The communications officer often finds that he/she is the orphan child in the organisation. The fight for identity is ongoing, and unless there is a crisis to be managed, many communications officers have a limited role to play, compiling and distributing (often badly-written) press releases if and when there is something to say about the company.

However, business has been forced to make fundamental changes to its approach to the management and governance of communication between all stakeholders, and along with this to re-think the role of communications. Without clear, unambiguous, simple communiqués to all stakeholders, communicators from the CEO down run the risk of being misunderstood or even ignored. Good writing lies at the heart of any company strategy and should never be passed off as “that’s just another press release, let it go”.

No leadership style in any company can be accomplished without widespread acceptance of communication in business as a strategic partner to top management. Too often there is little or no knowledge or acknowledgement of variances in language and culture; communiqués are written in “hi-falutin’” English which means nothing to the cleaner on the factory floor.

What has been noticed recently, though, is a global paradigm shift to the recognition of the interests of all company stakeholders, whether at management or staff level, and the necessity of building relationships with those stakeholders. There is also a strong movement from Corporate Social Investment to Corporate Social Responsibility, and these are by no means the same thing.

The primary stakeholder in any organisation is the CEO. Very often there is no sense of alignment between the enterprise strategy of management regarding media, and the demands of executives in that same regard. The executive attitude is: “The newspapers are there, go out and use them – and produce the release in an hour, please”! Too often called in at the 11th hour, the communicator is asked to do things that have no real alignment with what their function should be. And too often they respond, because they have not developed the background, language skills or strength to say “No, that’s wrong”.

How do those in the communications industry change the thinking of management? Communicators need to play both a reflective and an educative role in our organisation, reflective meaning that in the arena of communicative management the communicator has a major role to play in assessing, analysing and reporting accurately, concisely and readably on the reaction of stakeholder groups in the organisation. The executive floor must understand how to communicate strategy and policy through appropriate language to those on the shop floor, and be aware of the importance and enthusiasm of every staff member in the implementation of that strategy. It’s essential also for management (from CEO downwards) to be aware of and empathetic to the opinions and needs of employees and stakeholders. And it’s only the communications officer who is able to introduce and maintain this vital two-way information channel – through the level of understanding of the language skills of all involved.

Diversity, of course, is an issue in any company today. Fifteen years after the advent of democracy, some well-respected organisations still battle with diversity, and it is imperative that any company’s strategic communication initiatives include diversity as a communication tool. In South Africa today, diversity means culture and language, but the communicator needs to be particularly sensitive to avoid stereotyping; in other words, to ask people how they perceive themselves, not to assume general culture attributes in individuals. Antiracism and assimilation have often failed in business today, and it is multiculturalism and the understanding and acceptance of difference which should drive communication strategies; the vital tool is the language used to communicate these.

So how does the aspirant communicator cope with the many-faceted objectives of the position?

Firstly, by becoming educated in all aspects of the company. The communicator must be a confident spokesperson in management strategy and in all areas of importance to the business. If this takes a few months after joining the company, then so be it; the time will be well spent.

Secondly, by bridging the divide between the executive floor and the general staff. There should be a clear communications strategy in the company, of which all must be made aware, with the communicator the conduit between stakeholders.

The compelling message now is that it is up to communicators to ensure that their position in business becomes strategically relevant to the company, and that their influence, the value added by their function and their ability to communicate to even the almost illiterate, is seen to be substantial.

This is an edited version of an article originally published by Media Toolbox.