How Your Organization Can Live and Communicate Its Values in Today’s New Normal

Do you feel confident in your communications strategy in today’s unprecedented climate?

As we move through Fall and toward 2021, we wade through a matrix of world bending issues: the COVID-19 pandemic, a renewed struggle against racism, a highly a divisive election, as well as unemployment tragically affecting 12.6 million Americans.

On top of it all, there has been a paradigm shift in business communications. Today, your business is expected to develop a point of view on these issues and authentically act on that POV. The media, your customers and your employees will accept nothing less.

In the latest installment of our FleishmanHillard Boston Conversation series, we gathered some of Fleishman’s top communications experts and client leaders to share their observations and guidance on the role of communications today and how organizations are reacting to the ever-changing landscape in 2020.

Here are my top four takeaways:

1. Cultivate Agility in Changing Circumstances

Plan on all assuming all plans may go the wayside. Kathy O’Reilly, senior press officer at Philips and a client, shares how her team transformed their communications approach on a dime to address new pressures created by COVID-19. As a health technology brand, her team received a flood of press inquiries as the pandemic gained speed. They responded by building a COVID-19 rapid response team with representatives from corporate communications, executive communications, legal and regulatory all in the same room. This ‘all hands on deck’ approach meant Philips was ready to engage media with coordinated, approved messaging in real time.

Katie Scott, head of global communications at Iron Mountain, tells how her team nimbly planned and aligned communications at the start of the COVID-19 shutdown. In a matter of days, Iron Mountain assembled the right team, developed North Star messaging to guide communications globally, went live with a COVID-19 microsite, prepared plans for various COVID-19 communications scenarios and reimagined executive communications to elevate the voices of Iron Mountain leaders.

2. Iterate on Successes and Learnings

As Babson College weighed the difficult decision to shut down campus in response to COVID-19, communications staff were in the room for every single meeting, helping to shape policy. Once the choice was made to close campus and shift to remote learning, Kelly Lynch, vice president of strategic initiatives and chief of staff, and her team kept close tabs on the outcomes. Babson issued daily pulse surveys to understand the experiences of faculty and staff during the shutdown. Further, they chronicled Babson’s policy decisions and the consequences of those decisions during the first 120 days of their emergency response to help guide their future actions.

3. Make a Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Your audiences want more than a talk track from your business on racial justice — they expect to see real actions to help level the uneven playing field created by issues of systemic inequality. Bia Assevero, DE&I expert and founding member of our FH Mosaic multicultural marketing group, explains that the media will look for follow through. There are many trackers monitoring where businesses’ donations are going and the impact. One year from now, plan to show how your efforts have helped to move the needle.

4. The Game Has Changed for CEOs

The CEO’s role is increasingly complicated. In the past the role of the CEO was to make decisions about the direction of your business, but today CEOs are expected to be issues leaders. In fact, a June 2020, survey of opinion leaders and consumers by Morning Consult found 71 percent of respondents believe CEOs should use their power and influence to demand action from government in enacting systemic changes, and 70 percent believe CEOs should discuss their personal commitments. When you choose to make public stands on world issues, Diane Poelker, FH senior vice president and partner, counsels that the public expects transparency, “they really want to understand the rationale and the considerations that your companies are making when you come out with a policy decision.” In other words, be prepared to share your “why.”

Watch our full FH Boston Conversation webinar for guidance on how to help your business live its values, protect its brand and communicate authentically as we navigate Fall 2020. We’re here to support you.