Communicating Differently

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.