Now What? Part 2

One week post election and we, like so many Americans, are still thinking about, “Now what?”  Where do we go from here? What is the best path forward?

As we wrote last week, “We have just witnessed an election cycle like we have never seen before…The communication styles and strategies broke all the rules. So, now what? How do we as professional communicators go forward?” While we don’t have all of the answers, we do have a few ideas.

First, choose your words carefully. Words matter.  In some cases, our word is all we have. This is true for new companies, pre-product. It’s why we work so diligently with our clients to craft their positioning statements and messages. Make sure your words are honest, fair, and that they move the conversation forward. Context matters too, so time your words carefully as well. We’ve talked about relevance before; time your words so they will be heard. When all ears are tuned into a major story, perhaps save your news for another time. At a minimum, connect your story to the greater discussion.

More importantly, don’t create noise when more important things are happening. Sometimes, the best thing we can do as communicators is be silent. It’s why we shut off our social feeds in times of crisis. Sometimes, we need to listen. That’s a communication strategy too.

Second, be a force for good. No matter where you stand politically, there is no denying, our stress levels are up country-wide right now. We’re reading and seeing some very heated rhetoric. We’re hearing about documented cases of increased hate crimes. We need some good news. We need more positive and less negative. That’s where you come in. The brands that spread goodness in the coming months will emerge as winners. So tell us, what’s your good news story? We’d love to hear it!