COVID-19: The Crisis Communications Response

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues, communications leaders face the growing challenge of supporting the safety of staff, the reputation of the company, and the viability of operations. At the same time, the risks of missteps are significantly compounded by social media activism, misinformation and the critical gaze of international observers. Craig Carroll, Communications Institute Leader at The Conference Board, chats with Lisa Davis, Senior Counselor, The Walker Marchant Group, former Corporate Vice President for Communications and Worldwide Executive Team member at Northrop Grumman, and Steve Dowling, former VP of Communications for Apple and former Silicon Valley bureau chief for CNBC. They will discuss insights and recommendations that will be helpful as you formulate, implement and manage your crisis communications response strategy. Some of the questions they will address: How should companies be thinking about their communication efforts? What exactly are some of the things that companies need to be communicating right now? What types of outcomes should companies be looking to achieve through their communication efforts? How exactly should companies go about these things (messages, accomplishing outcomes)? What are some of the challenges that companies need to keep in mind when they are creating and announcing policies?