[IABC] Strategic communication starts with thinking strategically

What started out as a soft skills session - mastering essential communication skills - turned into a fiery debate about the basic skills needed to be an effective communicator. The panel was facilitated by Wilma Mathews, ABC, IABC Fellow from the United States, and panellists included Ron Fuchs, Roche Corporate Communications, Switzerland; Jennifer Wah, ABC, from Forwords Communication in Canada; and Becky Cahn, ABC, from the Donaldson Company in the United States.

By the end of the session, it was clear that among the core skills communicators need is, ironically, the ability to communicate themselves. Far too many communication processes are lost because the critical strategic planning phase is not followed. It was well argued that a back-to-basics approach would be far more effective in creating a solid communication plan. That, coupled with teamwork, innovation and cross-departmental liaison would help ensure communicators are not operating in isolation, and driving the organisation towards a common purpose.

CSI - good governance and a must have

A special general session was hosted with the co-founder of Free the Children, Craig Kielburger, who shared his insights on sustainability, and what corporates can do to facilitate more involvement with their staff. He noted that while many companies around the world already have sound sustainability reporting, many do not; and among those who do, staff are not always involved in the organisation's initiatives.

Free The Children is an international development and youth empowerment organisation that has built more than 500 schools in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The philosophy they developed over the years of working with the children is called 'Me to We'. The subject even made it as a New York Times bestselling book. He believes companies need to take that philosophy and adapt it to a corporate environment.

Kielburger says that by committing and connecting the workplace community to its community people will be happier, more productive and engaged, as well as dedicated and more brand-loyal themselves. He says that to achieve this, the company needs to ensure that its communication is flowing in one direction and is able to tie all levels of employees together to drive them towards a common goal. This means they all aspire to the same things at a business level and commit themselves to adding value.

Who's among the 17%?

Today, according to CorporateRegister.com, more than 3300 organizations produced CSR reports in 2008 - leaving many who do not. A recent Economist survey has revealed that 83% of CEOs believe sustainability reporting improves business performance. This begs the question - who are the 17% who do not?

Reporting on a company's suitability builds solid relationships with all stakeholders - especially internal audiences. The iterative communication process and other stakeholder interactions create strong ties between an organisation and various audience groupings. Further, working on sustainable development with internal audiences helps build leadership in the market and traction. One of the primary reputational priorities organisations have today is their CSR initiatives. The tactical challenge is to integrate sustainability into an organisation - an area that requires solid communication principles to bring people on board voluntarily.

Communication effectiveness is not that same as being efficient

The topic of measurement was raised once again, this time through a strategic and practical session that addressed the need to improve communication activities and show how effective internal communication is a key business driver.

Sheryl Lewis, managing director of ROI Communication in the United States stressed the importance of measuring communication effectiveness and its need to be part of a solid communication strategy.

For measurement to be effective, results must be displayed against a baseline that is used as a common reference point. Without a benchmark, it is near impossible to determine the relative success of a campaign, platform or strategy. An audience member highlighted that many communicators are restrained by budget and use their gut feel, or limit themselves to measuring the success of the content or platforms being used, without any scientific methodology in assessing behavioural shift.

To determine the success of a measurement strategy, a number of foundation questions can be asked:
1. Do you have a sound measurement strategy in place with five-year incremental goals and milestones against which you can assess yourself and hold yourself accountable?
2. How often do you measure the three key communication tiers? How often do you measure impact?
3. Have you invested in a baseline employee engagement survey to determine current climate; and aligned that to desired culture? Have you shared these with staff through the platforms you have?
4. Do you use your leadership to communicate key messages? If so, is it a primary point of contact or is it a 'catch net', as it should be? This will directly influence the measurement model based on perceptions.
5. How often do you conduct a communications audit, and do you action on the results you obtain?

In South Africa, it is no secret that communicators face a tough challenge - and that is usually getting C-Suite buy-in to communication. Without it, corporate communication managers are left with little power to make a real difference. More on this will be available on the Talk2Us website, www.talk2us.co.za, in mid-June.

These strategic skills and measurement capabilities take the profession one step closer to being seen as a critical part of the organisation. When the board or exco is presented with tangible facts; solid and accurate measurement that objectively portrays the degree to which communication is effective in the organisation; and a methodologically sound communication process, their perceptions of communication as a 'soft skill' change. Add to this the ability to quantify and put a rand value to communication activity, as per the models presented here at the IABC Conference, and we could find ourselves as a turning point that shift perceptions and makes communication heard, and accountable.