Humanising Communication During The Pandemic
To say that the past year has been bad would be an understatement. The first wave of Covid-19 shook the world in 2020: the global economy and 2021 unfolded with the hope that the worst is now behind us. Until India was hit by the second wave of the pandemic in April 2021. We witnessed the total collapse of the healthcare system, and every individual, family, and business was left to fend for themselves.
Almost every business was faced with the dilemma of carrying on and continuing or facing the situation with dignified silence. Many decided to maximize their presence on social media and following to help themselves. While the second wave is showing signs of dying down, the global health crisis continues to be a dominating presence that will shape our future and almost everything we do. How then should businesses communicate in this backdrop? Putting a mask on logos has become paseé, and definitely, to be impactful communication needs to do a lot more. We share four key methods of communicating that have proven to be effective.
1. Visuals speak louder than words
Pictures often communicate more than words ever can. Using compelling visuals would strike a chord with your audience almost immediately, as compared to words and writing. Visuals also cater to millennials and their short attention spans much better. A great example of this would be the COVID Art Museum or CAM started during the lockdown in 2020. It is a virtual museum featuring art produced during the pandemic from all over the world. Ten years from now, one imagines these pieces would be more than accurate in capturing the trials and tribulations of life during the pandemic.
2. Statistics are not numbers, they’re people
COVID-19 has definitely filled the papers and the news with statistics and numbers. So much so that we have become immune to them. The daily number of cases, number of deaths, total cases, etc., is something we hear making headlines more than anything. But we miss out on one very important aspect: perspective. The total number of deaths in 9/11 was 2500, whereas the total number of deaths globally has now exceeded 3.5 million. We forget that these statistics are actually people, who have families, siblings, and friends. So presenting them in a human and relatable manner becomes imperative, giving a human touch to data, so people are not reduced to numbers. The New York Times Front covers featured here did this very accurately, touching the hearts and minds of millions of their readers.
3. Humanise Every Touchpoint
In a time like this, it is always advisable to be cautious and careful of what we say. Every consumer touchpoint matters. Be it a social media post, story, or push-up notification. Food delivery apps like Zomato, Swiggy, and Box 8 kept this in mind during the second wave. Every notification and ad was carefully crafted to not appear insensitive during bad times. Ordering food was communicated as a way of taking care of yourself rather than the usual form of celebration, or laziness to cook for example. Lending a helping hand and supporting your audience during tough times always helps.
4. A little positivity goes a long way
Even though the situation looks bleak, positivity goes a long way. Surrounded by news of death and negativity, a simple message of positivity and optimism goes a long way. This can be done through typography, color, and even imagery. Giorgia Lupi, a partner at Pentagram, and her team created a series of infographics, communicating the positive impacts of COVID 19 in New York. The series was called Happy Data and was a message of hope during the grimness of COVID. BBC released a beautiful documentary called “The Year Earth Changed” narrated by David Attenborough, documenting the positive impact global lockdown has had on nature and wildlife throughout the planet. Watching this during the peak of the pandemic made me feel much better and hopeful about our future.
Written by Saumya Mittal
Edited by Sujatha Shankar Kumar
Cover Image by Saumya Mittal
Layout by Ajay Sharma
