Setting the Right Tone in a Crisis

The experiences of COVID-19 have offered me profound lessons on some of the most essential tone qualities to emulate when communicating with employees during a crisis. For context, I began a doctoral program in interdisciplinary leadership studies in the fall of 2019. Six months later, the pandemic rocked our world in ways few could have predicted.

As both a student and a leadership practitioner, I’ve learned that the most desirable crisis-centered employee communication characteristics do not necessarily conform to a constant set of attributes for all organizations and scenarios. 

However, the roles of transparency, confidence, empathy and authenticity have frequently surfaced as compelling tone qualities for helping leaders address employee communication needs during a crisis.