Introduction 

The new age has ushered businesses into an era where audiences look beyond just the functional attributes of a product, service or entity. People care about who you are and what you stand for. Whether on the internet or traditional media platforms like radio and television, on podcasts, or in person, people are always having conversations about brands they experience in their daily lives. Whether or not they have positive or negative things to say about your brand depends on the available information and the accompanying narratives that influence their perception of your brand. As such, modern businesses must recognize the value of brand reputation management and take the necessary steps to ensure that audiences have the desired perceptions about the brand. 

What is brand reputation? 

Brand reputation represents perceptions audiences have about your brand. This includes all the meanings that are associated with your brand. These meanings stem from people’s experiences with your product, services, values, and the available information about your business. These perceptions translate into two main aspects of brand reputation – Good brand reputation and bad brand reputation. 

Good and Bad Brand Reputation 

A brand has a good brand reputation when audiences make positive and favourable associations with the brand. These associations are strong when the audience can relate to them. This ensures audiences feel good about the brand and are likely to patronize it. An example of an organization with a good brand reputation in Ghana is Kasapreko’s Verna mineral water. The company donates 1% percent of the price of every Verna mineral water bottle that is sold to charity. The marketing strategy is one that quickly garnered positive brand traction for Verna Mineral water and boosted sales to become one of Ghana’s topmost-selling mineral water bottles. The lesson here is that a good reputation is good for the bottom-line

A brand has a bad reputation when audiences make negative associations with the brand. This usually stems from a bad experience with a product, service, people related to the brand and a social or political stance. Audiences with bad experiences with a brand are less likely to patronize it and more likely to recommend others to reject the brand. An example of an organization with a bad brand reputation is the Infamous H&M fashion brand. The organization faced heavy social media backlash after posting a picture of a black child model wearing an H&M shirt with the caption “coolest monkey in the jungle” on it. The subsequent fallout saw H&M lose more than 50% of its worth in the ensuing month and an overall decline in sales. A bad brand reputation is bad for Bottom-line.

Reasons to Manage your Brand Reputation.

Firstly, managing brand reputation can lead to brand loyalty. Businesses with a positive brand reputation are likely to see high customer loyalty. Customers who feel like they share a connection with your brand are likely to be returning customers. There is also a high chance that these customers will not be returning alone. Loyal customers are likely to be Brand Advocates. Customers who are satisfied with their experiences with your brand are likely to recommend it to others. This adds to a growing customer base that directly translates to an increase in profits  

A second reason to manage your brand reputation is to increase profits. Companies with good brand reputations often see this translate into sustained and increased profit levels. When companies align themselves with values that audiences can relate to, they are more likely to patronize the brand. It is no coincidence that the FORTUNE World’s most admired companies in the world are also some of the highest profit-making companies in the world.  

Additionally, managing brand reputation gives the brand a competitive edge over its competitors. Every business sector is saturated with a list of alternatives for people to choose from. What makes a difference in such saturated markets is the reputation of the brand. A brand already known for desirable qualities such as quality, reliability, and affordability and for supporting the right causes can set itself apart from its competitors. The key here is to find your key target audience and communicate messages that they can relate to. This will set you apart in the minds of your target audience. 

Also, brand reputation is essential to crisis management. The best way to manage a crisis is to be proactive. Managing brand reputation allows you to shape the narratives and carefully create brand perceptions that are in touch with trends and developments to keep the organization on the cutting edge. In times of crisis, managing the brand reputation allows you to keep track of the narratives and respond to them immediately. The rise of social media has made it easy to respond to and manage public perception of brands. In times of crisis, brands must be able to communicate with their audiences and assure them that the necessary steps are being taken to solve the crisis.

Lastly, a positive brand reputation makes it easy for organizations to attract and retain top talent. Companies that are desirable to audiences are also desirable to prospective employees. When the public has a positive perception of your organization employees feel proud to be working for you and are more likely to stay longer at your organization.

Conclusion 

The digital era has transformed how brand reputation is managed. In this modern era, it’s easier for your brand to be under scrutiny. Information travels faster and people have direct access to businesses which can easily cause them problems. Thus, managing the perception audiences have of your brand is essential to the success of a business.

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Maya Angelou

Introduction to Storytelling in Business

In today’s world, businesses do not sell just products anymore, instead, they sell experiences. Modern technological advancements have ensured that people from the comfort of their homes and in the palm of their hands are constantly presented with a myriad of choices about products and services that are very similar in function. The question then for any brand is – how do I make my brand stand out amid all these alternatives? The answer is through storytelling.

The Head Versus the Heart

Storytelling involves using audio and visual elements to communicate meaningful messages. In business, storytelling is not just about logos, i.e. appealing to the mind, it is also about pathos, i.e. touching the heart of your audience. In the other words, it is a story of the head versus the heart. Businesses can appeal to the mind by presenting the facts of their brand but this can only get them so far. As Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Modern businesses understand the importance of this message and aim to create messages that do not just inform audiences about the brand but also create a connection between the audience and the brand through strategic storytelling. In Ghana, for example, everybody knows about the CEO of the Despite Media Group of Companies, Mr Osei Kwame Despite. He has told his success story so much that it has almost become folklore among the Ghanaian populace. It is a story of the underdog, an everyday man with a humble beginning who defied all the odds to become a Ghanaian symbol of success. His story evokes feelings of hope, struggle, determination, hard work, empathy and reward. His story goes straight to the hearts of Ghanaians. The connection Ghanaians feel with this story has given Mr Osei Kwame Despite and his company the social capital that ensures that Ghanaians not only support his business but also wish to emulate him. That is the power of storytelling.  

How is this connection created?

The first step to telling corporate stories is to find the right story. This demands that companies look in the right places to tell stories that connect them to their audiences. A company may for example as in the case of the Despite Group of Companies look to the founder for inspiration. Companies like Facebook, Microsoft and Apple took on this approach and told stories of their founders and CEOs to show the human face behind these mega-corporations. Another place to look for inspiration is from the customers. Fashion and lifestyle businesses often take on this approach to appeal to the lifestyle of their clients. Brands like Cannon, Nikon and mobile phone companies use a lot of user-generated content to tell stories that the audience can relate to. Another source of stories is from heritage. Businesses that have been around for a very long time like Mercedes often use this to tell stories of the journey of the company.

The second step is to find the right audience. Targeted communication is a major part of storytelling. Knowing your audience helps you determine what to say and how to say it. This demands businesses have insight into the various segments of their audiences to determine which message best suits them and how best to convey that message.

The final step is to determine the medium through which your audience will receive your message. Beyond determining whether it would be on traditional media or social media, it is important to determine the specific platform and how it aligns with the interests of your audience. Is it going to be a podcast, what kind of podcast will it be on, is it going to be a ted talk or a simple interview with a renowned show host? What is the impact of that program, and the host on the audience and society at large? These are some of the questions to ponder and techniques of storytelling businesses must consider when communicating with their audience.

Reasons for Storytelling in a business

Being “Human” in business is profitable. Telling the stories of your company, be it that of the founder, the employees or the customers themselves show your audiences the human side of the business. This enables the business to stand out amidst all the noise. Companies like Microsoft and Apple have over the years shown themselves to be more than corporations. They represent the vision of the inspiring individuals who dared to dream to change the world. These stories have not only cemented these companies as household names but have seen these companies rank very high in profitability. Evidence from the Harvard Business Review shows that the top-ranking companies for empathy are also some of the most profitable businesses in the world. Evidently, audiences prefer to support businesses that are willing to be human over those that remain cold, automated and detached from real human connection.

Additionally, Storytelling gives businesses a competitive advantage. The ability to tell a compelling story can be what sets companies apart in a market filled with noise from the myriad of competitors. After all, the 2014 Annual Review of Psychology reveals that decision-making is more emotional than it is rational. This means that even in the case where a competitor might have a better product, your brand can still break into the market and make your business profitable.  Evidence of this is at auctions where the story of a previous owner of an item can significantly increase the value of the item.

Further, brand storytelling creates emotional connections between the brand and the audience which can induce customer loyalty. When telling brand stories, it is important to find out what your consumers value about your brand in addition to the product. People who patronize the Telsa brand for example are usually conscious about protecting the environment. Apple users expect a lifestyle, and the feeling of exclusivity when purchasing an Apple Product. People who patronize Mercedes for example expect to feel luxury and dependability when using a product or service from Mercedes. Brands then are more products and services; they are the sum of the experiences a consumer has with a product or service.

Conclusion  

The modern business environment is fraught with intense competition in almost every business sector. However, amid all this chaos, a few companies stand out. The ones that stand out are usually businesses that have created a uniqueness in the minds of their consumers by strategically telling stories that audiences can relate to and support. Storytelling is a unique brand communication tool that makes the difference between businesses that exist and businesses that thrive.

In 2009, a man, a journalist with the aid of the name of Rob Walker desired to find out this: Is storytelling the most powerful tool? And to do this he went on his computer and offered 200 objects from eBay and the common charge of the object was about $1.00. He then called two hundred authors and asked them if they would like to be part of the study of the huge object and asked which of the participants would write a story about one of the objects. 200 authors stated yes. For the 200 objects he had, he had 200 stories and I assumed that it was once with nail-biting anticipation that he went on eBay again with all the 200 objects, would there be a difference? One of the objects was this beautiful horse’s head which was once bought for $0.99 and was sold at 62.95 dollars when the story was added. That is a moderate extent of 6395%. So, was this a one-off situation? Not really. This was because he offered the 200 objects for a whole of $129 and promoted them for $8000 when the story was added.

It is vital to have storytelling done in a particular area so you can be certain to talk about all the factors you want to and also know the intended character or crew you are writing the story for maximum impact.

First, you want to decide who your target audience will be. One of the extra vital parts of any advertising campaign, presentation to peers, enterprise messaging or product advent is understanding who your target market is. If you haven’t already done so, consider who your intended audience is for your story. Do adequate research on both your goal and target audience so you utterly apprehend their motivations, mood, desires, pain factors and needs. Create personas that represent exceptional target market agencies so you can create content material that appeals to each target. You need to determine what the purpose of your story is with a cause in mind, you should stop writing a story with a direction that will hold the recipient of your story engaged in what you’re saying. These common story goals may assist get you started: Inspire action, Educate your audience, Provide data about the company, and Showcase values.

Also, you need to centre attention on your underlying message, your message is what you prefer the target audience to take away from the story. It ties into the cause you’ve determined and is an underlying tone of almost the whole story. Think of what your story is about and ask yourself what you prefer your target market to do after absorbing your story. If you aren’t sure, it’s vital to refine your story until you determine it.

I know you are wondering, how to be a suitable storyteller for your company.  In business development, strategic storytelling is how you tell the story of facts and insights to stakeholders in an enticing way to inspire action.

Strategic storytelling is about conflicts and options. Whether it’s your shareholders, your CEO, or your employees, people are born to be receptive to stories. We’ve been telling and listening to tales for generations, whether they used to be around campfires a thousand years ago or on social media as seen in recent times. However, not all tales are interesting. The ones that stick almost constantly have three important elements: The assignment or problem, the journey, and the solution or discovery. Focusing your presentation on these opposing forces is where the candy spot lies.

There are many outcomes to the use of storytelling in business, which include: Creating memories, the longer that a character thinks of a product, or brand, the more likely they are to end up a customer. Because memories resonate with people, the greater the probability of creating a memory.  Triggering thoughts helps manufacturers join with customers. Emotions are extra likely to encourage action and it gives corporations a competitive advantage. The goal of most advertising projects is to get the patron to convert. Storytelling offers businesses the chance to stand out in opposition to rivals while connecting with their audience. Stories allow them to go away with lasting impressions. Stories persuade clients to take an action, like buying a product.

Therefore, Storytelling in an enterprise is the manner of telling a story, instead of listing facts, when speaking with present-day or doable customers. It helps businesses stand out from their competitors, presenting their customers with a storyline in which they will understand them. Stories in the commercial enterprise help massive manufacturers connect with customers in a deeper, extra significant manner.

By making an enterprise more personable, customers will probably pick that brand. Storytelling may additionally be used to speak with customers of all types. It may additionally be used to explain technical details or to reveal why a purchaser must pick your company over the other. Storytelling in enterprise leaves out the small print that is not relevant to a customer’s selection when choosing a business.

Instead, a story consists of the small pattern-like motivating factors of the team, the values and morals that the business holds, a grasp of the patron and a chronological drift of details and records that lead the client through a story. Storytelling tells and indicates to customers that a business is a great deal more than a large brand.

An inspirational, commercial, and enterprising story gives readers a glimpse of who you are, making them feel connected, and ultimately, they become extra involved in buying from you.

Therefore, organizations ought to hold on to making their strategic storytelling real, create anxiety to make their answer persuasive and again note that people don’t purchase products, they purchase higher versions of themselves.

The secret of crisis management is not good vs. bad, it’s preventing the bad from getting worse.

Andy Gilman

Introduction

The need for crisis communication is clear for businesses in the modern world. With the advent of technology and the intensification of social connections, people now engage each other on an unparalleled scale. Information is sent and retrieved with lightning speed and as the famous Tracy Morgan said, bad news especially “travels at the speed of light”. It is therefore vital that organizations develop effective crisis communication plans to respond to any unforeseen events that pose critical threats to the reputation of an organization and its public. 

What is Crises Communication

Any situation that threatens the critical goals of a business can be considered a crisis. Every crisis is a volatile situation and as such the way we communicate in such a time will be what determines if a crisis will become worse or will be managed effectively. When we talk about crisis communication we are talking about crisis management. One cannot have an effective crisis management plan without effective crisis communications. Crisis communication then can be defined as a strategic approach to communication to protect the reputation and business interests of an organization in face of immediate or apparent public outrage. What then are the Principles that should guide organizations seeking an effective crisis communication plan?   

Principles of Crises Communication 

During crisis communication, organizations must be intentional with every piece of information shared with the public. That involved following key principles that will guide all crisis communication plans and how these plans are executed. These principles are:

Be proactive – Being proactive in crisis communication involves anticipating potential crises and making plans ahead of any eventuality. For organizations, a plethora of crises situation can emerge. Some of these include product defects, purchasing and customer service debacles, policy implementation disasters, inappropriate conduct by people directly connected to the organization and many more. The idea here is to anticipate the likelihood of any of these situations happening and develop appropriate communication steps to be taken. This can be done by first developing a clear communication process in times of crisis. Both internally and externally, organizations must be able to stay abreast with the development of the narratives. Internally, establishing clear lines of communication using approved internal messaging platforms can be a way to follow the conversation. Externally monitoring both traditional and digital media platforms including social media can help the organization understand the narratives and critically assess the impact the crises are having on its publics and develop an appropriate messaging strategy. Another way of preparing for crises is to have a designated spokesperson or team in charge of being the face of communication during crises. This spokesperson or team must undergo media training to ensure they can withstand media scrutiny and inspire the values like empathy, confidence and hope, which organizations must seek to emote in times of crises. Reporters will often target clerks and other unsuspecting members of organizations to get insider information. This makes it vital that every member of the organization knows to whom to direct media queries.     

Never Tell a Lie – When faced with bad situations it can feel like the appropriate response is to lie or hide to save face. However, ignoring the problem or lying during crises communication is one of the worst mistakes an organization can make. In this social media age, information abounds and the truth will eventually come out or a more devastating version of it. The right to information act also ensures that journalists can access information from public and some private organizations. So eventually the truth will come out and this will only compound the crises the organization is facing. To prevent this situation, organizations must ensure that every piece of information presented to the public is accurate. Inaccurate information makes your organization untrustworthy. Even in bad times, transparency and consistently communicating accurately build trust. In moments when information is not at hand, it is okay to respond that you may not have the information yet but will revert immediately after the information becomes available. Note that organizations must fulfil this promise.

Be Responsive – Responding quickly when communicating in times of crisis helps an organization prevent disinformation from spreading. The idea here is to always be ready to respond to the media to stem the spread of harmful narratives when an information vacuum is created in times of crisis. The point is not to rush but to be in control and act decisively. This requires that information that is given even though quickly must be verified first to prevent the issue from escalating. In this age of social media, spreading information promptly is easier than ever. Journalists and audiences pay attention to organizations’ accounts for updates in times of crisis.  

Be human – Communicating in times of crisis requires that organizations can exhibit empathy. Empathy here is about having the ability to focus on the people who have been affected by the crises and taking responsibility and exhibiting genuine attempts to resolve the issues fairly and transparently. Harvard Business Reviews presents 4 critical ways to communicate with empathy, they include 1. Listening – This involves less taking and paying attention to what the other party is saying 2. Acknowledgement – This is when organizations can understand and accept the effects their actions have on the victim 3. Care – Here organizations express care in the way they communicate. For example, “we are moved by the situation” 4. Action – This involves taking the appropriate steps to resolve the issue. The solutions you adopt to solve the problem can be a signal of your empathy towards the situation at hand. 

Conclusion

Communication in times of crisis can be a daunting challenge. However, understanding the principles that guide crisis communication can ensure that organizations can safely navigate the uncertain times crises may present.

Introduction 

In a competitive business market, companies want to outdo each other and make as much profit as possible. To succeed at this, however, requires a deep understanding of the marketplace and the needs and wants of customers. This is accomplished through comprehensive market research. Successful businesses recognize the relevance of research to a company and as a result, allocate millions to market research to remain on the competitive edge and increase their bottom line.  

Market Research and Types of Market Research

Experienced marketing researcher Mateusz Markosiewicz defines market research as a process of gathering, analyzing and interpreting information about a given market. There are two main ways of doing market research. The first one is known as primary research. This type of research is done by the business itself or when the business hires a marketing research firm to engage the target market to gather data and information to solve a marketing problem. This is done by adopting qualitative and quantitative research tools like Surveys, polls, Interviews, and focus group discussions. The importance of this method of research is that the findings are specific to your product, services and your marketplace and as such, data gathered through primary research is more applicable to your business.

The second type is secondary research. Here, companies use already existing data done by other researchers, data collectors, and businesses, to solve their marketing problems. This is done when companies use second and third-party sources like articles, reports and industry-generated statistics. The importance of this type of market research is that it gives you an understanding of the marketplace and the competition.

Importance of Research  

Generally, market research is important to the long-term goals of businesses. This is because market research allows you to identify and measure the number of risks a business should take. The Boston Consulting Group Matrix (BCG matrix) provides a tool that businesses can use to evaluate and manage their brand portfolio. This tool can be used to identify and categorize which products and services are worth pursuing and those that need to be taken off the market. According to the BCG matrix, products that are “Question Marks” have high market growth but low market share. A product in this category is usually a new product and its high market growth makes it a reasonable candidate for investment. Products in the “Stars” category are products that have a very high popularity and thus have high market growth and high market share. These products are top-performing products of companies. They are low-risk investments and require continued investment to keep growing. “Cash Cows” are products that are fully established as leaders in the marketplace. Due to having an already established reputation these products require minimal investments but produce high amounts of cash. “Dogs” on the other hand are low-performing products. They have low market growth and low market share and as a result, are often phased out by businesses.

Another importance of market research is that it helps businesses to assess their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) in a marketplace. The SWOT analysis provides a framework to assess the competitive positioning of a company. This is done by combining internal and external data gathered to create highly strategic plans to ensure the success of a company. In the SWOT analysis, an Internal assessment is done to establish the strengths of the company. That is, what the companies excel at and what sets them apart from the competition. This could be a proprietary technique or formula that works for them. An example is the Coca-Cola recipe. The weakness of a company refers to a negative attribute that affects productivity or limits the growth of a company. These weaknesses vary and range from financial limitations to low-quality products or services. External assessments are done to evaluate the threat a company faces and the opportunities that are available on the market. Threats are usually factors companies have little or no control of. They include Government laws, policies and regulations, Inflation, increasing competition in the marketplace and even Natural disasters. Opportunities are external factors that have the potential to give a company a competitive edge or contribute to a company’s success. This can be in the form of government policies, an increasing market population, or a crisis a competitor is facing, among others. Accuracy in research is the best way to get desired results from SWOT analysis.

Additionally, market research enables businesses to save money. When businesses know who their customers are, where they are, and how to reach them they save money on advertising costs. An important market research technique used to achieve this is market segmentation. This technique involves grouping a target market into demographic, geographic, psychographic and behavioural segments. Demographic segments are done along the lines of race, gender, and age among others. Geographic segmentation involves grouping the target market based on its location. Psychographic segmentation explores internal characteristics that influence the consumption habits of the target market. Factors to consider in psychographic segmentation are personalities, values and beliefs, hobbies, and social status, among others. Intricately linked to psychographic segmentation is behavioral segmentation. Behavioral segmentation considers factors such as customer loyalty and rate of use/purchase of a product or service. Each segment informs the marketing strategies to be employed. This allows businesses to create bespoke advertising messages and strategies for their target market and save on advertising costs.

Lastly, market research enables businesses to know the concerns of customers and improve their products or services. Customers are the ultimate deciders of which products or businesses survive in a competitive marketplace. This means that businesses must pay attention to customer feedback. Conducting surveys is the trendiest way of collecting customer feedback, another important way of collecting customer feedback is to monitor social media interactions about your brand or product. Social Media allows you to directly engage customers and make them feel valued by responding to their concerns in-app. It also helps you to keep up with changes in customer preferences which is essential to remaining relevant in a competitive marketplace.

Conclusion

Research is essential to the development, growth, and sustainability of a business. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, businesses must make well-informed decisions that will ensure their continued success. Market research ensures this. Businesses in Ghana must make use of the litany research services in Ghana to gather data to gain valuable insights that will ensure their growth, sustainability, and expansion.

It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that you will do things differently.

Warren Buffet

Introduction to Communication Consultancy

In a world where humans are constantly connecting, what to communicate, how to communicate and where to communicate is essential to ensuring that your message is received as intended. This is more so for businesses, politicians, celebrities, and people who cater to a wide human audience. The most successful public figures and businesses are the ones who have taken care to create meaningful relationships with their audience to build a positive reputation over a period to establish themselves as brands.  

To build the desired reputation, it is important you are strategic in your communication efforts, and that presents the core function of a communication consultancy; to provide a host of communication support services to brands. This core function can be broken down into the core roles a communication agency can play on behalf of brands. These roles include Media Consultancy, Media Production, Research, Marketing and Advertising and Political Communication.

Types of Communication Support

In today’s highly opinionated world, the bigger a brand gets, the more it needs strategic communication. As a result, larger companies have large internal communication teams whilst smaller ones may have at least one person in charge of their strategic communications. Some companies outsource this role to Strategic communication firms whilst others choose to have both internal and external communication teams. However, it is essential to understand these three options before deciding which is best for your business or brand.

Why Hire a Communication Consulting Firm? 

Internal communication teams can be expensive to manage. In an organization with a large communication team, the salaries and allowances and other financial commitments for the employees can affect the overall outcome of a business. Hiring a strategic communication firm can reduce businesses’ financial commitments to their in-house communication team. This is because businesses can negotiate and agree on a fixed fee and other flexible payment terms with agencies and transfer financial commitments to them. However, one may argue that a smaller firm may need to pay just one person and thus save on financial commitments. Whilst this may appear to be a cost-effective strategy, in practice, it deprives your business of the level of commitment and the advantage of having multiple perspectives that come with hiring an agency. Selecting a reputable strategic communication firm gives you access to three or more professionals to work on your account. This is because professionals in firms often collaborate, bounce ideas off each other and are also subject to supervision and revision from their superiors including the director of the firm. This ensures that your business receives the high level of attention it is due. 

When you hire a communication firm, you hire their experience, their reputation, and their business connections. Top business firms bring to your disposal professionals with considerable experience and reputation in the field of communications. This reputation often comes with connections, especially in the media. These connections afford them privileges such as priority access to top journalists, top media houses, high-value media slots and television spots, and in serious circumstances, early access to damaging information about your organization or brand, thus, giving you ample time to strategize a response. In addition, hiring a communication agency gives your brand access to a wealth of human resources that may not be present in internal communication teams. Reputable strategic communication firms have a large workforce all highly diversified to execute specific public relations functions. Agencies usually have in-house creative writers, graphic designers, a photography and videography team, digital marketing professionals, and many more. This high level of a specification ensures every aspect of a communications strategy is in the hands of a professional specially trained to implement it. This ensures maximum efficiency in the execution of communication strategies. 

The resources available to agencies are not limited to human resources and experience but also include access to strategic resources such as access to the global media database and tools for measuring and monitoring your brand’s performance. Agencies invest in strategic resources that maximize the efficiency of their services. This includes purchasing tools such as HypeAuditor, Analisa, and Crowdfire, among others. These tools help in using social media to your advantage. Also, access to the Global Media Database ensures they stay on the cutting edge of data and market intelligence.  

Conclusion

In addition to giving you value for your money, hiring a communication consultancy firm gives you access to resources, expertise and commitment that is lacking in internal communications teams. However, to get the most out of such a collaboration, it is important to establish accessible lines of communication between your organization and the communications agency. In a situation where a business has both an internal communications team and an external communications agency, both teams must keep each other in the loop and collaborate to ensure the best results for the strategic communication goals of your brand.

Introduction

For every aspect of our lives, communication is key. This is more so in our professional spaces where relationship building and teamwork are vital to achieving the goals of our organization and the professional goals we set for ourselves. Communication is how we connect to other people to form relationships that enable us to function effectively in our social and professional lives. 

Communication at the Workplace 

Communication is a process of sharing meanings between parties. When people communicate they share information and form meanings from these messages. Communication is done through verbal and nonverbal means by transferring knowledge or information from a sender to be interpreted by a receiver. In modern workspaces, communication is the difference between a productive business and one that is not. Research done by Pumble indicates that 86% of employees and executives cite inadequate collaboration and communication as the main causes of failures in the workplace. Communication then can be viewed as vital to the success of any organization. 

Benefits of Communication at the Workplace 

Data from Pumble and other studies indicate that effective communication has a positive effect on, professional growth, productivity, workplace engagement and job retention.

Effective communication at the workplace leads to an increase in professional growth. The ability to communicate effectively is the most important skill needed in most business and professional spaces. In a survey by MBA News Australia done on business leaders, communication was the front-runner and was tipped as the most important asset for prospective employees. This according to them is because communication skills, collaboration and problem-solving are some most difficult qualities to replicate with technology. Progression in professional spaces is also heavily dependent on effective communication. A study done by the Harvard Business Review indicates that communication is among the top five skills needed to upscale at work. Other in-demand communication-based skills include collaboration, relationship building and the ability to inspire and motivate others to work

In Productivity, Business Wire’s report indicates that employees who connect better with each other experience high levels of emotional health and an overall increase in productivity. Some of the actions that enable employees to connect better include frequent communication among employees and enhanced collaboration tools. Some of these tools include chat platforms, file-sharing tools, video conferences and happy hours. These tools build team chemistry and lead to increased productivity in the workplace and the professional lives of employees whilst keeping employees engaged.

Additionally, effective communication increases workplace engagement. Gallup’s 2022 Global Workplace report indicates that low engagement of employees alone costs the global market a total of 7.8 trillion dollars. An engaged employee feels a mental and emotional connection toward their work. Signs of an engaged employee include responsibility, passion, going the extra mile and an overall excellent attitude to work. Achieving this however is not easy. It is largely dependent on the determination of the organization to create a conducive workplace environment for its employees. A key way this can be achieved is to improve communication among employees and executives, focusing more on openness, honesty, collaboration and respect. Gallup’s 2016 study indicates that engaged employees and teams see a 21% increase in profitability, a 17% increase in productivity and a 10% increase in customer rating in comparison to disengaged employees. Ensuring that the organization has an engaged workforce is essential to the bottom line.

Lastly, effective communication increases job retention. A study by Robin Erickson of Northwestern University indicates that effective communication positively affects job retention. With the era of the Great Resignation still at hand, it is important to look into job retention strategies now more than ever. Forbes connects employee retention to employee engagement. Bit Blog recommends effective communication as a solution to losing employees who feel disengaged. An organization that creates a working environment where open dialogue is encouraged can attract talent and keep them. 

Conclusion 

We live in a world where communication is important as the air we breathe. Effective communication separates productive teams from unproductive ones in professional spaces. This makes communication a vital aspect of any organization’s work culture. Management must be intentional about creating an open, safe and respectful communication culture to boost to engage employees and boost their morale. For employees, communication is necessary for professional improvement and the overall increase in satisfaction and productivity levels.