In crises, it is even more important to communicate. Quick and relevant communications to employees, customers and other stakeholders are invaluable. When a situation is constantly changing, updated and current information is vital. Clear and direct communications can create understanding and a feeling of presence, even when channels are digital and distances may be great.
Newsletters make it possible to easily and quickly reach out with targeted messages to many people. As we are now constantly bombarded with information from various directions, it is more important than ever to consider how best to communicate and get our messages across. Below, there are six important things to consider when writing newsletters at times of crisis.
- Send relevant and current content
Be extremely careful and only send information that is relevant and current. Use the opportunity to direct different types of messages to different target groups. Most newsletter platforms have excellent functions for this. Use them!
- Communicate often rather than sporadically
In difficult situations, it is good to communicate often, even if there is not really much news to pass on. To create calm and a feeling of security, it is better to repeat your current understanding of the situation. Rumours and fears can run wild in silence. Every effort must be made to avoid this.
- Be clear and frank
Clear, direct communication can create calm and a feeling of security. Even if communications do not always contain good news, it is better to communicate what we know rather than try to disguise or play down a situation. Uncertainty and ambiguity are far worse than knowing the facts. When we receive honest updates of a situation, we can form a picture of what is happening. We can also more easily take adequate steps and make better decisions.
- Be accessible and create dialogues
Newsletters are a simple way of creating contact and dialogue. Make it easy to contact you or those people in your operations who can answer questions. Do not hesitate to dedicate a section of your newsletters to photos and contact details of the people who can respond to questions right now. To create interaction with newsletter recipients, you can, for example, include a questionnaire. The answers to this can be published in the next edition of the newsletter.
- Use pictures and readily understandable language
Handling complex information becomes more difficult under stress. Thus, write your messages in a way that is easy to understand. To simplify your messages and make them easier to assimilate, use pictures and bullet lists. Diagrams and various types of graph are other ways of facilitating communication.
- Quote sources
If you use research reports or other external information such as expert opinions, it is important that you quote your sources.
If you would like help, please get in touch with us at Paloma. We are here for you.
We wish you every success!
Camilla Carlgren Berg, April 2020
