Communication & the Coronavirus Part Two
Communication & the Coronavirus Part Two
What government entities can be continuously communicating in uncertain times.
If you’ve been on social media recently, your feed has most likely been filled with the Coronavirus. The ratio I had on my feed yesterday was 5:1, Coronavirus to any other information. Our gut reaction may be to stop posting all together unless its only health & safety-related information, but this list provides you with alternatives that can keep helpful, factual, and other positive information flowing through your social outlets.
- First and foremost, to assure that correct and current information about COVID-19 is available to residents it is important to use verified sources for news and announcements related directly to the health and safety of the people in your area. Unfortunately, in this age of information, one of the biggest problems many people face is a lack of accurate and real-time data on the current situation. The internet is full of opinion sites and clickbait designed to get traffic rather than spread real information so let’s refresh the sources of information regarding Coronavirus that should be shared. To read part one of our blog series, click here.
- Centers for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/
- Information from your state’s Department of Public Health & Environment
- Information from your county’s Public Health Department
- Information from your local businesses. Businesses around the country are making changes and alterations to their daily operations in order to survive this. This might be recent the inclusion of drive-up delivery service, alterations to services and cleaning schedules, or introductions of new community outreach programs designed to support the local community. Your businesses need your help in getting information out there before anything else gets shut down.
- An extra step in this is to email your businesses and/or post on your social outlets, the disaster relief loans available from the U.S. Small Business Administration. You can learn more about this program by clicking here.
- Post about things people can still do in your community. Are there nature trails, parks, reservoirs or opportunities to hike in your area? Remember to mention how social distancing is still important even outside.
- Look at how people in Italy followed the guidelines of quarantine while still celebrating who they are. How can your community do something similar? Click here to view.
- Post about the people who are still working in your community. Town/city staff, police, fire, doctors, nurses, public utility and public works employees… find the heroes and take a quick picture of them or the setting they work in with a thank you post for the work they are doing. Don’t forget to feature the people who are volunteering to buy groceries for seniors or businesses that are continuing to work. The best story to tell is your own and your community has its own unique story going on that should be shared.
“When I was a boy and I would watch the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will find there are always people helping.” -Fred Rogers
- Help parents. With the long-term closure of so many school districts, parents are finding themselves in an unprecedented situation where they need to quickly learn how to become their kid’s teacher. Most schools have provided resources for the continued education of kids at home but here are a few items that you can share for parents to create a great learning environment for their kids at home. You could also contact your school superintendent and see if they will be promoting items you can share.
Following these five tips will help make your government entity a source of helpful, positive, and accurate information which we could all use right now.
If you find yourself overwhelmed or without the staff to complete these tasks, contact The Tallent Company. We are incredibly passionate about helping this information be shared correctly and have been helping multiple government organizations with their continuous communication for years. Our goal is to help you communicate efficiently and with impact to your citizens and residents. We’ve increased our team and can help you in one of two ways. First, a phone call. If you find you need guidance and have a question on this, call us. It’s completely free and we are dedicated to being available for government entities to be able to ask questions so that they share helpful and not fear-based information. Call 720-460-1826.
If you need help right away in communication and have too much on your plate to handle it, we can help you either formulate a plan or deliver the communication for you. Our services include social media management, editing of your website, preparation of news releases or sharing them appropriately, graphic design, consulting on all public relations and public information needs. Email us at info@tallentco.com.
Please communicate with a plan for your citizens and businesses. You are in the position to help ease fear and remind everyone that while things may be a little scary sometimes, we will get through this together.
“A lack of communication leaves fear and doubt.” -Kellen Lutz