A presentation from Outrageous Impact about crisis communications, research and how charities and purpose-led businesses can use them to navigate the 'new normal' as we pass through, and beyond the coronavirus outbreak. Tips, examples, route maps and more to help Marketing and Comms Directors to successfully navigate these strange times.

1. Thriving During Crises
Research and Comms for charities
& purpose-led businesses
March 2020
Patrick@outrageousimpact.co.uk
+44 (0) 7809 240021

2. / To inform your
entire approach
/ Initial Comms and
Research tactics
/ Based on your
questions
Today
/ Situation
/ Trends
/ Routemap
Crisis overview Principles for
leading in a crisis
Tactics
01 02 03

3. Patrick Olszowski
Qualitative researcher.
Founder Outrageous Impact, research for charities and
purpose led businesses.
Crisis response including Grenfell Tower, Jungle camp in
Calais, armed siege, fire at a healthcare facility,
Winterbourne View and more.
Founded #CrisisConnections.
Now have 70 professionals giving free 1hr advice.
Now home-schooling our kids.

4. Situation
Today
01

5. 3) People
being
furloughed
(put on ice)
2) Societal
lockdown
in place
1) Corona
cases and
deaths
rising
6) Business
bloodstream
seizing up
4) Support
(for some
but not all)
sectors and
businesses
7)
Inequalities
in
experience
huge
UK
6 April 2020
Where are
we now?
5) Income
stagnating,
delayed
(varied
experiences)
Outrageousimpact.co.uk/

6. Trends that
may shape
your comms
and research / Fear of our own
death, and an inability
to say goodbye
/ Spending on hold -
Household, charitable,
business and state.
/ Perception some people
‘taking more’ (bulk buying,
cost cutting, fake help)
/ Heroes - shop
workers, drivers & NHS.
/ Fear of overwhelm -
Belief government ‘doing
alright‘ but it may not last.
/ Grief for our former
way of life and freedom
KEYWORDS
- Service
- Sacrifice/courage
- Fear
- Economic insecurity
/ Pride in Britain, our
community spirit and
ingenuity
/ Guilt (relief) that others
are taking risks for us
Outrageousimpact.co.uk

7. 4) Do ‘mission
critical’
research to
beat corona &
sustain your
org
1) Always
Be Helping
(ABH)*
2) Humility,
openness,
hope,
empathy
5) ONLINE
IDIs, surveys,
rapid
prototypes.
Share
learnings.
Research &
Communications
route-map
3) Minimal
Viable
Technology
6) Ask ‘who
isn’t being
reached or
heard'?
Now is a time of confusion &
reflection
a) Inaction is not a strategy
b) Risks can be managed
c) Failure to engage people may
be storing up problems
Outrageousimpact.co.uk
* Priscilla McKinney

8. Six Principles
for Leading
During Crises
02

9. Principle 1 –If you feel
unready or scared (and are
going to lead your
organisation’s crisis
response), get trained, get
support or stand aside.
/ There is no judgement.
/ Be visible – weekly
message/video.
- Have you been trained to
do media? Or talk to
politicians?
- Have you ever had to
explain the death of
someone in your care?
- Have you had to publicly
explain why a decision you
made didn’t work out?
1) Is this YOUR moment?
Outrageousimpact.co.uk

10. 2) Look after your self
- It is impossible to look
after others if you don’t
look after your self.
- If you/the crisis manager
starts to acts as if they are
irreplaceable = red-line for
time-off.
Principle 2 –It is critical you
care for yourself, physically,
mentally, emotionally.
/ Encourage open dialogue.
/ Laughing and pizza help,
no matter how dark the
times. Care for one another.
Outrageousimpact.co.uk

11. Principle 3 – Ensure there
are pre-agreed, ‘crystal
clear rules of engagement’,
optimised for speedy
decision making.
/ Agree the areas where
you have discretion and
where you need input.
/ #CrisisConnections.
- Crisis teams are often too
junior AND too senior.
- Crisis teams usually
disband too quickly and get
mired in bureaucracy.
- Crises move ‘double fast’
in outside world and
‘double slow’ inside
organisations.
3) Team (and teams)
Outrageousimpact.co.uk

12. Principle 4 – In crises,
empathy is more important
than the risk of bias.
/ Document your biases
when presenting data.
/ Don’t be afraid to show
your emotions. You are
human.
- Leadership is about
empathy.
- People are hurting.
- People may have lost job.
- Loved ones may be ill.
- Research is also about
keeping a distance, so as
not to bias the sample.
4) Empathy (in the lockdown & beyond)
Outrageousimpact.co.uk

13. Principle 5 – Use research
to rapidly test (behind
closed doors) products,
services and messages.
Then rollout.
/ Invite feedback all the
time.
/ Be ready to be wrong.
/ Do not go passive, and
quiet.
5) Stay on the offensive
- Your organisation is now
likely facing variants of
three questions:
1) How to generate income,
when people are worried
about money?
2) How to deliver services
to people who need them
(during/post lockdown)?
3) How to most effectively
communicate in this ‘new
normal’?
Outrageousimpact.co.uk

14. 6) The crisis won’t last (but will be long)
- It may feel like corona will
never end. Corona will end.
- Likely that the crisis will get
worse due to ‘layering of
crises’ (from unexpected
directions)
- Crises last longer than you
think (Grenfell Tower, 2 yrs
and ongoing for some)
Principle 6 – Assume, and
plan for the crisis getting
worse.
/ Remember this is a
marathon. Take your time.
Give yourself a break.
You’re doing your best.
/ Remember nobody knows,
and that is ok.
Outrageousimpact.co.uk

15. Comms & Research
Tactics to Consider
Today
03

16. Find out the most pressing
problems your people face,
use your resources to fix
them.
/ Make helping (whatever
topic you choose) a board
level goal.
/ Tell people, connect
people, and ask for help to
deliver.
/ You have got a magic
wand (use it, be a hero!)
- The Wombles are sadly
mythical creatures who ‘live’
in Wimbledon Common in
London.
- They are renowned for
fixing, recycling and being
helpful.
- While you naturally worry
about your organisation’s
future, being helpful can
allay fears and safeguard
reputation.
‘Be a Womble’
Outrageousimpact.co.uk

17. Tweak and pull content as
needed, or risk adding to a
perception of tone-deafness.
- Review all planned
Marketing, Comms,
Fundraising, Sales. Check
for tone and imagery.
- ‘The future’s bright?’
- #DoingTheRightThing
shows the long-term
damage from intentional or
unplanned comms slip up.
Check planned Marketing/Comms
Outrageousimpact.co.uk

18. Research should focus on
‘mission critical’ questions
only.
/ Research should help to
defeat corona and/or
ensure your organisation’s
ability to survive and
continue to deliver.
- Your organisation needs a
single Board-level Crisis
Comms lead and crisis
team.
- Group discussions should
be around big picture
messaging, not detailed
tactics.
Avoid Comms/Marketing by committee
Outrageousimpact.co.uk

19. Ask two questions: How are
you doing? What could we
do to support you?
/ Offer an open, ongoing
line of communication.
/ E.g. CEO who gave out
her email and home phone
number during crisis.
/ Bolster with in-depth
interviews (via Zoom) and
prototype testing.
- It is critical to establish a
baseline (now & ongoing)
- An online survey can start
the conversation.
- Send the email out from
your crisis lead.
- Ask everyone you work
with, all you serve and your
suppliers to respond.
- Report in a week.
Survey all stakeholders today (and on)
Outrageousimpact.co.uk

20. Consider buying small,
rapid pieces of work from
your smaller suppliers.
/ Otherwise those you rely
on may not be here once
the crisis abates.
- Many of you rely on
companies big and small to
keep your organisation
going.
- Right now the financial
blood stream has paused,
and this is hurting lots of
smaller companies.
Buy small or say bye to supply chain
Outrageousimpact.co.uk

21. Use market research as a
method of helping people
and shaping your strategy.
/ Even if people don’t turn
up, still pay. Think empathy.
- Your supporters,
customers, staff may well
have time on their hands,
and possibly financial
worries.
- On the survey, ask if
they’d be open to
answering more research?
- Offer a financial incentive
for doing. Could make a big
difference to their income.
Ask if you may research
Outrageousimpact.co.uk

22. Build a technology
approach that works for
your people.
/ This might mean you
speak to less people, but if
the interactions are
powerful, this can still help
you.
- Some of us get our
supermarket food delivered
to us at home. Others have
to queue for hours outside.
- Some of us have warm
homes and enough food on
the table. Others don’t.
- Technology and bandwidth
availability are new facets
of inequality.
- Video calls can be
distressing for people with
body image/illness.
Minimally Viable Technology
Outrageousimpact.co.uk

23. About
Outrageous
Impact

24. FREE
‘Crisis navigator
checklist’
arriving today.

25. We are an experienced research team that
can support your organisation, to be ready
for today & what comes next.
We help charities and purpose-led businesses
explore and answer their most difficult
questions, using our 20 years of experience
of research. We know exactly how to engage
your customers, beneficiaries, staff, and
supporters, sensitively and rapidly.
“
”Patrick@outrageousimpact.co.uk
+(0) 44 7809 240021
Outrageousimpact.co.uk/services
Through research, we’ll help you explore:
/ Where might your organisation’s income
now come from?
/ How will you now deliver your services?
/ How should you communicate for
maximum impact?