(1) When you don’t communicate policies effectively, somebody else will, albeit incorrectly. This is called rumours. This is made worse during information vacuum, the period between saying you’ll announce something, and actually announcing it.

(2) Content - The government is in a position to control the narrative, avoid panic, minimise misinformation - how rumours starts. Govt also controls most media machinery - this should be simple.
(3) Audience - Govt must understand that vase majority of population are common people who are earn wages. They want to know how closures will affect them, their wages, their families. It’s day by day survival for many.
(4) Coordination - If you’re announcing something, make sure you know how to explain other aspects of life that is affected. What happens to schools? How will syallabus will be continued? How about kids with no laptops? Daycare? What if my employer refuses to allow WFH?
(5) Explain - articulate how you arrived at that decision, what considerations were taken, and ways to fix that. Assure people who are daily wage earners from their concern about loss of income. For many, not going to work daily, is a death wish itself.
(6) Delivery - relay content in easy to understand manner. What content does vast majority of people want / need to know. Focus on that. Other information can be put on website. Too much information that people dont understand causes confusion. Confusion leads to apathy / panic.
(7) Above not just limited to government, but to corporates as well. At times like this, frequent, punchy communication required to reassure people that they have their backs
(8) Medium - same content can be reproduced in different formats across FB, IG, Twitter, LinkedIn. Worse crime is to have word by word in every platform. You get caught out by different reaction. FB says good, but you get bashed in LinkedIn as a certain Minister discovered
(9) Control - It’s good to admit where we need to work on. Rather than 100% of ‘world full of flowers’. Builds honesty with the audience that that what was communicated was thinked through

More from Society

You May Also Like