A Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic
We often use milestones to mark the passage of times, but in the year since COVID-19 was designated as a pandemic. The days, weeks, and months of the past year have all sort of blended together.
Where were you a year ago? I was in Arizona for a intensive marketing retreat that was cut short. I came home to join countless others trying buy enough food, masks, and hand sanitizer for what we thought would be weeks. I severely underestimated how long this would last or how difficult the rest of the year would be.
Remember when we were still skeptical about masks until the data came out to overwhelmingly support it?
Evidence also was brought to the forefront of increased incidents of violence, mental health, political polarization, xenophobia, and disproportionate impacts on communities of color.
The stress of a pandemic has disrupted how we work, connect, and more generally go about our daily lives. It has become less clear if there ever will be a “back to normal.”
Many on social media shared the Mr. Rogers quote: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Let’s take it a step farther and find ways to BE those helpers.
As you craft your messages looking back, here are 5 things to consider from your reader’s perspective:
Avoid the tempting “hindsight is 2020” theme. All other dad jokes are fine. This one expired in 2021.
Humble brags are also passé. There are other people suffering out there.
Just because COVID-19 is trending doesn’t mean you should use it for SEO
Avoid getting political. Empirical evidence supports better decisions that impact your community.
Soapboxes are exhausting and virtue signaling needs to be backed up with real action.
Okay so what can I talk about? Here are 5 prompts to start an honest discussion:
Get personal. How have you grown personally? What changed? What stood the test of time?
Engage with empathy. What have you learned from those in the trenches?
Share tools and resources that worked. What skills did you learn or improve upon? How did you pivot?
Build a narrative. Where were you last year? How far have you come? Why should others care?
Look ahead. How will you help others? What does your organization do to make a wider impact?
Trying to piece together a coherent message about this topic can be hard. It should be hard and take a bit of time. Don’t rush this out the door because it’s trending. Getting clear on what you want to say requires hard work, self discovery, and considerable amounts of vulnerability.
This also doesn’t have to be your final word on the matter. Consider this a smaller, more manageable thought exercise that you can expand upon the rest of the year. Last week the President gage his first prime time speech which was a mid-point to his 100th day in office (April 30th). He kept it short and sweet.
Still overwhelmed? Standpoint is here to help. We are uniquely positioned to offer you insight from myriad perspectives and offer a strategic path forward with your communications. To schedule a free 30 minute call, grab a time on our calendar HERE.
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“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” ― Helen Keller
