Covid and the C word

2020 and 2021 will forever be known for the ‘C’ word. And as Covid becomes an historic pandemic lesson to the world, time will show that amidst the UK’s particularly tragic experience, the C also stands for Communications.

There are actually three Cs that feature heavily in any analysis of UK communications around the pandemic - Clarity, Consistency and Credibility. They should all three have been there and connected up to a clear call to action throughout, but sadly they have frequently been conspicuous by their absence.

Let’s be clear, this has never been an easy job for the Government - unprecedented circumstances and all that – but it can’t in truth be used to defend them 12 months in, when the simple fundamentals of professional communication are still not being followed.

Only this week, in response to the emergence of the South African variant in nine different UK postcodes, Matt Hancock urged 350,000 residents facing surge testing to “stay at home unless they absolutely have to leave.” A perfect example of a lack of clear communication – it’s so open to interpretation or let’s be honest…mis-interpretation. It’s by no means a new behaviour from the communications experts in and around No.10.

Look at Australia’s fourth largest city Perth last week – one case of covid in a young hotel security guard and the city flipped into complete lockdown on Sunday. One case and two million people now staying home for a minimum of five days. Similar has happened in Brisbane and Sydney and whilst the Australian response - like many – has not been perfect, the Australian people listen to what they are told, accept the demands and go with it.

We on the other hand have been confused and regularly uncertain in what we have been telling our citizens. The right way to go is to be simple, explain clearly and build belief in your proclamations. We proclaimed we wouldn’t need a full second lockdown and the tier system was working and within days said we did indeed need another lockdown and the tier system wasn’t working. We said you can mix with other households in some circumstances, but not in others, that masks were not required at different stages in schools, on public transport and in shops, only to say differently within days. Why change the clear mantra Stay at Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives to Stay Alert? There was no room for interpretation with the original – and it was arguably changed to reflect more positively on the PM’s personal reputation and the Government’s desire to be seen to be ‘easing up on us’.

And there’s the very problem with our PM’s own communications needs. He desperately wants to be liked. Times like this can’t be about being nice. Whether it’s the October lockdown U-turn or the utter shambles of communication that was Christmas.

The mistake here is not recognising that people will go with changes, even with bad news - if they understand it and they trust in you. How can trust be maintained if you tell them that the track and test regime was in world beating shape when it proved to be very far from it. Or that there was enough PPE, when there clearly wasn’t?

Leaks and private briefings to media are a long standing tactic in Government communications, but when they contradict the public statements and sometimes within 24 hours – how can anyone expect trust to remain? And on another C word – Cummings – even The Lancet reported how much that fiasco undermined public trust in the PM and other Government ministers who defended him to the end.

They have repeated the classic mistake of over-promising and under-delivering – something account executives learn in their first few months in good agencies and PR departments.

The only consistency in the UK’s Covid comms has been inconsistency. Take the embarrassing u-turn - not once, but unbelievably twice on the Marcus Rashford free school meals campaign.

Does your memory go back as far as the PM saying you need to get back to work or risk losing your job? There are countless more examples.

The ridiculous truth is there are more tools at our disposal to communicate effectively and in an integrated way these days than ever before. Look again at the use of social media when Matt Hancock effectively announced an immediate lockdown in Greater Manchester at 9.15pm on twitter when no other media had been briefed. And they were surprised by the hysteria and confusion that then ensued? And as for the often pointless and toothless Government daily briefings?

We must never forget the importance of the soft skills in effective communication and you have to ask: where has good old-fashioned humility been in these crisis moments? We have at least had an apology a year on, not because it was the right thing to do, but because it was, by that time, the only thing left to do!

As the vaccination in the glorious hands of our wonderful NHS powers ahead - offering some relief for this administration and its communicators - I am not sure history will overlook the whole story of one of this country’s greatest case studies of crisis communications failure.