CORPORATE COMMUNICATION IN DIGITAL AGE

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION IN DIGITAL AGE

Five rules of corporate communications

In the meantime, corporate leaders can do their part to improve how their companies communicate. Here are five steps to take

Recruit talented, senior-level, Communications executives with solid business skills and keep knowledge of company’s products and processes. According to David Moyer, president of the executive search firm Moyer, Sherwood Associates, Inc, which specialized in corporate communications and PR, the challenges of the role now make it more essential for candidates to hold an MBA.

However, companies need to give communications chiefs the tittles, reporting relationships, access and resources to be effective companywide. And that means investing senior communication s roles for the short term. Communications professionals like to tout their ability to be quick studies. But it can take years to be studies. But it can take years to truly known a company’s business, and communication person without the right level of industry knowledge won’t get the respect it takes to do an effective job. Being the perpetual new kid on block is strategic liability.

Learn to trust and understand the communications function. Management cant away with listening to its communication leaders with half an ear. Companies need to learn more about communications and the communications consequence of their actions and not treat it like foreign language, urges Moyer. Others wise they will end up spending too much time mopping up after crisis as opposed to preempting them. Not only can that be tremendously expensive, but communication blunders can do real damage to company brands.

Let communications leaders advise and educate the public’s, if corporations need to listen better to their communications leaders, then the reverse is also true. Communications exes need to help other leaders understanding why they’re important.” Good communication chiefs recognize that one leg of their job is representing communications chief to senior management, says Moyer. “They can point to communications person needs to do this”

Eliminate command and control communications,” the best companies are transparent, and when they are wrong, they promptly admit it rather than hide behind corporate speak,” Clack says closing ranks can be dangerous in the digital age, but it’s a most common reaction when things go wrong. Apologize, take responsibility, and do what necessary to right the wrong. Company should not compound their problems by obfuscating or denying responsibility for problems, that simply drags out the story and ensures it will be at the top  of the news headlines and feed for days and week to come.

Let employees be ambassadors, do not gag them on social media. Smart far sighted companies recognize that if employees are using social media anyway you might as well tap that power. Give the information about company’s vision and mission, goals and what its doing, and allow them to spread that positive message onl.ine. They will have far more credibility among their friends and contact that your official brand page ever could.

However, the way an organization communicates can be the difference between success and failure.

(By Msechu Leah, BAPRM 42699)