I don’t know about y’all, but I have found it to be both fascinating and frustrating to closely follow coverage of both Covid-19 testing and vaccine rollouts. 

Here’s why: I’m admittedly a news junkie and love to stay informed and analyze coverage from a journalistic perspective since I studied journalism in college. I also love to observe and learn from what’s working well and what isn’t on the planning and communication fronts since these are in fact major events. And there are definitely some things that are working incredibly well and others that are not. I can’t go through a takeout line without subconsciously assessing processes, so I definitely can’t resist digging into large-scale events!

I’ve seen two major themes emerge in the past several months, specifically as it relates to vaccine rollouts. While these are unprecedented times and there’s a learning curve for everyone – as well as a number of variable factors impacting efficiency – those who are having more immediate success with their vaccine distribution seem to share these things in common: strategic advance planning and prioritization of clear and effective communication.

According to this article posted on CNN, in states more quickly and efficiently distributing the vaccine, strategic planning and communication have played critical roles in successful vaccine distribution. 

As an example, planning for vaccine distribution in South Dakota began in August, and “preparation not panic has been the key,” said Daniel Bucheli, director of communications for the state’s health department. 

Conversely, the vaccine rollout here in Georgia has been a bit rough. There are plenty of commentaries as to why that’s been the case, but this particular piece in the Atlanta Journal Constitution sums up the root issues that keep arising in almost all of the articles I’ve read regarding areas both inside and outside of Georgia that are having setbacks in distribution. A lack of strategic planning and a lack of effective communication are among the most pressing issues, which has resulted in operating in panic mode rather than being prepared out of the gate.  

I am so convinced that effective event and communication plans are equally integral to an event’s success that I even named my business to reflect that! We can see proof of that in nearly every event that we observe (good or bad), but it’s especially evident when we observe events on a large scale since the stakes are so high.

How do lessons learned from this small snapshot of large-scale events impact your planning? Here are some key takeaways: 

• Plan early and plan strategically. Don’t wait until the last minute to begin planning for something that you know is coming up. As stated above, PREPARE rather than PANIC.

• Make a plan that supports your primary goal. As an example: If your initial primary goal is to vaccinate citizens age 65 and older as quickly as possible, consider the most effective way to do that for that specific population. Your plan should look very different than if your goal is to vaccinate college students. 

• Create a strategic communication plan that aligns with your event goals and target audiences, sets expectations early and often, and clearly conveys key message points to all of your stakeholders to avoid confusion and unnecessary panic as they look forward to your event. 

• Plan for everything possible that is within your control, assuming that things will come up that you cannot anticipate or that are outside of your control – like vaccine doses not being delivered when, where or in the amounts originally promised. By having a solid plan as a foundation, you will be able to more effectively and quickly pivot to address unanticipated issues that arise.

I am so thankful for everyone who continues to work on the front lines of the pandemic, and the amount of planning, communication and hard work that is going into making vaccines available and accessible is astounding. Let’s learn from what could be done better, but let’s also learn from what has been done incredibly well in so many places. 

What events do you have coming up this year? I’d love to hear about them! And if you aren’t sure where or when to start in the planning process to plan in a way that leads to preparation rather than panic, feel free to reach out to me at rebecca@rebeccawaldrop.com. I’d love to help you get started in that process!

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