The most damaging phrase in the language is “We've always done it this way” - Grace Murray Hopper

Computing pioneer Grace Murray Hopper made the observation during the uncertainty of early IT adoption.

Especially in disruptive times, our understandable response is to regress to the comfort of what we know and trust.

It’s proven, right? It’s worked before – so why change? Especially now.

Since Covid-19 arrived, I have observed organisations navigate the challenges of communicating through uncertainty. Some have taken an overwhelmingly conservative position and changed little if anything. Others have viewed the environment as an opportunity to review processes, systems and make subtle but effective change.

It’s not a matter of “abandoning everything” and starting again. Far from it. In fact, now more than ever resilient processes are critical to the communications function.

So, in the context of external communications and media interviews, it might be worth considering how effectively your organisation performs the following -

• Specific training for media interviews via video conferencing
• Training and management of the video conferencing environment
• Consistent spokesperson briefing and message formatting
• Spokespeople training for next phase of Covid-19 related communications
• Effective review of interview process and performance
• Ready access to categorised key message and spokesperson databases
• Effectiveness of training and the need for ongoing support

It might be true to say, “We’ve always done it this way,” but consider your honest response to the logical follow-up question – “But is it working effectively?”

The answer will determine the extent to which your organisation should embrace Grace Murray Hopper’s decades-old observation.

“The most damaging phrase in the language is 'We've always done it this way'.”

Luke Waters @ Salt Water Media Solutions