Corporate communication can be defined as the flow of information from an organization to its stakeholders. Stakeholders can be both internal and external - employees, shareholders will form part of internal stakeholders and channel partners, vendors, contractors, media and general public will form part of external stake holders.
The objective of corporate communication is to manage all internal and external communications effectively to create a favorable image in front of its stakeholders on which the company depends. It is very crucial for an organization to manage its corporate communication in an effective manner to exhibit integrity, ethics and credibility. It is through corporate communication that an organization explains its ethics, core values, mission and vision to all its stakeholders.
The success of corporate communication is dependent on the following:
Speed of communication: The speed at which critical information is distributed is very critical for successful corporate communication.
Medium of communication: Keeping in mind the technology advancement it is very critical for organizations to use the appropriate technology (email, Skype, Video Conferencing etc) for corporate communication.
Information Overload: Sharing too much information beyond requirement or sharing information that is very trivial will hamper the success of corporate communication.
Time Pressures: When time bound communication is made to its stakeholders the organization should give adequate time for completion of the tasks by stakeholders otherwise it will result in an ineffective communication.
Frequency of communication: Too many communications in a short frame of time will become a barrier in itself as the stakeholders will not be able to grasp the complete information effectively.
Accuracy of information: It is imperative to maintain accuracy of information at all times. Also the organization should communicate consistent message across the stakeholders.
Language and Culture: In today’s globalization era, organizations have offices in most part of the world. The language and cultural barriers impact corporate communication in a big way.
Effective solutions for improving Corporate Communication:
Technology: Appropriate technology should be chosen based on the type of information to be disseminated to its stakeholders. Sensitive information should always be shared by arranging face-to-face meetings. Whenever information to be distributed is urgent in nature then the technology that supports immediately delivery should be used.
Language and Culture: The organization should keep in mind the global workforce and stakeholders while drafting and disseminating its communication. The Cultural differences and language barriers should be given adequate importance and managed carefully.
Corporate Communication Team: A dedicated team of people should be appointed to take care of corporate communication activities in an organization to ensure consistency and standardization.
Communication Planning: A communication plan should be developed for the organization as whole consisting of various communications to be made, their frequency, medium etc.
Communication Method: There are different methods used to share information among stakeholders like interactive, push and pull communication. The use of appropriate method will enhance the effectives of the communication.
Well-timed Communication: Whenever responses are expected from stakeholders against any communication made then such communications should be made timely and appropriate technology should be used to deliver the message without reducing response time.
Accuracy and Consistency: The corporate communication team must review each and every corporate communication being made for both accuracy and consistency as this will create a favorable image of the organization.
External Noise: The Corporate communication team should proactively identify all possible noises in the communication and should take appropriate action to either avoid them completely or lesson their impact.
Audience: The message that is to be communicated should be carefully articulated keeping in mind the audience, their culture, language preferences etc.
Follow-up: The corporate communication team should do a follow-up after sending a communication to its stakeholders to ensure the stakeholders received and understood the communication.
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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in October, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.
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—About our writer:
Lakshmi Subramanian is a PMI certified PMP and a certified six sigma black belt. She works as a freelance trainer and content developer in areas of project, risk & strategic management, total quality management and six sigma. She has more than 15 yrs of work experience with MNCs like Fidelity, American Express, Patni Computers, Airtel and Aircel in areas including IT, telecom, BPO operations, quality and governance.
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