What have you experienced so far during this pandemic? Obstacles? Insights? We’ve gathered 12 ideas for storytellers and other leaders as an invitation to share experience and use it to prepare for better days to come.
This year, the pandemic may limit how we interact through summer and the rest of the year. Many of the ways we share ideas and energy will likely change for years to come, at least until there’s enough vaccine. So this is not just a crisis to wait out, of course, it’s an epic change – and change that we can guide by connecting with one another in new ways and being courageous about riding the tide of extremely rapid change.
We’re working to put together a regular Zoom session for those who are interested in an ongoing brain trust of sorts. If that appeals to you, let us know, as we’d love to include you. In the meantime, here are some ideas and we’d love to hear yours. kurt@guenthercreative.com, charlie@guenthercreative.com, GuentherCreative.com
1. What kind of world do we want after this? What we do now as storytellers will help decide. That’s why we’ve got to help each other seek opportunity in a time of suffering. It’s how we ensure that people suffer less in the future. We have the time and technology to think and collaborate like we never have before.
2. People are experiencing unprecedented fear. Respond with unprecedented vision. For example: “The Great American Reset.” Life and death is big. It gives us permission to be more plain-speaking about the many, related opportunities we have to do better as a nation. We can take what we’re learning about so many things -- how much we need each other to survive, how tenuous job security is for all but the wealthiest Americans, how difficult it is to motivate people to do the right thing without enforcement, how much our survival depends on the quality of leadership in our own state and town, how unequal the risk of pain and dying is, and using this experience to support social change for the years to come. Pain gets people’s attention. Authentic leaders can translate that pain into collaboration and progress. We can raise the bar on leadership.
3. Treat physical and mental health as critical, without exception, to storytelling and other leadership. The old saying, “The world is run by tired leaders” begs a second line, “and people suffer when they screw up.” Putting work before health has been a badge of honor for many. This is an excellent opportunity to accept our humanity and consider self-care part of the job – and advocate for it in your messaging to those you depend on for accomplishment. More about this at the end of this list.
4. This seems like the best opportunity in modern history to leap forward in how we connect to one another. Solutions depend on shared brainpower. Isolation, on the other hand, can feed fear and narrow thinking. Much of the country is discovering sharing technology right now. Coming out of this pandemic, there will be fewer excuses for going it alone, and if we demand it, greater accountability for connected, informed leadership.
5. We can use this time to retrain our brains with language that supports new thought habits. This can help both us and our audiences. Along the lines of the old adage, “fake it till you make it,” we can work to use more and more courageous, resilient language. Some of the aspirational or affirming words we use include, “stronger together”, which we developed for SEIU’s slogan in the 90s and they still use, “better together”, “we’ve got this”, “we’ve got our backs”, “we can do better than this,” “American values”, and calling out specific desired strengths and descriptors such as “courage”, “resilience”, “we”, “us” and “our.”
6. Example: demand a smarter definition of “strength”. We know that powerful assets like connection, empathy, resilience, modesty, and the courage to admit shortcomings are considered shortcomings by some national figures and their supporters. Perhaps now is the time to move beyond a passive response, given that a lack of these strengths can be deadly.
7. Avoid bitter, snarky content. An epic lack of leadership in American can make it enticing to vent about bad actors. I’ve certainly been guilty of this. The problem as most of us know, is that the people we would like to reach most are not going to be drawn to vitriol. And when people are scared, and hunkering down emotionally in a time of crisis, negative emotion can be toxic.
8. What DO we talk about? Security. Job security. Family security. The future of the community, the country, and the world. In the 30+ years that we’ve been working with groups to move audiences to action, the idea of “security” has been at or near the top of what people care about. It is a notion that can bring people together if you have something to offer that makes people feel more safe. Of course, for years now, it has been hijacked to pit people against one another. How will you goals appeal to the primal self-interests of your audience? For example, leading with math on climate change misses an opportunity. Leading with the human aspirations for a safer future, not just for us but for generations coming up, is much more impactful. There’s still a taboo in a lot of organizations for moving beyond dry metrics and connecting with people’s most powerful hopes and fears. This pandemic is your excuse to talk about what really matters in a way that grabs both head and heart.
9. Whatever you do, keep moving. (avoid the freak and freeze.) Each of our clients is involved in supporting big change in some way, from finding new treatments for genetic disease to saving salmon and orcas to helping the state grapple with a changing climate. Each are considered powerful by their audiences. But there’s no one map for moving forward in a global pandemic. The groups that are continuing without a hiccup are those who have changed up expectations of their campaigns fast, taken advantage of technology, and acknowledged the fear and uncertainty of this time to help audiences connect with their messaging.
10. Choose collaboration over competition, at least now, when we’re all working to change rules and thrive. Brainstorm specific strategic and technological opportunities constantly. We can do that here, if you like, on a regular schedule, and bat around ideas for making the most of Zoom and similar social sites, social media, blogs, email, online advertising and more.
11. The stakes get higher as time passes. It’s not pleasant to think about, but the bad actors who work in opposition to basic equity, access to care, opportunity, and even the survival of other Americans are working very hard during this crisis. This is when laws change to support autocratic leaders. The future of the nation will be deeply impacted by what you and I and other storytellers and leaders do in the weeks ahead.
12. Deliver from the gut. We all know leaders who can grab people’s hearts in a small group, but puts people to sleep when the audience is bigger. People are often uncomfortable sharing from a place of vulnerability and personal discovery. It can be done well. It’s our favorite work with clients because nearly every one of them can take leaps in their ability to connect. *
*A week after Covid-19 was first announced, I entered the hospital with an experience overlapping the virus – chills, cough, intubation on a ventilator, organ failure, loss of 40 lbs. The experience has transformed my thinking, stoking greater conviction for the common good and deeper humility regarding my own contribution. There can be epiphanies through pain. A pandemic can be fertile ground for creating better ways of living with one another. -- Kurt