Amongst the various symptoms of Coronavirus, could there now be a scary new one?

Is it fair to say “Crazily Careless Corona Communication” needs adding to the list of Covid-19 symptoms – especially for those at, or rising towards, the top?

The upsurge in abysmal Corona Times communication by some hot-headed business leaders and message-mixing politicians might suggest this is indeed a new sign that Coronavirus is having an even bigger impact on high-flying individuals than was feared.

Admittedly communicating since the arrival of the pandemic has become more difficult for nearly all organisations and individuals.

There’s a lot to come to grips with; a lot that needs to be said; and a lot of unsettled audiences with which to connect.

And Corona Times communication often needs to be prepared under tight time constraints – and conveyed to audiences with evermore time limitations.

Communication in this new fast-changing troublesome environment has been all the harder because Covid-19 has created new waves of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity – known as ‘VUCA’.

 

 

And with Corona-related consequences charging at us so haphazardly and so rapidly, it’s become all-the-harder to effectively communicate about them in ways that will stand up to unpredictable changes.

Some leaders have handled these pressures well.

Others have shot their mouths off – rather like stars in the movie “Anger Management”.

 

 

HOW NOT TO KEEP COOL AMIDST THE PRESSURES

 

Since the upsurge in new variants of Coronavirus, there’s been an alarming hotchpotch of bad communication by business leaders who have lost their cool.

Amongst the latest and worst have been outbursts of undignified ranting on Twitter between chief executives in the new high-tech food delivery industry.

 

 

This has seen the Just Eat boss lash out at his main rival on Twitter.

Jitse Groen has publicly accused his opposite number in Uber Eats of trying to depress the Just Eat share price.

 

 

A counter attack followed with the Uber Eats boss, Dara Khosrowshahi, telling Just Eat to pay less attention to its short-term stock price and to improve the company’s technical skills and operations.

 

 

This triggered the Just Eat CEO to suggest that Uber Eats should “Start paying taxes, minimum wage and social security premiums before giving a founder advice on how he should run his business.”

 

 

These kinds of public exchanges are potentially harmful to the image of both companies – and for the individual careers of both so-called leaders.

Focusing your communications on your competition – rather than on your existing customers and potential new ones – is nearly always a bad idea.

Please don’t try it with your competitors!

If those at the top feel they must condemn each other in order to stifle their own insecurities, then doing it in private messages would be wiser.

Trading insults by individual text or WhatsApp messages would be less damaging – and might prove to be equally therapeutic!

 

THINK BEFORE YOU TWEET

 

The food fight in the Twittersphere has culminated in a warning to bosses from the business section of The Guardian newspaper – urging them to “Think before they tweet”.

CEOs told to ‘think before they tweet’ after Just Eat spat with Uber

Boss’s Twitter rant against Uber Eats risks backfiring, as experts warn online outbursts can damage companies’ reputation

Of course, thinking BEFORE communicating should not just apply to the often-fraught world of Twitter.

Thinking ahead of sharing your thoughts is a sound policy for ALL forms of communication.

As we practise it within communication-boosting training sessions, I suggest focusing your pre-communication thoughts on 3 things.

  1. Think about the message you’re seeking to convey – and whether it’s actually constructive – to your targets and/or any wider audience who could encounter it

 

  1. Think about the precise words you plan to use within your message – and how they might look to anyone who comes across them

 

  1. Think about the ideal public image you would like to have for yourself and your organisation – and whether your message and wording will draw you further away from that ideal… or move you closer to achieving it.

In our fast-moving times where the business world is racing towards new and changing norms, the dangers of “Crazily Careless Corona Communication” need to be countered.

Fortunately, there are cures for those who have already displayed this tendency.

And there are vaccines to prevent teams who need to avoid getting it.

These cures and preventative vaccines form part of the latest range of Michael Dodd Communications training sessions and conference keynotes to take your team to higher levels.

 

COMMUNICATIONS-BOOSTING TRAINING SESSIONS

 

Training sessions for groups and individuals – to boost communications skills for you and/or your team – can include:

CLEVER CORONA COMMUNICATIONS:

Equipping your organisation to effectively deal with your immediate – and future – communications challenges; The techniques imparted will work whether humanity in general – and/or your organisation – is winning or losing its battle with Coronavirus at any particular time

 

Details are at: http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/are-you-getting-your-corona-news-out-there/

GIVE GREAT ANSWERS TO TOUGH MEDIA QUESTIONS:

 

Enabling you and/or selected members of your team to shine out in responses to interviews on TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, online websites and for challenges on social media; Showing participants how to apply the golden formulae for answering all kinds of questions – whatever is thrown at you

 

 

There’s more on media interview response training at: http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/media-master-classes/

GET YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS IN 60 SECONDS:

Enlivening your organisation’s elevator pitch – and improving your ability to get a point across effectively when your targets have less time to listen

 

 

Details are at: http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/get-your-message-across-in-60-seconds/

PRESENTING WITH CONFIDENCE, IMPACT & PIZZAZZ:

Helping you present your organisation’s latest vital message – face-to-face and across the internet

 

 

You can find out more about presentation training sessions at: http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/presenting-with-confidence-impact-and-pizzazz/

TALKING TO THE CAMERA:

Showing how to talk straight to the camera as TV journalists do – to boost your presence on YouTube, the videos on your website, and in interviews conducted over the web

 

 

There’s a video on talking to the camera at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2ydDt-ym8I

 

 

More details about sessions on talking to the camera are at: http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/talking-to-the-camera/

 

CONFERENCE KEYNOTES FOR OUR TIMES

 

The Conference Keynotes for your next face-to-face or online event can include:

COMMUNICATION-BOOSTING LESSONS AND TALES FROM 6 CONTINENTS: Inspiring your conference participants to communicate at new levels – drawing on stories and tips collected on the Dodd speaking and training missions on every continent… except (so far) the Antarctic

 

GREAT ANSWERS TO TOUGH QUESTIONS IN FAST-CHANGING TIMES:

Demonstrating how to give better answers to blowtorch-on-the-belly questions from clients, prospects, journalists, officials, suppliers, inquiries and members of the public

 

 

YOUR IT CROWD CAN DO IT!

Helping your technically-gifted team members to communicate with those who struggle to understand the complexities of the latest digital technology

 

There’s more about what Michael Dodd Communications can do when speaking at your event on:

http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/speaking-at-your-event/

If you’d like to line up a conversation or ask questions about any of the above speaking and training sessions, feel free to send an email on: michael@michaeldodcommunications.com

I have every confidence you’ll think carefully about the words you’ll put in your message before you send it!

P.S. For further evidence on the importance of thinking carefully before communicating, The Guardian’s business article urging bosses to “Think before they tweet” is at:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jul/29/ceos-told-to-think-before-they-tweet-after-just-eat-twitter-spat