Читать книгу Communicating in Risk, Crisis, and High Stress Situations: Evidence-Based Strategies and Practice - Vincent T. Covello - Страница 44

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern took on the role as leader of New Zealand’s response to COVID‐19 and became the national spokesperson for the crisis. On 26 March 2020, she announced New Zealand would enter its second lockdown to eliminate the spread of COVID‐19. Her 26^th March announcement and the communications that followed demonstrated best practices of risk, high concern, and crisis communication: be first, be right, be credible, be clear, listen, express empathy, promote action, show respect, and involve stakeholders as partners.

New Zealand thought it had eliminated the COVID‐19 after its first lockdown. However, an outbreak in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, indicated that COVID‐19 was not defeated. Ardern believed a second, stricter lockdown was needed if the country wanted to eliminate the virus.

In shaping her strategy, Ardern recognized that New Zealand enjoyed advantages not shared by other countries in its response to COVID‐19. These included geographical isolation, a civil political environment, recent experience with crises and disasters, and a small population. She described the lockdown as part of a larger COVID‐19 elimination strategy that would prevent additional illnesses and deaths. The lockdown would help the country shift focus from managing community transmission to prevention, control, vaccines, and therapeutics. The elimination strategy would also help eliminate further income and ethnic inequities in the number of COVID‐19 hospitalizations and deaths.

To gain attention and raise public awareness of the government’s change in strategy, she needed a motto. In a 14^th March speech, she said: “We must go hard, and go early, and do everything we can to protect New Zealanders’ health.” Multiple traditional and social media outlets repeated her first few words. Combined with strict border controls and high compliance with lockdown measures, Ardern’s motto became, “Go hard, Go early.” Her goal was to stamp out the virus that causes COVID‐19 wherever and whenever it comes back. Her strict controls worked.

Ardern’s COVID‐19 strategy was grounded in risk and crisis communication fundamentals. First, she announced the government would engage in an aggressive public communication program focused on creating clear, concise, and consistent messages about the need for frequent hand washing, cough etiquette, mask wearing, and social distancing. Similarly, instructions for lockdowns were shared through an emergency alert prior to the lockdowns. She created a COVID‐19‐dedicated website so people could easily find information. She had COVID‐19 information translated into 28 languages in an attempt to reach diverse communities. She ensured the communication materials had excellent visuals and graphics.

Second, Ardern committed to move fast. She said her strategy would be “evidence‐and science‐based;” “Go hard, Go early” was not just a sound bite. Facts and science would drive politicians like herself. She reminded people that when COVID‐19 first surfaced in New Zealand, she acted quickly to contain the virus, despite consequences for agriculture and tourism and blowback from politicians and the public. She committed to this course until no active cases remained. This was despite considerable political pressure from businesses and members of her own governing coalition. She demonstrated an understanding of the importance of speaking quickly.

Third, as the nation’s leader, Ardern committed herself and her government to transparency and honesty. She admitted her policies would have large negative consequences, and there were large uncertainties about these consequences. Ardern also admitted her policies were likely to have disproportionate consequences for disadvantaged populations and large uncertainties remained about these consequences. She demonstrated the importance of showing caring and understanding.

Fourth, Ardern acknowledged her COVID‐19 strategy might not work as planned. Ardern listened carefully to her Health Department and the 11 members of the Department’s expert advisory committee. She explored the costs, risks, and benefits of options and alternatives to strict control with these experts. The consensus was that none would work. The floodgates needed to be closed, recognizing the ultimate elimination of COVID‐19 would depend on developing effective vaccines.

Fifth, Ardern communicated her COVID‐19 strategy required a wide, diverse, and often painful array of control measures. She would listen carefully to stakeholders so these control measures could be tailored to local needs.

Sixth, despite myths about panic in disasters, she expressed confidence in the ability of her nation to come together. She created a campaign built on the theme, “Unite Against COVID‐19.” The campaign emphasized the need for people to band together to defeat the virus. The battle would require personal sacrifices, particularly some personal freedoms. Public opinion polls consistently showed Ardern a supermajority of the population supported her actions, including the lockdown.

Seventh, Ardern admitted to errors and mistakes, apologized for them, and committed to stop them from reoccurring. For example, testing for COVID‐19 in New Zealand had gotten off to a slow start, the initial Māori COVID‐19 response plan was flawed, communications for arriving passengers at the borders were unclear, and testing for security forces at the borders were inadequate.

Eighth, Ardern made extensive use of social media platforms to communicate information about COVID‐19. For example, she used multiple social media channels to communicate her message of social responsibility. During the lockdown, she encouraged everyone, including tourists, to stay home. The message was a twist from the usual tourism message encouraging visitors to New Zealand. Her postings about social responsibility were fueled by user‐generated content. Ardern used an advertising method, the slogan “Go Hard, Go Early” to create buzz on social media platforms. She created a simple, clear message that led with her values. This gave her messages an emotional impact.

Ardern was particularly effective in using her Facebook and Instagram postings from her home to show solidarity with her constituents. In one posting, she began: “Kia ora, everyone. I’m standing against a blank wall in my house – because it’s the only view in my house that is not messy.” She spoke directly to viewers using her phone at the end of each day, inviting viewers into her home. She wore a sweatshirt, her hair was messy, and she looked tired. New Zealander’s could easily identify with her.

When talking about COVID‐19 on social media, there was an obvious change in her tone, projecting herself as a listening, caring, and empathic mother. She was often joined by public health experts. Just as President Franklin Roosevelt used his radio Fireside Chats in the 1930s and 1940s to explain issues and policy to Americans, Ardern used social media to explain COVID‐19 issues and her COVID‐19 policies.