Corporate Communication

Module 1: Introduction to

Corporate CommunicationLesson 1: Scope and Definition of Corporate Communication

Perhaps the best way to define corporate communication is to look at the way in which the function has developed in companies. Until the 1970s, practitioners had used the term ‘public relations’ to describe communication with stakeholders. This ‘public relations’ function, which was tactical in most companies, largely consisted of communication with the press. When other stakeholders, internal and external to the company, started to demand more information from the company, practitioners subsequently started to look at communication as being more than just ‘public relations’. This is when the roots of the new corporate communication function started to take hold. This new function came to incorporate a whole range of specialized disciplines, including corporate design, corporate advertising, internal communication to employees, issues and crisis management, media relations, investor relations, change communication and public affairs.

An important characteristic of the new function is that it focuses on the organization as a whole and on the important task of how an organization presents itself to all its key stakeholders, both internal and external. This broad focus is also reflected in the word ‘corporate’ in corporate communication. The word of course refers to the business setting in which corporate communication emerged as a separate function (alongside other functions such as human resources and finance). There is also an important second sense with which the word is being used.

‘Corporate’ originally stems from the Latin words for ‘body’ (corpus) and for ‘forming into a body’ (corporare), which emphasize a unified way of looking at ‘internal’ and ‘external’ communication disciplines. That is, instead of looking at specialized disciplines or stakeholder groups separately, the corporate communication function starts from the perspective of the ‘bodily’ organization as a whole when communicating with internal and external stakeholders.3 Corporate communication, in other words, can be characterized as a management function that is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the work done by communication practitioners in different specialist disciplines, such as media relations, public affairs and internal communication. Van Riel defines corporate communication as ‘an instrument of management by means of which all consciously used forms of internal and external communication are harmonized as effectively and efficiently as possible’, with the overall objective of creating ‘a favourable basis for relationships with groups upon which the company is dependent’.

Defined in this way, corporate communication obviously involves a whole range of ‘managerial’ activities, such as planning, coordinating and counselling the CEO and senior managers in the organization as well as ‘tactical’ skills involved in producing and disseminating messages to relevant stakeholder groups. Overall, if a definition of corporate communication is required, these characteristics can provide a basis for one:

Corporate communication is a management function that offers a framework for the effective

coordination of all internal and external communication with the overall purpose of establishing

and maintaining favourable reputations with stakeholder groups upon which the organization is

dependent.

One consequence of these characteristics of corporate communication is that it is likely to be complex in nature. This is especially so in organizations with a wide geographical range, such as multinational corporations, or with a wide range of products or services, where the coordination of communication is often a balancing act between corporate headquarters and the various divisions and business units involved.

However, there are other significant challenges in developing effective corporate communication strategies and programmes. Corporate communication demands an integrated approach to managing communication. Unlike a specialist frame of reference, corporate communication transcends the specialties of individual communication practitioners (e.g., branding, media relations, investor relations, public affairs, internal communication, etc.) and crosses these specialist boundaries to harness the strategic interests of the organization at large. Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman, the world’s largest independent PR agency, highlights the strategic role of corporate communication as follows: ‘we used to be the tail on the dog, but now communication is the organizing principle behind many business decisions’. The general idea is that the sustainability and success of a company depends on how it is viewed by key stakeholders, and communication is a critical part of building, maintaining, and protecting such reputations.

Lesson 2: Corporate Communication Theories

Communication consists of transmitting information from one person to another, Communication is a learned skill. Speaking, listening and the ability to understand verbal and nonverbal meanings are skills in communication. Communication theories are the key to fully understanding the communication process. Communication is known as the sharing of information, thoughts, and ideas, communication technology can be thought of as the use of knowledge, tools, and skills for the purpose of facilitating communication and also making it easier, more economical, and more efficient.

As Communication is the base for what ever we do, we would not be able to do even the everyday things that we do on a daily basis. When it comes to the work world, whether it’s a small family run company, or a giant corporation, communication is the only way to run a business smoothly. Without effective communication, messages can get mixed, and information can be skewed. I think that everyone should learn about these models and about effective ways to communicate, because it doesn’t matter where you are, or what you are doing, communication is a constant part of everyone’s lives.

Many authors and researchers divide communication by what they sometimes called "contexts" or "levels", but which more often represent institutional histories. There are many different views on every communication theory, but there are different views given by different Theorists regarding communication theory. The few important theorist of communication theory are

Harold Lasswell- Wilbur Schramm- Claude Shannon- Bruce Westley & Malcolm MacLean- Lawrence Kincaid

Harold LASSWELL defines communication has

"who says what to whom in what channel with what effect,"

Schramm’s model

Wilbur Schramm (1954) was one of the first to alter the mathematical model of Shannon and Weaver. He conceived of decoding and encoding as activities maintained simultaneously by sender and receiver; he also made provisions for a two-way interchange of messages. Notice also the inclusion of an “interpreter” as an abstract representation of the problem of meaning.

Classical Communication Models

1. Aristotle’s definition of rhetoric. Ehninger, Gronbeck and Monroe: One of the earliest definitions of communication came from the Greek philosopher-teacher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.).

- “Rhetoric” is “the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion” (Rhetoric 1335b).

- Aristotle’s speaker-centered model received perhaps its fullest development in the hands of Roman educator Quintilian (ca. 35-95 A.D.), whose Institutio Oratoria was filled with advice on the full training of a “good” speaker-statesman.

These are various communication theories explained by different people. Harold Lasswell explained the communication model in 1948. He explained the model by “who says what to whom in what channel with what effect”. Shannon & Weaver’s model was introduced in 1949. They are known as the fathers of information theories and they have focused on the noise source in communication. Schramm’s first model was introduced in 1954 and focused on signal. He has also introduced the second model with field of experience. He has also introduced the third model with feedback. He was known as the founder of information studies.

Katz and Lazarsfeld’s model was introduced in 1955. It was the first model to deal with mass media and communication. The Westley-Maclean model was introduced with mass media and communication in organization.

Kincaid’s Model

At last, Kincaid’s convergence model was introduced in1979 and included mutual understanding. It is a cyclic model. All of these models are very useful in organization. These models are useful to offer

convenient ways to think, to provide graphical checklists and to change to mass communications methods.

Lesson 3: Corporate Communication Specialist

Introduction:Information and Communication campaign involves a diversity of functions. The people who do the work of public relations, that is PR practitioners, do different kinds of work, and they are a multitude indeed. Nevertheless, these functions are interrelated and are directed towards the achievement of a singular goal: the creation of mutual understanding between organisations and their publics.

The Information/Communication campaign specialist is responsible for all dissemination of news and information to the media and the public.  Information and communication is about managing reputation. This career field aims to gain understanding and support for clients as well as to influence opinion and behavior.

Discussion:Information/Communication specialists use all forms of media and communication to build, maintain and manage the reputation of organizations ranging from public bodies or services to businesses and voluntary organizations. They communicate key messages, often using third party endorsements, to defined target audiences in order to establish and maintain goodwill and understanding between an organization and its public.

Information/Communication specialists monitor publicity and conduct research to find out the concerns and expectations of an organization's stakeholders. They then report and explain the findings to its management.

Information/Communication specialist s provide and communicate information for the public and the media about the company or organization they represent. They direct, administer, monitor, and evaluate the company’s program of public information for appropriateness in representing the firm or organization. They prepare and generate press releases, commendations, resolutions, reports, newsletters, brochures, and other written material and information for public consumption, as well as other publications regarding the company’s products and/or services. They generate positive news pieces about the company or organization, placing them in newspapers, on the Internet, in other publications deemed

appropriate, and on television and radio. They keep management updated on pertinent issues that relate to the company and that might result from media exposure. They prepare management’s responses to probable questions from the media on matters concerning the policies and practices of the organization or company.

The single most important task of the Information/Communication specialist is to sustain ongoing and effective relations with all the media, establishing a sense of trust with its members. Trust is crucial in getting across a message or projecting an image to the public. They must be capable of responding immediately – or within a set period – to any and all questions from the press. They also tutor company executives on effective methods for handling media interviews.Information/Communication specialist must keep up to date on all news developments that might affect their employers in order to act quickly and effectively to shield management from unfavorable publicity, or to capitalize on positive exposure. Depending upon the circumstances, they may be responsible for providing top management with daily news clips (or Internet printouts) and analyses.

In addition, they may coordinate special events relating to the public relations of their employer. They may plan, organize, and arrange meetings on-site for dissemination of information to the public and the media. They may also be involved in the establishment and maintenance of the look and content of the company’s Web site to maximize its marketing impact, as well as update and ensure the accuracy of the information. In many cases, the Public Information Officer may also write speeches and create the scripts for slide or digital photographic shows concerning the company, or produce other promotional literature.

Most officers supervise a staff of one or more assistants, although in smaller companies they may have only secretarial help. Depending upon the size and complexity of the company, this position may be a mid-level one or a top position at the firm.

Typical work activitiesAn Information/Communication specialist often works in-house and can be found in both the private and public sectors: from the utility and media sectors to voluntary and not-for-profit organizations. Some Information/Communication specialist may be based in consultancies.The role is very varied and will depend on the organization and sector. Tasks typically involve:

planning, developing and implementing PR strategies;

liaising with colleagues and key spokespeople; liaising with and answering enquiries from media, individuals and other

organizations, often via telephone and email; researching, writing and distributing press releases to targeted media; collating and analyzing media coverage; writing and editing in-house magazines, case studies, speeches, articles and annual

reports; preparing and supervising the production of publicity brochures, handouts, direct

mail leaflets, promotional videos, photographs, films and multimedia programs; devising and coordinating photo opportunities; organizing events including press conferences, exhibitions, open days and press

tours; maintaining and updating information on the organisation's website; sourcing and managing speaking and sponsorship opportunities; commissioning market research; fostering community relations through events such as open days and through

involvement in community initiatives; managing the PR aspect of a potential crisis situation.

Lesson 4: The Corporate Communication Department

Corporate Communication draws from several disciplines, including communication, business and sociology. Organizational functions of corporate communications are those activities that protect or enhance a company's reputation. Societal functions of corporate communications, in contrast, are activities performed by an organization that benefit the larger community, such as a public service campaign or stakeholder relations. Successful corporate communications include both organizational and societal functions.Media Relations

Representing an organization to the media is a common organizational function of public relations. Media relations includes drafting and distributing news releases, fielding media requests and organizing news conferences. Media relations includes local, regional and national news, as well as trade publications and journals. Reaching

out to industry bloggers or online writers, as well as monitoring what's being said in cyberspace, may also be part of media relations.

Employee CommunicationRepresenting an organization to its internal audience, such as employees or members, is an organizational function of public relations that supports productivity, morale and audience understanding of the organization's mission. Duties include crafting and distributing internal newsletters; creating and maintaining internal websites; and monitoring information that employees or members may tweet or upload to a social media website. Other tasks may include drafting remarks for management to deliver as part of a weekly email, scheduling monthly meetings or organizing annual retreats. Internal communication also includes creating a feedback loop so that members can deliver feedback to management.

Communications ResearchInvestigating the probability of an advertising campaign's success or a new product's acceptance often falls to the public relations department. Communication research can be qualitative, quantitative or a combination of the two. The most common forms of public relations research include focus groups, surveys and interviews.

Crisis CommunicationPreparing an organization to communicate before, during and after a crisis is an organizational function of public relations that can protect or save a company's reputation. Crisis communication management duties include designating an official spokesperson and outlining key messages and procedures in advance. Shrewd crisis communications managers review and analyze case studies from industry- and non-industry- related events and continually update crisis plans with lessons learned.

Experienced corporate communications agencies have formulation press releases into which they can plug the company news, as well as a targeted list of publications for their industry. certain areas.

The corporate communications department is to enhance a company’s reputation. Staff that work in information and communication department s, or as it is commonly known, PR, are skilled publicists. They are able to present a company or individual to the world in the best light. The role of a public relations department can be seen as a reputation protector.

The business world of today is extremely competitive. Companies need to have an edge that makes them stand out from the crowd, something that makes them more appealing and interesting to both the public and the media. The public are the buyers of the product and the media are responsible for selling it.

corporate communications provide a service for the company by helping to give the public and the media a better understanding of how the company works. Within a company, public relations can also come under the title of public information or customer relations. These departments assist stakeholders if they have any problems with the company. They are usually the most helpful departments, as they exist to show the company at their best.