COVID- CRISIS- COMMUNICATION

Crisis comes in different intensities. With a “landscape scale” event, the #Coronavirus has created great uncertainty, aggravated stress and anxiety, and prompted tunnel vision, in which people, organization or nation focus only on the present rather than toward the future. 

And it became more intense when we hear this:

#WorldHealthOrganization #WHO stated on 11th March with mixed tones;

"We cannot say this loudly enough, or clearly enough, or often enough", WHO-Director stressed that "all countries can still change the course of this pandemic" if they "detect, test, treat, isolate, trace, and mobilize their people in the response".

Recently

Dr. Fauci said corona-virus immunity may be 'finite,' duration remains uncertain

Source: CNBC, Published Mon, Jul 6 20206:41 PM EDT

Now during such a crisis, when information is unavailable or inconsistent, and when people feel unsure about what they know (or anyone knows), behavioral science points to an increased human desire for transparency, guidance, and making sense out of what has happened.

One of the most important ingredients in effectively managing an emergency event is communications."

ASIS INTERNATIONAL, Emergency Planning Handbook (2003, p. 46)

Crisis Communication Management 

Crisis communications are vital when problems arise, and regardless of the nature of the event, communities/organizations or the government need to be ready to respond to the personal/employees/citizens without delay. With social media, every minute a situation goes unanswered matters in losing trust and goodwill.

Crisis communication management can be divided into three phases: 

(1) Pre-Crisis Communication – This phase is concerned with Information, Knowledge-sharing of subject & its impact, sharing preparation and prevention plan with defined medium of communication.

Communicators must provide instructing information to encourage calm; how to stay safe is fundamental. In COVID-19, governments and major media outlets first focused on clear, simple instructions about physical distancing and “lockdown” guidelines. Companies focused on new operational rules regarding time off, overtime, and operational changes.

(2) Crisis Response Communication – This phase is when management of organization or government must actually respond to a crisis by responding to ongoing updating the knowledge of Subject, new Preparations (Facilities, Program and Prevention plans) 

As people begin to follow safety instructions, communication can shift to a focus on adjusting to change and uncertainty. Asia, where COVID-19 struck early, offers some helpful insights. One survey in China, for example, showed that a marked decline in people’s energy during the early stages of the epidemic reversed as they acclimated to increased anxiety and the blurring of work- and home-life boundaries.2 Savvy communications directors responded by evolving their messaging from health basics to business recovery.

There is another illness that came as impact of #COVID19 is Mental Illness so communication on creating calmness, Spreading positivity & creating trust by providing pre-crisis communication plans on ground.

A good communication can transit people mindset from;

Fear ---------to----------- Face ------------to-------------- Foster

  We all are here – NEW NORMAL

(3) Post-Crisis communication- This phase looks for ways to better prepare for the next crisis and fulfills commitments made during the crisis phase including follow-up information.  

Finally, as the crisis’s end comes into view, ramp up internalizing information to help people make sense of the crisis and its impact. For the current public-health crisis, it’s still too early to glean the shape of this broader perspective, although “silver lining” articles about families drawing closer together and other topics have been making their way into the media

This should be much of learning, case studies, new research, New Avenues of services and how to communicate to people to give feedback, share the best practices & share learning.

We closed something and then time is here as how to reopen & sustain with New Normal with upgrading every time.

So it’s time to build Resilience

The #COVID-19 outbreak is a complex crisis made up of multiple trigger points—health, policy, the economy—and leaders should tailor their communications to the stage of the crisis their stakeholders are experiencing, and to what people need most in the moment 

Ingredients of Communication

The above scheduled view of crisis communication management serves an effective way of communication with following ingredients;

1. Formal Communication Channel

2. Clarity

3. Completeness of Information

4. Information Ownership

5. Conciseness

6. Correctness

7. Consistency

8. Courtesy

9. Feedback

10. Authenticity

Broad Framework for Effective Communication

Crisis Communication such as WHO Outbreak Communication principles have been useful in establishing the broad framework for effective communication during infectious disease outbreaks

Step 1: Assessment - Conduct an assessment of existing public communication capacity and existing research of community understanding, including demographics, literacy levels, language spoken as well as socio-economic and cultural backgrounds

When we discuss the term Assessment... It’s all about - what need to be delivered, to whom to deliver and with how much frequency?

So assess the following to;

? Identify affected or potentially affected populations

? Identify behavioral factors that might place persons at risk

? Identify partners who might be able to reach affected persons or populations.

? Identify perceptions in the community that might affect communications

 Step 2: Coordination- Identify likely public communication partners and develop a communication coordination mechanism.

? How the relationship between State Government and Central Government?

? How the interpersonal level between Disaster Management, General Administration & Police Dept?

Step 3: Transparency- Put in place a national level policy or guideline on the public announcement and ongoing release of information in the event of a verified or suspected infectious disease risk.

Step 4: Listening during outbreaks (FEEDBACK)- Develop a system for ongoing information gathering during an outbreak about public knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to infectious disease risks, interventions and involved organizations

? Getting FEEDBACK from Public or agencies, who are involved on ground to know the outcome of Safety programs? This is Missing – One Way Direction isn’t beneficial which is prevailed everywhere.

Step 5: Communication Evaluation- Ensure there is an evaluation mechanism to identify public communication strengths and weaknesses during and following infectious disease events

Step 6: Constructing an Emergency Communication Plan- Capturing the previous steps, develop a written outbreak or emergency communication plan

Step 7: Training- Ensure readiness by establishing a risk communications training program, including simulations and exercises to test the emergency public communication plan and its components

To response the outbreak assessment, it’s inevitable to create a team of communications experts, possibly including public affairs (media) specialists, risk communication experts, digital or social media experts, and other health communication staff. The communications team will solidify the communications strategy and develop communication resources aimed at reaching the affected (target) populations and partners who might influence them (e.g., healthcare providers or community leaders). These health-related messages should focus on behaviors that can contain or stop the outbreak.

Crisis Communication Resources

? Internet Site - The response effort might need an Internet site to convey relevant and rapidly changing information about the outbreak. The site should be the main repository of scientific facts, data, and resources. Various countries have their specific 1 Internet site for the same to avoid hoax, wrong information/data such as 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov - FOR USA

https://www.mygov.in/covid-19 for India

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19 for UK

? Call Center - The response effort might benefit from having a call center equipped to answer inquiries from the affected population, the worried well, and healthcare providers seeking information. Guidance is available for entities who are establishing a call center during an outbreak response.

? Social Media Messages- Create social media messages from the Internet site content. Communications staff should monitor social media regularly to identify and dispel myths and misconceptions.

? Clinician Outreach Resources- The response might require substantial communications with healthcare providers. Webinars, conference calls with partner organizations, videos for online clinical communities, or other forums might be considered to allow healthcare providers to access up-to-date information, ask questions, and obtain advice from other clinicians associated with the response.

? Digital Press Kit for the News Media- A digital press kit with photos, videos, quotations from spokespersons, the latest data or information (e.g., graphics, charts, or maps), and information about how to obtain an interview is always helpful for reporters during an outbreak investigation.

? Tailor Communication Resources - The response might require translation for specific audiences, and communication materials might need to be tailored for reaching affected populations. Some responses use photo novellas, simple line art, text messaging, or community events to convey important information for specific audiences.

COMMUNICATION BIZARRE during #COVID-19 Programs

In last 2-3 months, we had bizarre situation for common citizen as what’s being promoted or being said by the government, by the Politicians or public safety agencies;

(PLEASE NOTE that I’m not promoting or defaming any country, any Government or any Organization)

Hindrance to Crisis Communication Management System

INFODEMIC

As stated by the #WHO, the COVID-19 outbreak and response have been accompanied by a massive infodemic: an overabundance of information – some accurate and some not – that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it. Infodemic refers to a large increase in the volume of information associated with a specific topic and whose growth can occur exponentially in a short period of time due to a specific incident, such as the current pandemic. In this situation, misinformation and rumors appear on the scene, along with manipulation of information with doubtful intent. In the information age, this phenomenon is amplified through social networks, spreading farther and faster like a virus.

How to Avoid Infodemic; 

Conclusion

As technology and media advances, the employees/communities/public will continue to adapt and get information in new ways. Organization, Government or Public health officials communicating about risks must develop as well so that they can reach target audiences with important and timely health-related information by using the audience’s preferred communication mechanisms. The communication strategies outlined in this article have proved effective during outbreak responses and risk communication events and can be tailored and adapted to fit any employee or any public health event. 

During an outbreak, public health officials should swiftly determine the communication purpose, the persons and populations most in need of information and guidance, ways to engage with news media and the public, and ways to gauge the effects of messages and materials. Knowledge of how the news media and journalists operate, as well as the ability to use risk communication doctrine and best practices, increases the likelihood of triumph during public health events.

Written by:

Abhijeet Kumar Sinha CPP