Communications Amid the Extended COVID-19 Crisis in Canada

I had lots of feedback to a helpful article I posted on “Best Practices for Coronavirus Communications & Preparedness” by Chris Rosica, as he outlined some helpful insights for even those Nonprofits that had already implemented their Crisis Communication Protocols / Plans. Comments and Questions ranged from “Help, Where can I find a crisis plan template” (see links at the bottom) to “What’s going to be needed next as this pandemic continues?”

While the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began in early March, many Canadian Non-Profits are now struggling with how to shift from an immediate crisis communications response to ongoing pandemic communications given it’s ever-changing and wide-spread impact. I can only agree with others in saying if your organization is communicating proactively the facts to all your stakeholders using clear, compassionate and concise messages you are on the right path. As you adjust your operations to address the latest directives from Federal, Provincial and Municipal governments, revisit your communications plans to keep your audiences / stakeholders updated. This will help reduce unnecessary anxiety and stress and continue to build trust. Some next steps you can consider –

Are you closed for business? Ensure the homepage of your website is clear.

As many municipalities and provinces enact emergency acts they are asking non-essential businesses to remain closed to the public. This does not mean that non-profits who can continue to work and / or provide services online, by telephone or mail/delivery cannot continue to operate. Teleworking and online commerce are permitted at all times for all businesses. Ensure your website homepage indicates clearly if remote supports are available and how stakeholders can access them.
In Ontario for example, “Not-for-Profit organizations that provide goods or services as outlined” or “ critical personal support services in home and also provide residential services for individuals with physical disabilities (such as the March of Dimes) are considered essential and remain open.” This may mean you have a mix of programs / services that continue to operate and those that are temporarily suspended. While you have most likely contacted individuals affected – ensure your website or emails are considered current by dating any updates for stakeholders who may be viewing pages to see if there are any changes.
Encourage on-going, two-way communication. Indicate clearly across all channels how stakeholders can ask questions and then share your answers in an organized fashion such as a COVID-19 FAQ public webpage or internal Employee intranet page to make the best use of your time. Charting out your communications to each audience which the reliable 5 W’s will make it easier to plan what information is critical for what audience.
- WHO needs to know (also consider Nice to Know / Could be impacted or disrupted)
- WHAT should you tell them? In how much detail?
- WHERE will this change / disruption be felt? Could there be a ripple effect?
- WHEN should we advise them? Will they need advance notices? reminders?
- WHY do they need to be advised? Be clear on how this may affect them / disrupt them? Should they be doing anything specific / taking specific action?
- HOW will we share this information? Where would they look for this information? Which channel(s) should we use?

Continue to reassure your audiences their health and safety is paramount.

Staff and volunteers will clearly be anxious about whether their workplaces are safe and need to know clearly what actions they personally must take as work is paused or continues. Ensure your communications reflect both the “tasks” they must take as well as the “supports” they may need personally as the pandemic progresses.
- Tasks can include what’s expected as they continue to work from home or what steps they might need to take to apply for employment insurance online
- Supports can include how to reach you, how to access any Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) providers or reputable online counselling supports, or how to access evidence-based sources on coping with social-distancing stress or anxiety.
Ensure you take the time to recognize the efforts of those who are working hard to implement protective measures such as rigorous environmental cleaning and physical distancing. Prime Minister Trudeau and others are walking the talk to frequently communicate and demonstrate to audiences the importance of the steps individuals must take – and Senior Teams need to also demonstrate leadership, action and empathy.

Always stick to the facts

Leverage fact-based communications from subject-matter experts. There are numerous examples of public communications on proactive measures from how-to-disinfect hard surfaces to COVID-19 updates and recommendations from the medical community
- WHO https://www.who.int/
- Canada Health https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html
- Government of Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html?topic=tilelink

This can mean asking your community to work with you as the situation evolves or to be patient as we navigate this global health crisis together. Providing transparent and open communication will mean your stakeholders will know your team is working incredibly hard and doing their best to keep them informed as decisions are made. Reassure your stakeholders you will continue to keep them informed as facts or decisions become available, the timing around when you will endeavour to update them on the impact of recent news or decisions and how they can continue to submit their questions or find information on FAQs.
E.g. “We’ve never before faced a situation as dynamic and evolving like this. While we don’t have all the answers yet, we are doing our best to keep you informed as quickly as possible.”

This crisis may last weeks or months. We’re all in this together. We’ll get through this together. That’s the amazing power of our non-profit community.

Laura Graham-Prentice is a Toronto-based professor and business communications professional with over 25 years’ experience helping build non-profit and retail brand leadership. She can be reached via brandrewire.ca

Additional Resources:

To help businesses prepare for and manage through a potential COVID-19 escalation in Canada, the Canadian Chamber has developed a brief guide source from a number of best practice documents and designed to assist business planning and continuity efforts. We have also posted links to other helpful resources below.

http://www.chamber.ca/resources/pandemic-preparedness/

Government of Canada COVID-19 Site

Ontario Small Business COVID-19 Help Center

https://www.cfib-fcei.ca/en/small-business-resources-dealing-covid-19