THREAD: In light of the confusing communications from the Ontario govt about AstraZeneca, I thought I would share some common communications principles that would have really helped put people at ease yesterday. Number one is always: know your audience, write for your audience.
What's more important is what an audience wants and needs to hear. Not simply what you want to communicate. Yesterday, the Ontario public and particularly #GenXZeneca needed to hear: You did the right thing. Thank you for taking this life-saving vaccine.
Throwing facts at people does not get your message across and does not reassure people. Lead with empathy. And tell the story using the simplest language possible. Example: AstraZeneca is an extremely effective vaccine. But now we are changing strategies and here's why.
The FIRST THING that people needed to hear yesterday was that they made the right decision, that they took an extremely effective vaccine and that they will have options soon when it comes to their second doses.
Acknowledge that people's fears and anxieties are real and then arm them with the facts to know when to seek medical help about possible side effects. Empower them with information to make good decisions.
I think Ontario ultimately made the right decision to pause first doses of AZ, but they left a lot of people feeling bad about their choice to take the first vaccine available. And this is undermining vaccine confidence in general. Bad news.
People want to know what they did was okay and what to do going forward. Yesterday's press conference did not tell us either of those things. A major communications failure. And a good reminder to listen to your communications staff. They can help you avoid disasters like this.
And also, don't say you have a plan if you don't have a plan. Don't plan a press conference if you can't answer the most obvious questions. This does not help you and it does not help the public.
I have been a professional communicator for more than 15 years and what we do is often undervalued and not understood. The disastrous vaccine rollout in Ontario is just one example of why clear communication is desperately needed. Listen to your coms staff, I beg you. /fin
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