A comment overheard on the subway home. A group of people making offensive remarks at a grocery store. Once the COVID-19 pandemic began, Asian-Americans all over the U.S. began fearing for their safety as many individuals were harassed, insulted, and assaulted in public. Some were deliberately avoided on public transportation or barred from certain businesses. They experienced prejudice to a new degree.
When we marginalize and blame others in a crisis due to fear, we lose the opportunity to connect with each other and come up with solutions. Nonprofits and responsible companies need to be the voice of reason in the face of COVID-19 by protecting vulnerable people and informing everyone of the facts. Below are five ways to ensure you are providing accurate, unbiased and educational messaging to your audience:
Determine whether your words may be taken the wrong way.
Pick your words carefully. If you’re not sure a term is appropriate, ask yourself why you chose it and the purpose you hoped to achieve. When in doubt, make your point using a different word to avoid potentially offending your audience.
Consider the source of your information.
Although someone may be an expert in a subject area, he or she may not always deliver the most objective information due to personal bias. A big warning sign is if they use generalizations that lump entire groups together. Before sharing information from a source, research his or her background and the organization they represent.
Use proven data to back up your case.
Focus on the facts. Sometimes, people react strongly to situations or exaggerate. One great way to keep things in perspective is to focus on the data rather than speculating based on what others are saying. When you present proven statistics as the basis for your message, you establish yourself as a voice of authority.
Refrain from drawing connections based on assumption.
Just because something “makes sense” or might seem true does not mean it’s true. Let the truth speak for itself through facts and figures, the most reliable forms of evidence.
Seek out solutions to the problem you’re addressing.
When you add your voice to a conversation, make your words productive for everyone involved. Rather than looking back at how the problem may have started and who is to blame, focus on offering tangible, forward-thinking information aimed at solving the problem.
COVID-19 is a global pandemic that is nobody’s fault, so we should all be mindful to comfort and help one another throughout this turbulent time. We should build community through compassion, not blame. Our goal should be to help mitigate people’s fear by reminding them that they are not alone and that we are all working together to overcome the crisis.
