Ahmedabad Management Association 23rd and 25th January 2012

www.manishparihar.co.in

Corporate Communication

Session 1 Outline

1. Introduction to communication2. What is strategic communication3. How do companies communicate corporate

objectives and strategy? – Enter Corporate Communication

4. How do they communicate corporate philosophy and values?

First, let’s break some ice

• Introduce yourself in turn by stating your name

• What are you most passionate about?

• What would you change if you could?

What is communication?

• Communication is the activity of conveying information. Communication has been derived from the Latin word "communis", meaning to share.

• Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, a medium

Show videos here

Enter Strategic / CorporateCommunications

Strategic Communication

• Strategic Communication refers to policy-making and guidance for consistent information activity within an organization and between organizations.

• Equivalent business management terms are: integrated (marketing) communication, organizational communication, corporate communication, institutional communication, etc.

Source: wikipedia

Fathers of Corporate Communication:Paul Garrett

• VP of PR for General Motors in 1931

• develop effective publicity & promotion

• employees first in communication line of information

• communication with the public using words and deeds with meaning they understood

• VP for PR at AT&T in 1927• communication is a

management function with voice in senior executive team

• Page developed an ethical code for corporate communication

Fathers of Corporate Communication:Arthur Page

Historical Roots: Corporate Communication and Public Relations

• Corporate communication began as public relations in major corporations.

• The primary historical roots of corporate communication come from public relations.

• The business aspects came later with advertising, branding, and marketing responsibilities assumed by the corporate communication department, sometimes called corporate relations within major industries.

Issues of Importance to Corporate Communication Today

• The Global Economy

• Environment• Increased Role of

Management• Professionalism of

the Publics

• Splintering of Mass Markets

• Fragmentation of the Mass Media

• Rapid Development of New Media Technology Leading in Communication Trends

What is a clear and understandable definition of corporate communication?

Corporate communication includes advertising, marketing communications, marketing, and public relations, but they all function under a managed perspective.

Corporate communication is managing an organization's internal and external communications.

Session 2 Outline

1. Objectives of strategic communication2. Where and how of strategic communication3. How do companies communicate corporate

objectives and strategy? – Enter Corporate Communication

4. How do they communicate corporate philosophy and values?

• Builds strong business relationships

• Internal and external co-ordination

• Builds and maintains the brand image of the company

• Gives competitive advantage to the organization

“Objectives” of strategic communication..

Organization's constituents: “Where”

• Primary - Employees- Customers- Shareholders- communities

• Secondary- Media- Suppliers- Government

localregionalnational

- creditors

15

Source: www.strategiccommunication.com

Communicating corporate objectives and strategy: “How”

Ensure communication is an integral part of the ‘strategic planning framework.’

– Protect, build and measure public confidence and customer satisfaction.

– Facilitate greater community engagement– Improve stakeholder understanding of the

business– Manage an internal communication framework

(formal & informal) that makes the workforce feel valued, informed and motivated.

Enter Values..

• Businesses communicate a lot of things. Many love to boast when their revenues soar, or publicize the strategic plans..

• But often missing from a firm's communications is something absolutely fundamental to its operations: its values.

Communicate corporate philosophy and values

• Corporate Philosophy – the business mission and values espoused by the management board (or founder).

• Values - Principles, standards, morals, ethical codes of conduct of an organization.

• Egs.  What values are associated with Reliance and Tata..?

HBR Blog - Article for self reading

Designing Organization Structure and Communications Perspectives

• This session will focus on:– How should be the communications structure of

an organization– What are the different perspectives of corporate

communication

Let’s have a discussion:

Article discussion: 1. Corporate communicator’s job

Problems highlighted

• Difference between primary and secondary communication - dilution

• Ranking of corporate communicator in the hierarchy of the matrix

• All organizations suffer from entropy – a loss of energy leading to disorder

• Each department controls their locus of communication differently

Key learnings from the article:

1. The CEO maintains the role of strategic communicator throughout the organization

2. The secondary messages generated through various departments should reinforce the primary strategic messages intended by the board

3. If departments stray off the primary messages, the CEO should get to know about it through the communications structure

4. Corporate messages should flow through the organization without being distorted

5. Corporate communicator should help CEO project a holistic view throughout the company

6. Should guide employees, customers, shareholders, regulators and others into proper view of the company and its mission

CORPORATE

“Corporate communications is not for the fainthearted”

- James L. Horton

Corporate communications expert and founder of www.online-pr.com

Thank you

www.manishparihar.co.in