Epidemic...Pandemic...Chaos.... Covid-19 in 2020

I watched contagion the other night and my head nearly dropped off from nodding at the similarities of our worldwide covid-19 outbreak. Hmmm, prediction or coincidence? I will keep my conspiracies to myself but what I do want to touch on is crisis management during a worldwide outbreak.

For my 40 years I’ve never seen an epidemic that has affected the world. As a communication specialist how do you handle a crisis of this magnitude?

Here are some tips

1. Stay calm and gather the facts.

The more you know and understand the better you can communicate to others

1. Once you have the facts start to craft your message and delivery responsibly and effectively

2. Know what to communicate, how crucial it is and ensure that the right stakeholders get the information that is relevant to them

When the crisis is over, the education and up to date information still needs to flow.

Presently there are no cases in Barbados and I hope it stays that way for a while, but we must always be prepared for whatever may come our way. One ray of sunshine is the hope to know that it can’t last forever. Until then stay safe and continue to practice good hygiene.