I miss running into you on the street and in bars and restaurants, and catching up on the fly! Are you finding it hard to keep in touch, now that we’ve all moved home, pulled the drawbridges up, and sealed the windows shut? I am.
Which is why it seems more important than ever to make a conscious effort to stay connected. Here’s a few bits of news from Sunshine Communications world HQ, in the hopes that something I’m doing can help with what you’re doing:
Trainings. The onset of COVID might have triggered hiring freezes, but it didn’t stop the need for a deeper skillset within organizations. I’ve been doing a lot of training—media, message, speaking and writing.
To make these skills more accessible to more people, I coalesced a few topics into some standard online classes. These are one-hour sessions for 5-10 people, with a focus on improving a few essential skills. These are especially accessible to people who are not professional communicators, and I’m happy to customize the content for a group. I also do individual coaching. Check out the list and let me know what you think.
COVID-related work. We’re all responding to the pandemic in different ways. In some cases, we’re helping clients pivot and adjust their strategies; in others, we’re working directly in the COVID response. In doing both, I’ve witnessed the extraordinary power of cooperation among healthcare providers, public health agencies, private companies and individuals—not to mention the thousands of people who are putting their lives at risk to care for others. In as much as we can replace fear with gratitude, I am grateful to all of them.
On a lighter note, it was a blast to help out on the All In WA campaign. Volunteers from all over the state stepped up in big and small ways to kick off this unprecedented philanthropic effort. It’s a large-scale, multi-faceted approach to supporting Washington state, and it’s amazing. The most public effort was the Amazon concert, which was beautifully produced. Kick back and revel in Washington’s music scene on Prime.
Partnering with clients and other firms. When I first went out on my own almost three years ago, I worried about feeling isolated. (“Out on my own”! Even the cliché is scary. Like a tiny bunny in an open field.) But far from it! I’ve loved feeling part of my clients’ teams, but also working in partnership with friends from other firms. They all bring real value to our city and state, and I’m proud to help tell their stories. See the full client and project list here.
Lessons learned: 2020 has been a dumpster fire a profound learning opportunity. A couple of mine were:
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- Semper Gumby/Always Flexible. Keep your eyes open and be ready to pivot.
- Reach out to ask for, and offer, help. It’s no time to be shy.
- Prioritize your physical, mental and emotional health. The work needs you at your fighting best.
We have to take care of ourselves and each other because it’s going to be a long haul. Hopefully we’re all getting used to the idea that there isn’t a “back to normal.”
Even if there was a vaccine tomorrow, life in 2021 will be pretty different from life in 2019. And that could be the absolute best thing, if we do the work to rebuild our broken civic, social and economic lives with equity.
So I hope we do better than “get everything back to normal.” We owe it to our neighbors to do better than that. We will have to be strong in new ways, and there is a lot of work to do, but this isn’t the first time. And like before, we’ll do it by working together.
Please don’t hesitate to call—whether you want help with skill-building, writing projects, or a socially distant walk at sunset, I’m here.
Six feet apart, together!
Mary Kay