Flack's Revenge

It’s hard to think of anything in our lifetimes that’s so taken over our lives and attention. We’re all trying to adapt, with the best minds tackling the Covid health and economic crises, and focused on getting us back to work and the “new normal,” whatever that means. Let alone life and senior insurance policies (like colonial insurance), hope has a new meaning altogether. So does health, life, and the term ‘normal’.

Our lives have become more online than ever before, with vital tasks now being completed over email rather than in person. Bosses may have had to go through leadership development training and revaluated their company procedures, due to the changes in how often we can meet up and speak to each other face to face. There is no doubt that the Zoom call has now become a normal part of our lives.

This trend has forced us to up our video games. It now seems like an amateur move to hide behind your avatar. You need to be on-screen and presentable, causing some of us to do the unthinkable like shower once a day and attend to personal grooming.

In other cases we have become less formal. Who puts on a suit for a Zoom meeting, even if you are trying to impress a business prospect?

The good news is that many formerly camera shy folks are learning to rock it on video. They’re cleaning their rooms and some are even using fancy virtual backgrounds. I am surprised no-one has come out with a way to really ham it up with Zoom, like integrate laugh tracks, other sound and visual effects (hint, hint, a good business idea?).

Happy birthday!

Um, is it? We have lowered our expectations for birthdays and more significant life events. Some are being postponed, done virtually, by a drive-by, or not at all.

“I can’t come to the phone” or “If you’re around…”

Where else are we going to be?!!! We are all here at home, dammit. The pandemic has been the bane of call screeners with fewer good excuses for those trying to dodge friends, family and calls.

Summer and Casual Fridays

We are now all casual, all the time. No need to let the troops avoid the city exodus on Friday afternoons in the summer when we are all working from home. Every day is a casual dress day.

Don’t try this at home

I love this catch phrase. But it has taken on a whole new meaning when we are all at home, all the time. Things we would have never thought of trying without leaving the house (like getting a haircut, grooming a pet) now get done at home, or not at all.

The company you keep

The pandemic has unfairly singled out businesses that service consumers. But even many B2B companies are getting hurt.

Those who serve other businesses must deliver results and prove value like never before. If you are good enough to do this, you may well just stand a chance and weather the Covid storm.

So, the words “the company you keep” (from the old NY Life Insurance commercials) have taken on new meaning.

Fusion PR is truly grateful for clients who continue to retain us; many have fought hard to keep the agency budget amidst other cuts.

The pandemic has affected everyone differently, where some may be adjusting just fine, others could be either grieving over the loss of loved ones or struggling to adjust to this new environment we now live in. Most people have had to change their working patterns. Some may have had to buy something similar to prefab sheds or make space in their houses for a home office. The usual nine to five work patterns have gone due to the removal of the professional office.

Meanwhile in countries that have suffered a severe case of the pandemic, there might be a rise in people having to look for alternative medications now that the doctors are possibly overwhelmed. In the UK for example more people might be looking for supplements with search terms similar to CBD gummies UK or hemp products for stress in the UK. This could be something also happening in other countries globally. The pandemic for many may have changed their outlook on how they cope with stress.

It’s also changed how we communicate. Every news cycle brings new ideas and words.

I don’t think we need a primer on newfangled terms blared in non-stop media coverage, like the word cloud here. Instead, in this post I focus on some of the stock phrases that have taken on new meaning.

How are you doing?

It used to be an innocuous (or insincere) way of starting a conversation. We’d say this and quickly move on; how many really cared? No one expected or wanted a long winded update.

A positive side of the pandemic is that “how are you doing’ is no longer a throwaway question. We really do want to know, and listen closely to the answers while sharing our own updates. The simple conversation starter has turned into a new way to bond and commiserate.

It’s also become emblematic of the state of small talk. Maybe a side benefit is that we will spend less time on verbal filler and more time getting into important things with the people we are holed up with and those we meet on Zoom.

That doesn’t mean every exchange has too be dramatic or dire. This NY Times article explains how to have a fun conversation again.

Let’s have a call or meeting

The Zoom conference has become synonymous with business calls and meetings (anyone who’s curious about how they zoomed to the top of web conferencing heap, see this CNBC story).

Our lives have become more online than ever before, with vital tasks now being completed over email rather than in person. Bosses may have had to go through leadership development training and revaluated their company procedures, due to the changes in how often we can meet up and speak to each other face to face. There is no doubt that the Zoom call has now become a normal part of our lives.

This trend has forced us to up our video games. It now seems like an amateur move to hide behind your avatar. You need to be on-screen and presentable, causing some of us to do the unthinkable like shower once a day and attend to personal grooming.

In other cases we have become less formal. Who puts on a suit for a Zoom meeting, even if you are trying to impress a business prospect?

The good news is that many formerly camera shy folks are learning to rock it on video. They’re cleaning their rooms and some are even using fancy virtual backgrounds. I am surprised no-one has come out with a way to really ham it up with Zoom, like integrate laugh tracks, other sound and visual effects (hint, hint, a good business idea?).

Happy birthday!

Um, is it? We have lowered our expectations for birthdays and more significant life events. Some are being postponed, done virtually, by a drive-by, or not at all.

“I can’t come to the phone” or “If you’re around…”

Where else are we going to be?!!! We are all here at home, dammit. The pandemic has been the bane of call screeners with fewer good excuses for those trying to dodge friends, family and calls.

Summer and Casual Fridays

We are now all casual, all the time. No need to let the troops avoid the city exodus on Friday afternoons in the summer when we are all working from home. Every day is a casual dress day.

Don’t try this at home

I love this catch phrase. But it has taken on a whole new meaning when we are all at home, all the time. Things we would have never thought of trying without leaving the house (like getting a haircut, grooming a pet) now get done at home, or not at all.

The company you keep

The pandemic has unfairly singled out businesses that service consumers. But even many B2B companies are getting hurt.

Those who serve other businesses must deliver results and prove value like never before. If you are good enough to do this, you may well just stand a chance and weather the Covid storm.

So, the words “the company you keep” (from the old NY Life Insurance commercials) have taken on new meaning.

Fusion PR is truly grateful for clients who continue to retain us; many have fought hard to keep the agency budget amidst other cuts.