The Communicator

2010 was – by most accounts – a rather uneventful year. And while there were certainly a fair share of scandals (such as WikiLeaks and the BP debacle), the world pretty much got on with the task of rebuilding national, business and personal balance sheets. 

2011 will likely be much the same, as both companies and individuals take stock of their finances and reassess their strategies for the future. A slow and largely ‘jobless’ economic recovery will mean that everyone – especially professional communicators – will be expected to do a lot more with a lot less. And while companies will likely start to loosen their purse-strings (particularly for projects that demonstrate bottom-line benefits) towards the middle of the year, communicators will still need to focus on working more efficiently to meet their targets and objectives. 

So how will all this affect professional communicators? This week, we take a look at what (in our humble opinion) will be some of the top issues for our industry in 2011. And, with a nod to the mantra ‘do more with less’, this year we’re offering eleven topics rather than the usual ten. So, in no particular order, here are our Top 11 Communications Issues for 2011: 

1. Being more productive: While workloads will almost certainly increase for communicators, don’t expect to add any staff this year. Instead, most communicators will be looking for ways to work better, smarter and more efficiently to achieve their goals without killing their work-life balance. Click here for 4 tips to becoming more productive.  
2. Formalizing roles and defining responsibilities: This year, communicators will focus on the areas where they can add the most value, rather than trying to do everything at once. Look for a rise in the use of Service Level Agreements and formal role definitions.  Click here to see the 5 steps to formalizing roles and defining responsibilities.
3. Communicating with mobile audiences: It seems that almost everyone has a smart phone or e-reader these days. As consumers and audiences migrate more of their communications activities onto mobile devices, professional communicators will need to pick up new skills and strategies to make the most of these new channels. Find out what the top five challenges will be here.
4. Managing social media cynicism: The honeymoon is over. As the most popular social media sites (particularly Facebook and Twitter) slowly tip the scale from social to commercial, audiences will become more cynical, creating new challenges for communicators in this sphere. Find out what they are here.
5. Coaching executives: The past year did highlight one fact quite significantly – most executives need better crisis and communications training. Whether they ask for it or not, communicators will increasingly focus on coaching executives on how to stay cool under pressure and stick to key messages. Click here to find out how.
6. Cutting through complexity: Over the past few years – particularly as a result of the recent economic turmoil – businesses have grown increasingly complex. Communicators will have to become much more adept at breaking down complex concepts if they expect to have any real impact internally or externally. For a few quick and easy strategies, check out this article.  
7. Working with new audiences: Long gone are the simple days where communicators worried about a core group of audiences (media, customers, employees and executives). This year, plan to spend significantly more time on new and influential audiences such as environmental groups, transparency watchdogs and local influencers.
8. Getting the most from suppliers: Communicators will start to put increasing pressure on their suppliers in an effort to pass on the ‘do more with less’ approach to business. Look for pricing pressures, value guarantees and even some risk-sharing over the next year, as communicators search for the best supplier for their needs.  
9. Writing to differentiate: No matter how fast technology moves or what new devices are offered on the market, one thing always remains a constant: the written word. Indeed, with a proliferation of new communications channels, most communicators will find that their corporate writing style is about the only thing that really differentiates them from their competition.  
10. Updating websites: Now that some of the web2.0 technologies have come of age, many communications professionals will find themselves spending more time working with IT to update their website content and tailor their architecture to respond to new audiences and technologies. 
11. Reducing environmental footprints: As one of the most prolific users of paper in most offices (with the possible exceptions of Marketing and Legal), communications professionals will start to take a closer look at their environmental footprints, creating programs that both protect the environment and stand as an example to peers, customers and suppliers.  

How will communicators deal with these issues? Stay tuned over the next few months as we explore each of these issues in more depth. Each week, we’ll try to offer some insight, as well as actionable tips and tools to help communicators navigate through the challenges ahead. Coming up next week: Being more productive. 

Not confident in our predictions? See how we measured up to last year’s Top 10 for 2010 forecast. 

Need to create remarkable content this year? Contact Peter at Peter@CommunicationsUnlimited.ca.