Author
Denis Mancevič, PhD
This is not a new issue, and despite greater awareness of the importance of communication, the situation has not significantly improved. But instead of constantly pointing fingers at leadership for “not recognizing the strategic importance of communication,” let’s ask ourselves: what can communicators do to secure the appropriate role and weight?
Strategic decisions strongly impact the broader operations of an organization. If communicators want to be part of these processes, they need to better understand the business goals, the business model, and the key factors affecting the organization. This means:
- Understanding annual reports and key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Understanding how the company creates value for its stakeholders.
- The ability to align business goals with communication strategies.
Every communicator should be able to interpret the key messages from the annual report, as it is there that the company's priority goals are reflected. Without this insight, it's difficult to argue the importance of communication in a way that business leadership will understand.
Communicators are great with words, but often weaker with numbers. However, the operations of every organization are strongly numbers driven. This means we need to understand fundamental financial indicators, be able to read balance sheets and income statements, and explain financial data in a way that holds communication value.
If we want to convince leadership of the importance of communication activities, we must be able to support our initiatives with data and numbers. Quality measurement of communication effectiveness (ROI) is a key argument through which we can prove our worth.
Every communicator should be able to interpret the key messages from the annual report, as it is there that the company's priority goals are reflected. Without this insight, it's difficult to argue the importance of communication in a way that business leadership will understand.
Every profession has its own language, filled with specialized terms and abbreviations. Management is no exception. If communicators don’t understand this language, it’s difficult to participate equally in strategic discussions. This naturally includes mastering basic business terms and abbreviations (e.g., EBITDA, ROI, NPV), as well as understanding concepts and matrices (business modeling, SWOT analyses, competitive advantages…) and adapting communication style to business counterparts.
Only when a communicator masters this language will leadership (possibly) perceive them as a relevant partner, not just as an operational executor of communication tasks.
Often, communicators wait for leadership to invite them to the table. However, if we don’t demonstrate that we understand the business, the numbers, and the language of management, that invitation may never come. Instead of passive waiting, we must proactively propose communication solutions that support business goals, engage in interdisciplinary projects within the organization, and increase our credibility through constant learning and education in the field of business.
Only when we, as professionals, can think strategically and argue our initiatives in a language that leadership understands will communicators finally secure the place they deserve.
Only when a communicator masters this language will leadership (possibly) perceive them as a relevant partner, not just as an operational executor of communication tasks.