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Elevating the Communications Role: How to Earn a Seat at the Boardroom Table

Businesspeople having meeting in conference room

 

By Brian Muys
Online Career Tips Contributor

The scenario: A major organizational announcement, ranging from executive transitions to restructurings, that impacts employees, partners, and investors. The C-Suite sets the strategic wheels in motion, supported by top-line messaging and media guidance from the communications lead well in advance of the scheduled news.

This isn’t always the case, however. All too often, communications is inadvertently marginalized in such instances when it can – and should – play a more central guiding role in strategic decision-making. In fact, the PR function is often conspicuously absent from executive deliberations and, even if included, can’t routinely count on finding a receptive ear. The days of simply distributing a press release are over — it’s up to you to earn a seat at the boardroom table.

Whether it’s good news, or bad, PR practitioners can take steps to ensure that including them in the decision-making process isn’t an afterthought. For both public and private organizations, they bring core expertise in reputation management, especially in areas like online higher education at a time when traditional competitors are increasingly being challenged by a wide variety of emerging providers. In this instance, for example, it’s critical to tailor how key qualitative differentiators like affordability and career outcomes are positioned to prospective students, regulatory and accrediting bodies, legislators and, of course the media. A savvy communications leader can help to most effectively articulate those messages with an eye toward advancing a positive story or, alternatively, curtailing a more negative one.

Effective writing and traditional media relations remain sought-after skills. However, you can more readily tip the scale in your favor by demonstrating an aptitude for developing engaging social media content. Ultimately, however, what ties all these competencies together and provides the PR “multiplier effect” is sound, impactful communications counsel, also often known as issues management. PR professionals are typically plugged into a variety of diverse issues across their organization before most other staff, so they can often anticipate and help preempt or minimize the potential information gap so often associated with some crises.

Beyond engaging external audiences, PR also has the ability to help set the tone of internal communications. If all you are typically tasked with is to handle routine or sensitive media issues, then make a point to also demonstrate your tactical and counsel expertise to senior management in this key area as well.

In today’s “always-on” viral media environment, the press and other key audiences increasingly require the most immediate and impactful communications from organizational leadership. With PR afforded its appropriate role in enhancing awareness and thought leadership, it can effectively help establish a positive reputation, or make an established reputation even stronger. The opportunity is there for the taking. So don’t pass up your chance to earn a seat at the boardroom table.

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