Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.

From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.

How 2020 is Influencing Workplace Behaviors and Practices in 2021

This month, we approach the one-year anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic hitting the U.S. While it is a grim milestone, we are not without hope, as we’ve seen the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and the recently authorized vaccine from Johnson & Johnson. President Joe Biden expects the U.S. to deliver enough coronavirus vaccines for all adults by the end of May.

Still, many continue to adjust to our next normal and consider what the future of work will hold. Already, we’re beginning to see trends come into play, both in the workplace and in everyday life. Here are a few notable ways we’ve seen how the past year has influenced the workplace in 2021 – digital and otherwise.

Greater Emphasis on Health and Safety

Beginning an email with “I hope you are doing well” has greater meaning these days, as health and safety remain top of mind. Amid all the chaos and catastrophe of Covid, we genuinely want to make sure folks are hanging in there, staying healthy, and maintaining some semblance of normalcy as best they can. It’s good for them, and it’s good for us, too.

In the workplace, there is increased focus on taking the necessary precautions to maintain physical health and optimum mental health. You may have noticed colleagues checking in more to make sure things are going all right. Masking up remains a norm, as is having sanitizing stations in offices and buildings. Both will likely continue well into the future – even after we achieve mass vaccinations.

For companies, it is important to continue communicating how your business is prioritizing the health and safety of staff, and where applicable, consumers. A best practice is to provide specific, actionable steps that are being taken to ensure health and safety standards are being met, be it during the pandemic or beyond.

The Response to Remote Work

In general, many workers have responded favorably to working remotely, but the pivot has not come without challenges. A survey from Talent LMS of 1000 respondents from across the U.S. found that 88% of survey respondents had transitioned to remote work as a result of the pandemic.

The survey found that many folks are most productive in the morning to mid-day hours. Forty percent of respondents said they hit their productivity peak between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., while 31% said they are most productive between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. Twenty-two percent responded being most productive between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., and 8% were most productive from 7 p.m. or later.

Finding motivation can be a challenge for both new and seasoned remote workers. Respondents cited their top motivation boosters as listening to music (66%), chatting with a colleague (49%) and exercising (46%). In addition, the survey found that many good and bad habits have increased since the start of the pandemic. Respondents said they do more of the following:

Watch TV (51%)
Eat (50%)
Exercise (42%)
Talk on the phone (30%)
Meditate (20%)
Drink alcohol (18%)
Smoke (16%)

The survey also found that offering training opportunities to a remote workforce can make a difference in their performance, happiness and company loyalty. This could include hard and soft skills training, COVID-19 training, and compliance training.

Sixty-one percent of respondents said they need additional training to help them perform better in their role. Remote workers who had received training consistently showed higher rates for productivity, time management, work-life balance, and communication with their colleagues than their counterparts who had received no training. They also showed higher rates of happiness while working from home and feeling valued by their company.

A Virtual World of Social Connections

The pandemic has forced countless people to turn to online solutions for human connections and socializing. Virtually everything that many folks do now is online, including their work, shopping, exercising, entertainment and more.

As people have become more isolated, the appetite for human connections has grown stronger. Successful companies are finding ways to create personalized experiences and increase person-to-person interaction via virtual means. This can be through virtual meetings, lunches, one-on-ones and special digital events.

At Communique PR, we celebrated our 17^th anniversary with a virtual cooking class with Culinary Artistas, a small women-owned business based in San Francisco. Our CPR team made homemade fresh pasta with roasted vegetables. It provided a fun opportunity to virtually gather, make a delicious meal, and wine and dine together.

As we contemplate what comes next, one thing is certain: how we go about our professional and daily lives will forever change. Hopefully, our collective response to the pandemic will enable us to demonstrate greater agility and resilience moving forward. By learning how to adapt, we find a way to incorporate old norms into our current lives, and usher in normalcy sooner without having to wait for clearance.

Choosing Your Best Idea

One of my favorite project stages is brainstorming; I love the creativity and excitement that comes with idea generation. I like to exercise my brain and think outside of the box and use the constraints of a project challenge to determine how to move forward. Brainstorming is also an important step when you want to determine the right option to move forward with as your first idea is unlikely to be your best.

Unfortunately, the next step after brainstorming can be a stressful, emotional and angst-ridden process. The next step is deciding which idea is the best solution and, in a group setting, critiques to an idea can feel like personal attacks. And if the decision-making process is prolonged, our attention is spread between the choices, wasting resources like time, money and emotional investment.

If this struggle feels familiar, you’re not alone. Making a decision within a brainstorming setting can be hard, especially when you’re choosing from a slew of workable, good ideas. Luckily, this is a skill that can be improved with thoughtful preparation, best practices, and usable techniques that will allow you to more efficiently narrow down and rank your ideas. To streamline the brainstorming process, below are some best practices for each step of the process.

Preparation

The first thing you need to do is to identify and define the problem you want to solve. At this stage, it’s important to clarify the need for the solution, who will use it and how they’ll use it, and any other factors that put constraints on the situation. Reach out to stakeholders and make sure you have a grasp on their understanding of the problem.

The next step is to gather your brainstorming team, making sure you have a diverse group with a range of perspectives and a dedicated time to discuss. It may be helpful to include key stakeholders in brainstorming activities to ensure their perspectives are captured.

Then, work together to determine three to five key guidelines to judge the ideas. For example, clarity, stability and integration may be key factors on which to judge a successful slogan. Other possible criteria include profitability, practicality, “stickiness”, originality, and clarity. Finally, give each criterion a score between 1 and 5 (1 being unimportant and 5 being very important).

Brainstorming

Begin your brainstorming individually to prevent groupthink and “idea anchors” that can limit creative thought. This is the time to turn off that critical voice in your head and let your mind play with the problem. Not all your ideas will be winners, and that’s ok! Give yourself a set amount of time and aim for quantity. If idea creation is difficult, try some of these creativity techniques.

Following this, share these ideas with the group and let them spark additional solutions building from others’ thoughts. Together, develop an affinity diagram that will group similar ideas, allow for the elimination of duplicates, and show areas for growth.

Evaluation

When your group reaches a lull in idea generation, it’s time to shift gears into idea evaluation. Have everyone pick their favorite ideas from the affinity diagram, limiting people to 5-10 choices depending on the number of ideas and group size. Go through the full list and have everyone rate the ideas based on each criterion, giving a numerical score from 1 (very bad) to 5 (very good).

Collect all the scores and multiply each score by the predetermined ‘weight’ of each criterion. Immediately eliminate the low-scoring ideas. If there’s a clear winner, you’ve made your decision.

In addition, it’s important at this stage to methodically eliminate the worst ideas because too many choices only makes it harder to choose. There are several techniques that can help you explore the possible outcomes of your choices. Not every technique will work for every project, but some helpful methods include:

A desirability-viability-feasibility Venn Diagram. Create a Venn diagram with these (or other important) factors to help you evaluate an idea. The best ideas will fit in the middle of this chart, any ideas that only fit in one circle should be eliminated, and, in general, if the idea fits in the ‘desirable’ circle, you’re working in the right direction.
Develop feasibility roadmaps. Collaborate to determine the steps it would take to make each idea a reality. Are the steps clear-cut and achievable, or are they complex and expensive? This should help eliminate ideas with hidden roadblocks.
SWOT Analysis. This is helpful in larger projects and involves identifying the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats to your solutions to help you compare ideas and how they relate to the situation and environment around it.
Request outsider opinions. Select a person or people who will be thoughtful but decisive. Describe the solutions as objectively as possible, without any statements that might influence them (e.g. “This was the boss’s idea,” or “My favorite is…”). Ask them questions about their first impressions and any concerns they have. It may be helpful to have them also ask questions, as they may bring up points you hadn’t considered already, but make sure not to become defensive or argue with them.

Selection

From this point on, you’ll be deciding between a small selection of appropriate, interesting and workable ideas. There should be no wrong answer, but there’s likely a best answer. Take the time to make sure each idea addresses the problem and matches the needs of the relevant stakeholders. Think about which choice you and your group wants more; a project with the interest of the team will drive better focus and dedication. If you still can’t decide, introduce the element of chance. Flip a coin. If the option that the coin suggests makes your stomach drop, you know to pick the other.

The best thing you can do to streamline the decision-making process is to make eliminating choices systematically. By preparing ahead of time and gaining a deep understanding of the problem, you’ll come up with better ideas and have the tools to efficiently analyze, eliminate, and choose the best option.

Tips to Consider When Developing a Cyber Crisis Communications Plan

In an increasingly remote and cloud-based business ecosystem, companies across all industries continue to be targets of ongoing cyberattacks. From hospitals and banks to transportation companies and tech giants, the event of a cyber breach is unfortunately no longer a matter of if, but rather when it will occur.

Having a corporate crisis communication plan on hand is wise, but given the uptick in cyber-related events, it’s important to revisit these crisis playbooks and update sections to reflect the real threats of running a business in 2021 and managing a remote or hybrid workforce.

If you have not developed a crisis communications plan, it’s not too late. It is far better to be proactive and develop these materials now so that, in the event of a crisis, the executive team can refer to a strategic plan with agreed-upon response steps. Response steps offer guidance on how to effectively manage communications when faced with a crisis situation. This guidance includes when the company should share messages, what the context of the messages will be, who will receive those messages, which executives will share the messages and how the message will be sent, aka the communication channel (e.g. email, text alert, etc.).

With that said, a major deterrent of developing a crisis communication plan is the time investment. To help facilitate planning and development, we’ve created a checklist of highly recommended assets. When it comes time to develop a cyber crisis plan or update existing plans with cyber-related responses, the overview, elements needed, and potential time investment will be clear.

List of potential cyber security events. This could include hacks, ransomware or network outages.
Members of the crisis communications team. These are the individuals within the company and outside the organization who will be vetting the initial breach and then managing the response to relevant parties.
Response steps. The list of response steps provides the crisis team with an agreed upon overview and direction of what will take place during a cyber event. It is also helpful to include suggested owners with each of the response steps in advance of the crisis situation so all members of the crisis have shared expectations of who will be owning what and when it will happen.
Crisis evaluation framework. This framework could be a matrix or table and outline the different scenarios paid with their associated response. This framework will help the communications team determine the proper communication response based on the IT expert’s security diagnosis.
Draft templates. Developing draft messages that will be shared by the company in the event of a cyber event will save time when in a crisis situation. The team can then refer to these templates and make the necessary updates to address the relevant information and parties impacted by the event.
Communication channels. Depending on the severity of a cyber event, communication channels might be limited. Here it will be important to outline the channels available to the company and understand who those channels reach.
Media response. This section is particularly helpful in a communications plan, as it provides the team with guidance on when to be proactive vs. reactive when sharing updates about the cyber event with media – and other external audiences.
Guidelines for spokespeople. These best practices and tips go hand in hand with the media response and will help the company spokesperson navigate the response as successfully as possible.

After a crisis plan is developed, it is wise to participate in a mock crisis response, where the crisis communications team can walk through the developed plan and test out the flow of the response steps. This practice will also provide the spokespeople with media training and best practices for navigating cyber crisis related questions that journalists would surely ask.

For other helpful crisis communication resources, check out the following articles:

Did You Catch Business Wire’s 2021 Trend Predictions? Here’s What We Learned

Three industry experts were brought together by Business Wire for a virtual panel to discuss the media and public relations trends they expected to see in 2021. I’ve highlighted the most impactful recommendations and trends to look out for below.

Utilize Employees as Influencers

In the past there has been a hesitancy to trust employees as spokespeople for their organization on social media. Executives tended to avoid utilizing and promoting voices within the company for fear of what an employee could say. That being said, the pandemic has demonstrated to organizations that employees can be trusted outside of the office.

Employees’ voices can provide credibility and validation for an organization’s actions. They’re credible as an expert because of their work experience and knowledge of the organization from the inside. In the next year, you can expect organizations to prioritize celebrating and promoting the voices of employees, customers and suppliers on social media channels.

Expand Hybrid Event Options

Some of the biggest global events were still successful in 2020 after converting to become 100% virtual. We can expect in-person events to resume again during 2021, but with improvements informed by the successes of the past year’s virtual events.

First, we can expect online options for most events in the next year. Virtual options are cheaper for guests to access and can expand the event’s reach to new audiences otherwise unable to attend in person. Second, events may play pre-recorded lectures to enable the speaker to answer questions live in a chatbox while the video plays.

Implement Disinformation Playbooks

The last few years have taught us that no one is safe from disinformation. False or fabricated stories in the media are becoming commonplace. In 2021, we expect organizations to create disinformation playbooks to allow for quick responses if they should be the target of such an attack.

Preparing a plan in advance is critical to informing the best strategy for combating disinformation. As we saw in 2020, sometimes addressing disinformation does little to address the concerns of those who believe it, but instead only fans the flames.

Prioritize Action Over Words

In response to social unrest and calls for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the workplace, public relations professionals are prioritizing the importance of a company’s actions over their words. Business Wire panelist Stuart Bruce spoke to this idea; “You can’t communicate your way out of something you have behaved yourself into.” In 2021, customers, employees and stakeholders will be looking for actions. Tired of apology fatigue, people are interested in learning how organizations will step back and address issues beyond a composed apology.

Of course, actions take time. Sincere apologies must be paired with a commitment to change. For example, following the protests for racial justice after the killing of George Floyd, brands like PepsiCo and Starbucks made statements condemning racism and subsequently backed them up by implementing changes within their organizations. PepsiCo committed to remove the racist caricature of Aunt Jemima from their syrup bottles and Starbucks allowed employees to wear Black Lives Matter shirts, hats and pins.

I hope that, after reviewing these trends, organizations can proactively prepare for the coming year. Change is necessary and inevitable. The best we can do is to stay informed and prepare for it.

Change Mindset, not Minds

Political polarization. Cultural divide. Partisan gap. If you are anything like me, you’ve been feeling the division in our society intensely for the last couple weeks. Or maybe months? Or years? Take your pick.

The Associated Press dedicated a 2016 series to the topic, saying “Americans are more divided than ever, gridlocked over social issues, race, gender and the economy…It’s no longer just Republican vs. Democrat, or liberal vs. conservative. It’s the 1 percent vs. the 99 percent, rural vs. urban.” And last summer, the Pew Research Center found that when it came to views on former President Donald J. Trump, the gap between Republicans’ and Democrats’ was wider “than for any other U.S. president in the modern era of polling.”

There is an argument to be made that the media amplifies this cultural divide we are all experiencing. However, the fact is, we all feel it and we carry those feelings into our workplaces, whether it’s in person at the office or over Zoom.

The good news is this cultural divide has been countered in recent months with a crescendo of corporate voices calling for a stronger commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Increasingly, companies are emphasizing the importance of employees’ individuality; pledging to embrace the differences in their workforce and to identify and banish systemic inequity. However, the stumbling block for many companies in this area is how to implement and effectively bring about such fundamental change.

More organizations are turning to DEI training to address the unconscious bias and barriers to diversity and equity within the workplace. Our client, Kantola Training Solutions, recently gave our agency a chance to trial their new comprehensive DEI course. The interactive, self-paced training guides learners through exercises that require quick judgements, careful deliberation, and creative thinking. My initial impression was that this course was vastly different than any I’d experienced in the past. More on that later. First, I want to explore why DEI initiatives fail.

There have been instances that have shown implementing DEI training within companies can backfire, and in some cases, increase hostility and bias in the workplace.

The main challenge in creating an inclusive environment where employees can show up as their authentic selves, according to Associate Professor of Sociology Ilana Redstone, is that our whole selves “inevitably include our political orientations, our moral intuitions and our tolerance for difference.”

As Redstone notes, we’re facing differences in how people understand core concepts like fairness, identity and intent. So, based on this, how then do we authentically reconcile these essential differences in the workplace?

Redstone argues in her Forbes’ article that the key to creating an inclusive workplace is to change mindset rather than to change minds. She suggests that we can either start talking to each other with the understanding that there will never be total agreement, or we can strive for consensus on these controversial subjects. Redstone argues that the first option is the “only path forward” and “organizations that ignore this reality will see an erosion in their workplace cultures-and in their bottom lines.”

The first step is for leaders to create a culture that fosters “humility, curiosity and a willingness to be wrong,” writes Redstone. An environment where employees are eager to learn how others experience the workplace and open to seeing the world in a new way, possibly divergent from what they’ve always understood, presents a strong foundation for fundamentally transforming corporate culture.

So, what made Kantola’s DEI training so different? As I explored the course further, it struck me that this tool aims to do just what Redstone proposes – foster a new way of thinking. By allowing learners to “step into the shoes” of individuals with differing perspectives and learn how others can experience the same workplace in very different ways, Kantola’s course sets the stage for a conversation between people with a variety of viewpoints. And by engaging learners in a safe, judgement-free learning space, the course lets them see how their choices impact the lives of others in the workplace, thus giving the opportunity to reflect and adjust their behavior.

Emphasizing their intention to drive change in organizations, Kantola has also developed a companion leadership primer to guide companies through the steps of building a successful DEI program.

The chorus of voices calling for a fundamental change in America’s corporate culture is warranted, but the element that’s been missing is the crucial first step of changing mindset. For any DEI initiative to work, companies must first create a foundation of acceptance of diverse viewpoints. By creating an environment where employees welcome and embrace new perspectives, leaders are laying the groundwork for success in reimagining their corporate culture.

Back to the Basics – Boilerplates

Boilerplates – the paragraph that provides key information about a person or company – are essential for companies that are looking to clearly articulate their mission and consistently provide important background information for journalists. Public relations professionals are frequently tasked with developing this standardized paragraph used across a variety of marketing materials. They often include high-level information and can be beneficial for companies in several ways.

Before taking a closer look at the composition of boilerplates, let’s take a step back to learn the historical significance of the word. The origins of boilerplates can be traced back to the 19^th century, referring to a plate of steel used as a template in the construction of steam boilers. For the newspaper industry, these sheets of plated steel were used for engraving copies of prepared text intended for widespread reproduction in newspapers, such as advertisements or syndicated columns. Known as boilerplates, these consistent steel plated texts lowered the cost of production and saved time in the printing process.

Today, the term is applied widely across a variety of industries to refer to a standardized method, form or procedure. In public relations, the boilerplate is a standardized paragraph inserted at the end of all press releases that provides an overview of the company or organization. For this blog post, we’ll examine the structure and benefits of boilerplates.

What’s Inside a Boilerplate?

Essentially, a boilerplate is a corporate summary that’s reprinted word-for-word at the end of every press release, among other places. Boilerplates help companies educate readers on their mission and offerings. When drafting the piece, content should be direct, concise and free of jargon. If you are uncertain of what to include, I suggest reviewing the elements below to guarantee you’ve covered all the bases. Boilerplates can include:

The date and place the company or organization was founded
Information about products or services
The mission and purpose of the company or organization
Major milestones, awards, and honors
Impressive metrics, e.g., number of employees or customers
Relevant website or social media links

Benefits of Boilerplates

While boilerplates are often overlooked and given little attention, they can help companies connect with their audience and establish their brand through consistent and concise messaging. For companies, the boilerplate is the one piece of information that gets the most exposure across all channels. In press releases, a boilerplate can establish a company’s background, mission and important milestones. For journalists, it offers consistency as they look to connect the dots between separate stories. In addition, boilerplates make their job easier and helps them quickly recall a company without further research.

Although it can seem like a tedious job, boilerplates should be consistently reviewed and updated with relevant details when new developments or milestones are reached. Set a reminder on your calendar to review all boilerplates as you enter a new quarter and add a link back to this blog post so you can be confident that this ready-to-use piece of content includes the most up-to-date and compelling information.

Insights for Leaders Navigating Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.