4 leadership communication techniques to use during the pandemic

Your employees need transparency and clarity—as well as confidence in their top execs—as many organizations try to weather the COVID-19 outbreak and a reeling economy.

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When a crisis occurs, people tend to freak out.

As a communicator, it’s your responsibility to ensure that everyone in your organization has the right information at the right time. Here are four communication techniques that will help you keep people informed and confidence high:

1. Use direct, transparent language to explain how people should proceed.

Instead of offering a vague, “Use your best judgment,” communicate with authority, using terms that can’t be misconstrued. You don’t want any gray areas with your communication.

[RELATED: Make sure your team is up to date on the latest skills, strategies and practices. Learn more about Ragan Training.]

Instead, you could say: “Please cancel all international travel. All travel, regardless of the importance of the meeting, should be canceled and meetings rescheduled as videoconference calls.”

This gives your team the authority to modify plans without worrying about upsetting a manager. You can’t leave anything up to guessing, or mass confusion will occur.

2. Share important news as quickly as possible.

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