Communicating Differently
Going Virtual by Kristi Mink
by Christina Enriquez During a time of uncertain and unknown territory, what has helped me most is to look for something positive each day. This practice has forced me to stop and smell the roses. Now, I enjoy the little things in life more, like nature and spending some much-needed quality time with family. However, my job hasn’t slowed down one bit. As the Communications Associate at Pensacola Habitat for Humanity, I am tasked with communicating with the community. Due to social distancing, this has been a difficult task. “Living disconnected lives goes against human nature. We crave meaningful ties with each other and a sense of belonging. We just can’t be truly happy without these things—without a group of people who know us, ‘get’ us, and help us make sense of our lives. Vibrant communities bring people together. They’re filled with opportunities for civic engagement and social interaction.” –Quint Studer With that said, the communications team, composed of Kristin O’Bryan, Courtney Hawkins, and I have been exhausting all of our options to stay connected with the community and bringing people together. Zoom and Microsoft Teams have become our go-to ways to communicate virtually. It has been a challenge, but also added some spunk into what we do. We have had to think abstractly and to invent fresh new ideas for our new normal. Being in the communications field has shown me the importance of being versatile and ever-changing; this is nothing new. During COVID-19, my abilities have been put to the test, and I accept the challenges ahead. Change isn’t always a bad thing; as a team, our internal communications have become more robust. We are learning new and fun ways to execute our jobs. For example, on May 5th, we hosted a virtual HabiHour, where we had people from the community join us on a Zoom call with their favorite beverage. We got the chance to talk about all things Pensacola Habitat for Humanity and connect as a community. The Communications Team is planning to connect with YOU! Follow us on all our digital platforms for the most up to date information on what we are doing next.
COVID-19 has affected my life and work in different ways. I am big on health and fitness, so the biggest struggle for me personally has been adjusting and staying motivated with home workouts. Other than that, I am a big homebody, so my introvert side hasn’t minded the slower lifestyle. However, my work could not be more opposite. My job revolves around community engagement and large crowded gatherings. Although, community engagement is possible with our current situation, the cease of large gatherings has forced change. This has pushed me to look outside of the box and to produce unique ways of getting everyone together in this difficult time. Currently, I am planning a virtual Community Summit coming up in August, so be on the lookout for that very soon! Additionally, our Women Build event has already started with fundraising! I have a lot of fun virtual ideas for the Women Build Kickoff. Stay tuned! We will get through this together! Get Involved: womenbuild.pensacolahabitat.org Pensaco
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