The annual PRCA SEA Future Leader award for Insight saw PR and communications practitioners aged 30 and under enter essays of up to 1,000 words, responding to the following brief: ‘Mental Health, Fear and Job Losses: What is the role of Public Relations during a Global Health Crisis? Should PR professionals hide under a stone or should we find a middle ground in our roles in any given organisation?’

Below is the winning essay.

Fifteen years ago, the World Health Organization wrote, “it is now time to acknowledge that communication expertise has become as essential to outbreak control as epidemiological training and laboratory analysis.” Fast forward to 2020 and these words appear to have fallen on deaf ears in some parts of the world, with effective COVID-19 communications for a number of governments and corporations merely an afterthought, to the detriment of many.

When we think of global health crisis management, our thoughts may naturally go to politicians and public policy, or pharmaceuticals and vaccines. What is often overlooked is the extent of the role that communications must play. Production of a vaccine is critical to controlling COVID-19, but communications will play a major role in ensuring uptake. Successful government pandemic responses have almost always had a well-oiled communications strategy. Conversely, most poorly managed responses have been compounded or even caused by government miscommunication, leading to confusion and arguably increased infections. Corporations, meanwhile, must engage their employees and take on responsibility for their communities.

Effective communications during a global health crisis is an integral part of the public health response itself. It is not time for PR professionals to hide under a stone, no matter the type of organisation we work for or consult to. We need to step up and shape positive public health outcomes in a climate of fear and uncertainty.

Good public health communications saves lives

During a global health crisis, the function of government and public health bodies must be to communicate risks and the actions that can be taken by the public to protect their health. PR can help increase compliance with public health policy by inspiring the needed behaviours and actions.

Communicators must think about how people come to their assessment or perception of a risk, and how that is influenced by, for example, psychological, social or political factors. Often, people will think something is safer if they are familiar with it and feel they have control over it. On top of this, we need to factor in cultural differences – hierarchical, collectivist cultures may be more willing to accept and obey tough measures, compared to more individualist cultures that may not tolerate as much government interference in their lives.

If we can understand these dimensions, we can more effectually influence our stakeholders and better manage a health crisis. It enables us to answer questions such as: What are our messaging priorities? What channels will be most impactful? Who are the most credible conduits of our calls to action?

The proof is in the pandemic

A recent report from the University of British Columbia examining democratic health communications highlighted Senegal, South Korea, Taiwan and New Zealand as good performers when it came to communicating about COVID-19. Similarly, in Provoke’s COVID-19 PR Industry Survey, PR professionals called out New Zealand, Germany and Singapore for doing well – all countries who in recent times prior to the pandemic enjoyed high public trust in their governments.

These top performers had well-formed communications strategies that prioritised timeliness, transparency and clarity. In APAC, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s direct and empathetic leadership communications approach has been almost universally praised. Taiwan and South Korea have been lauded for providing reliable information in a consistent manner across multiple channels. In Southeast Asia, Singapore has been credited for its timely communications and easy access to information. A good PR strategy leads to more good PR and vice versa – as witnessed by the Ardern government’s landslide electoral victory this month.

PR’s corporate value is accelerated in a time of crisis

When it comes to the private sector, our role as PR professionals is to promote and protect corporate reputations. This becomes more crucial during a global public health crisis, no matter the industry.

Employees are arguably a company’s most important stakeholder group, and their basic needs have changed with the pandemic. Employer policies and behaviours must change too. For employee engagement to be effective, we must understand the hierarchy of concern during different phases of the pandemic, for example, considering whether basic needs such as safety and physiological needs are being met. Employee engagement strategy can then be adapted to prioritise accordingly across the identified hierarchy.

For some industries, there are obvious ways PR can play a role in external communications and stakeholder management. For healthcare, PR can be used to communicate vaccine trials and other medical contributions. Technology companies can communicate how they are meeting myriad COVID-19 challenges through innovations that enhance connectivity. For other sectors, it comes back again to building trust by staying true to a brand’s values and demonstrating a societal purpose. PR professionals should communicate the steps that the company is taking in response to the crisis, to all stakeholders, and how it is being a responsible corporate citizen to give back and support communities.

How to build trust to mitigate risk

How do we fulfil our role? PR professionals must do much more than find a middle ground – we must find a seat at the highest level of organisational decision making. The stakes are simply too high not to. We must play central roles in the devising and implementation of government pandemic response, as well as corporate brand strategies, depending on the types of organisations we find ourselves supporting.

PR professionals are in a unique position to build bridges and bring people together at a time when cooperation across government, non-governmental and the private sectors is vital. We can significantly contribute to the strength of communities to emerge from the pandemic – a responsibility that cannot be taken lightly.

In a time of deteriorating mental health, fear and job losses, the value of PR has never been more significant. As countries start to emerge from lockdowns and prepare for the next normal, we must continue to build trust to mitigate risk. As Heidi Tworek, assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, writes, “effective communications can save thousands of lives”.