are we hitting all our audiences, or just the easy targets?
• Listening to our publics is more important than ever, and there is a real danger this is being lost as communications channels change and evolve so quickly. Many people now feel isolated, dispossessed, and ignored by the powers in society through this pandemic, and PR has a vital role in re-connecting.
• We all need to thoroughly take stock of our new pattern of communication channels.  Have we just delivered the ‘low hanging fruit’? Are our channels genuinely two-way?  Are we still communicating with our harder-to-reach publics?

5. Internal communication is of utmost importance

• Internal communications and engagement increasingly essential - getting this wrong can bring a crisis which then plays out extensively in public domain.  So not putting in the work at the start with internal audiences can bring multiple challenges in the longer term. 
• Several PR professionals are having to manage competing objectives within their leadership teams – those focussed on responding to the virus, and those who want and need their ‘normal’ business activities to continue or restart.
• At the same time there is a fast-emerging role for communications ambassadors across our workforces as digital becomes normal – as PR leaders we have an important role coaching and mentoring these emerging ambassadors.  These new ambassadors can improve employee engagement by being empowered themselves, and because they will become better internal communicators at the same time.

Four key themes came out of the day:

1. Personal Leadership and Wellbeing for you and your teams 
2. Professional PR Leadership in an unprecedented situation
3. Evaluating our Impact when we are working in whole new ways 
4. Collaboration between the organisations we serve.   

These will now be taken forward and discussed and debated in more detail at our follow up forum event in November when forum members can again join small groups to share experiences and learn and exchange ideas with colleagues on the big challenges for today.

North East Strategic Communicators Forum

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) North East Regional Group has created a series of professional development and networking events for senior / strategic professionals in the North East's PR & communications industry. If you are the person with overall responsibility for communications in your organisation and you are interested in the forum please tweet or DM @CIPR_NorthEast or email Deb Sharratt.

Further events for strategic communicators from CIPR North East via the North East Strategic Communications Forum are planned throughout the year. CIPR North East also has a various training, networking and social events across the year for all PR practitioners. Follow @CIPR_NorthEast on Twitter or LinkedIn to keep up to date.