Integrating Trauma-Informed Principles Into Your Internal Communications & Workplace Culture
Author and therapist Resmaa Menakem defines trauma as “a thing or things that happened either too much, too soon, too fast, or for too long without something being attended to by something reparative or healing.” Trauma is common and pervasive and can impede an individualâs health, creativity, focus, and ability to thrive in the workplace. Nearly 60% of American men and 50% of women have experienced at least one trauma in their lives (National Center for PTSD). Itâs the root cause of so many of our nationâs most pressing challenges (e.g., substance misuse and suicide) and prevalent public health challenges, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure. Leaders have a unique opportunity to create an environment where everyone feels safe, valued, and empowered. By weaving trauma-informed practices into culture, you can foster supportive workplaces that fuel your entire teamâs well-being and success. Healing and resiliency are built in healthy connections and relationships, and to create a trauma-informed workplace, consider how SAMHSA’s principles can be better integrated into your organization: Safety: Ensure your workplace is physically and emotionally safe for all team members, which includes fostering a culture of respect and inclusivity. Create spaces where team members can book private rooms for decompression or quiet work. Offer regular, anonymous workplace safety surveys that include emotional and psychological safety questions. Trustworthiness & Transparency: Build trust with your team by being transparent in your communications and decision-making processes. Provide clear expectations and follow through on your commitments to foster a sense of reliability and trust. Establish a “Reverse Mentoring” program where junior team members mentor leadership on current workplace challenges and perspectives. Peer Support: Encourage and facilitate peer support networks within your organization. This can include resource groups, mentorship programs, and opportunities for folks to connect and share their experiences. Collaboration & Mutuality: Foster a culture of collaboration and mutuality, where team members are encouraged to work together and support one another. Involve them in decision-making processes and seek their input and feedback to promote a sense of ownership and investment in the organization. Empowerment, Voice & Choice: Empower your team by providing opportunities for professional development, skill-building, and career advancement. Encourage them to use their voice and provide choices in how they engage with their work and the organization. Cultural, Historical & Gender Issues: Be mindful of your teamâs diverse backgrounds and experiences. Ensure your workplace culture is inclusive, equitable, and respectful of cultural, historical, and gender differences. Embracing the trauma-informed approach isnât a one-time exerciseâitâs a commitment to an ongoing and constantly developing process of building upon your teamâs strengths while mitigating challenges. We believe these practices provide a more collaborative and thoughtful environment for all employees, regardless of background or circumstance. One could think of these approaches as beneficial to their entire workforce rather than a âfixâ for those affected by trauma. If youâre ready to get started, please contact us today. GO DEEPER: Toolkit: Trauma-Informed Workplaces (Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice) Guide: Trauma-Informed Meetings, Discussions & Conversations (Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice) (AI Disclaimer: proofed by Grammarly and lightly edited using Claude)
Navigating the Ethical Landscape of AI in Communications and Marketing
As communications and marketing professionals, we’ve watched with fascination as artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed our industry. From chatbots to content generation tools, AI is undeniably powerful in helping streamline processes, boost productivity, enhance creativity, and improve audience engagement. The marketplace has been proliferated with tools and apps promising MAGICAL results (the symbol most companies are using to denote AI is magic sparkles â¨). However, in many respects, the use of AI is more like a Magic 8 Ball than what you see in demos. The good news is that humans are still very much needed, at least for now. And as we’ve experimented with these technologies, we’ve also grappled with the complex ethical questions and challenges they raise for communicators and marketers. It has become clear that technology vendors are less concerned with ethics as they iterate and expand the features of their products. One glaring example is Open AIâs new voice assistant sounding eerily similar to actress Scarlett Johannson even after she declined their offer. Indeed, much of the reference materials fed into the large language models (LLMs) that AI platforms are built on were done so without the permission of the content owners/creators. While those instances are not the primary subject of this post, they leave those of us who use these platforms with a sense of caveat emptor when using them. With all that in mind, here are the several concerns organizations should keep in mind while considering the ethical use of AI: BIAS & INACCURACIES: AI algorithms are only as good as the data they are trained on, and they can perpetuate biases and inaccuracies if not carefully designed and monitored. AI tools scrape the Internet for content and canât always decipher what is true or outdated information. In some cases, AI has shown a tendency to âhallucinateâ, which is the cute term for simply making things up. This occurs in some categories more than others. For instance, a recent legal case was tossed because a lawyer used ChatGPT to draft a legal argument. You should never simply copy and paste an AI’s first draft because the generated content could be biased, inaccurate, or misaligned with your brand’s voice and messaging goals. TL:DR: Always proof and verify AIâs outputs. LIMITED CREATIVITY & EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: While they can assist with data analysis, content optimization, and basic design tasks, they cannot replace a humanâs strategic thinking, intuition, empathy, and contextual understanding. The quality of the output depends heavily on the quality of the input. Learning effective prompting techniques makes a substantial difference in the generated content’s relevance, coherence, and overall usefulness. We recommend a deep dive into every AI toolâs features, because some can display bias when asked questions regarding emotional or social issues, while others are tuned to display humor. TL:DR: Learn the differences and features of AI tools, and donât cut corners on ideation and creativity into your prompts. TRANSPARENCY: It is essential to be transparent about using AI and not mislead people into thinking they are interacting with a human (e.g., on a chatbot) or engaging with wholly original content (e.g., art created on Midjourney). Failing to disclose the use of AI can erode trust and damage your reputation. For example, we use Grammarly and Claude AI to proofread and lightly edit our blogs, which we disclose in each post. Lack of disclosure also risks an âuncanny valleyâ response, which denotes when the receiver (e.g., reader, viewer, etc.) detects artificial-ness of the content, and it can provoke an instant feeling of revulsion. TL:DR: Always disclose the use of AI tools. DATA PRIVACY & SECURITY: AI tools often rely on vast amounts of data to learn and improve, and this can include sensitive personal information. Communicators and marketers must ensure that they collect, use, and store data ethically and securely and are transparent about how data is used. Organizations are broadly discouraged from uploading private and/or proprietary data to AI applications. TL:DR: Do your homework, and read the fine print to protect your audiencesâ data, privacy, and security.. ACCOUNTABILITY & RESPONSIBILITY: If an AI tool generates content that is ultimately inaccurate, offensive, or harmful, who is responsible? Is it the creator of the AI tool, the organization using the tool, or the individual who approved the content? For now, the buck stops with humans, and we must manage (rather than rely) on AI tools to ensure weâre serving our audiences accordingly. TL:DR: Good intentions are not enoughâhumans are ultimately responsible for the impact of AI tools on their audiences. The AI revolution is exciting, and we must stay alert and adaptable. Our north star must always be doing right by our audiences. If you need help choosing the right communications and marketing AI tools for your team or project, weâd love to strategize ethical solutions and train your team! GO DEEPER: 8 Questions About Using AI Responsibly, Answered (Harvard Business Review) AI Will Give Office Workers More Time to âCreate, Dream and Innovateâ (Financial Review) AI automated discrimination. Hereâs how to spot it. (Vox) The âEnergy Transitionâ Wonât Happen (City Journal) (AI disclaimer: proofed by Grammarly and lightly edited using Claude)
The Power of Trauma-Informed Communications & Marketing: Why CEOs Must Embrace This Approach
Trauma is a pervasive issue that affects people from all walks of life, with research suggesting that 60% of men and 50% of women experience at least one trauma in their lives (National Center for PTSD, 2022). Without support and resources, trauma can negatively impact your health, well-being, and quality of life. There is no quick fix because it impacts people in different ways at different times, and itâs rooted in some of our nationâs most pervasive challenges, including substance misuse, intergenerational poverty, and community violence. Paradigm shift Thankfully, there is a growing recognition that we canât solve problems with the same thinking that created them. And thatâs where the trauma-informed approach enters the conversation. More than a buzzword, itâs a commitment to an ongoing (and ever-evolving) approach to acknowledging the prevalence of trauma, promoting transformational resilience, and fostering a supportive/inclusive environment. How does this apply to the world of communications? (i.e., marketing, public relations, crisis communications, graphic design, messaging, content creation, social media, community engagement, podcast/video production, etc.) It flips the outdated model of using fear, shock, scarcity, click/ragebait, and violence to capture our targeted audiencesâ attention. It admits that the âif it bleeds, it leadsâ local news strategy harms society more than it helps. And it reconciles with the fact that âbuy this to make you happyâ messaging is actually making more and more people miserable. Take Appleâs recent iPad commercial. Many people (myself included) thought it was tone deaf and dystopian. It was trying to brag about how many tools fit in an iPadâand yet, the imagery was of Big Tech, literally destroying things that set humanity apart from the natural world and make life worth living. Universal tools that have served us for millennia, including musical instruments and art. Some may point out that itâs garnered 2.3 million views on its official YouTube channel, so mission accomplished. I say thatâs short-sighted and antiquated. Imagine, instead, a commercial showing people worldwide using these tools throughout history with a split screen of a modern person practicing the same activity on their iPad. How would that make you feel about choosing Apple products? (And a reminder that Apple fully understands and knows how to execute this type of commercial.) If your targeted audiences are healing from or working through traumatic experiences, utilizing an antiquated communications approach may grab short-term attention, but it may also erode long-term trust, loyalty, and engagement. Trauma-informed communications can demonstrate a brand’s commitment to understanding and supporting its audience’s well-being. When your audience feels seen, heard, and valued, they are likelier to engage, which is essential for building lasting relationships and driving meaningful growth. How do we get there? The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides a framework for understanding and responding to the impact of trauma on individuals and communities. Their six principles (safety, trustworthiness/transparency, peer support, collaboration/mutuality, empowerment/voice/choice, and cultural/historical/gender issues) can be integrated into any organization, system, sector, or industry, including communications. A few tips include: Fully represent the communities you serve in your messaging and design by creating a sense of physical and emotional safety Always provide accurate and empathetic information (i.e., meet your audience where they are) Use inclusive language Avoid gratuitous content, sensationalism, and exploitation Avoid greenwashing and propaganda and instead communicate your value proposition with transparency and authenticity Focus on storytelling âheroesâ over âvillainsââcall in rather than out Highlight stories of lived experiences who have overcome adversity (SEE ALSO: Helpful tips for sharing lived experiences) Provide accessible options for your audience to communicate with you and provide feedback Be transparent about your data collection and privacy practices, and provide easy-to-understand information about how personal data is used Provide resources and information that empower your audience to make informed choices Educate yourself and your team on the cultural and historical context of the communities/audiences you serve In the coming months, we’ll publish blogs that cover each tip in-depth with real-world examples. Trauma-informed communications is not just a trend or a box to check but a fundamental shift in how we approach story-telling and advocacy. Itâs an ongoing process of learning and refining your tactics to create a more inclusive, empowering, and authentic relationship with your audience, fostering deeper connections and brand loyalty. If you’re ready to take the first step in integrating trauma-informed principles into your organization’s communications, contact us today to learn how we can help you create a more resilient and impactful brand. Go deeper Podcast: The Importance Of Strength-Based, Trauma-Informed And Inclusive Marketing (Managing Marketing) (AI Disclaimer: proofed by Grammarly and lightly edited using Claude)
