When we need to distance,
come together

• Call, call, call. With the right conversation, you’ll learn more, align more and speed things up. Remember, it’s the stuff not being said that’s often the most important

• Share the vision. Regularly repeat your brand/business mission and goals (and check-in with individuals how they are supporting these)

• Celebrate success. Regularly share success and achievements via your internal comms / social channels. Being in a positive ‘can-do’ frame of mind will set everyone up for further challenges

• Wake up! Plan for regular virtual energiser activities. Ideas:

- Rotate who leads the video meets

- Start at an odd time. Example 09:42

- Ring-fence 5 or 10 minutes for small talk – at a time when we have lots to talk about

- Hold a quiz. Example: if you’re in the retail industry, have questions on retail news

• Show your leadership. Create videos to celebrate success, acknowledge challenges and share immediate priorities

• Keep communicating. No news is bad news. Keep your communication flowing and teams updated – even when situations have yet to be determined. Don’t let communication gaps be filled with misinformation and speculation

• Encourage feedback. Have regular team polls and feedback initiatives

• Keep learning. Encourage and facilitate learning and development and identify new skills needed as digital acceleration happens. Don’t let those less technical slip behind

• Buddy up. Ensure those that need more support get it. Example: buddying up

• Who needs to know? Remember your extended team: suppliers, contractors, freelancers. They want to know too!

And don't take our word for it...

How we helped Nelson shoes with a new crisis comms platform

How do you communicate with more than 1,000 employees in times of crisis? That was the challenge for Nelson Schoenen B.V. We spoke with Ivo Flierman, Manager ICT & Innovation at Nelson about his experiences.

Check out Nelson's case here