Edelman’s Corporate practice has identified what experience and research tell us about these truly mission-critical functions. We see three qualities that these “best of” teams foster for their enterprises: Audience-centricity, Behavioral Stewardship and Insight-based Evolution. This presentation demonstrates specific actions to take to exhibit these. We welcome dialogue and engagement. Do you agree? What do you see differently?

1. Behaviors of the Most
Effective Corporate
Communications Teams

2. These teams are recognized as invaluable to the
enterprise, drive measurable business results, and steward
relationships for long-term business value.
Below are steps to creating a truly mission-critical function,
built on the three qualities that these “best of” teams foster
for their enterprises: Audience-Centricity, Behavioral
Stewardship and Insight-Based Evolution.
Regardless of how today’s Corporate
Communications departments are structured,
there are teams that stand out as most
effective in today’s changing environment.
Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams 2

3. Audience-Centricity
Align on the opinion and behavior shifts desired
among stakeholders and engage those stakeholders
in the way they want to be engaged by the brand.
Audience-centricity means people find desired
content and engagement seamlessly and
consistently, and are then more likely to buy,
advocate and help you promote key messages.
Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams 3

4. Do you assess – on a regular rhythm – the
changing attitudes of key stakeholder
segments and how they want to be engaged?
Are there agreed-upon, integrated metrics for
how engagement will be monitored/measured
by channel and stakeholder segment?
Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams | Audience-Centricity
Ensure alignment among
functional teams within the
enterprise who are managing
channel engagement.
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5. Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams | Audience-Centricity
Does your team have the ability and resources
to produce high-quality written and visual
content that will appeal to your stakeholders?
Are you meeting audiences’ desires for long,
short, visual and static content when and
where they need it?
Create diverse content to
promote differentiators and
bring your corporate and
product messages to life.
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6. Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams | Audience-Centricity
Do you engage employees as a critical
audience and empower them as your single
most trusted communications channel?
Do you foster an echo chamber of internal
technicians and third-party experts?
Harness a diverse roster
of voices to communicate
with you.
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7. Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams | Audience-Centricity
Have you identified topics of importance
to your stakeholders that your brand can
credibly address?
Do you have infrastructure in place to maintain
a dialogue and not just push content?
Engage stakeholders in
conversations beyond the
corporation or products
to create a meaningful
value exchange.
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8. Behavioral Stewardship
Influence what the company says and does,
to ensure character and intent are consistently
clear. In the age of transparency and activism,
communications and operations must break down
silos to protect the corporation.
Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams 8

9. Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams | Behavioral Stewardship
How does your team inform board and
management decisions and escalate
concerns about operational inconsistencies?
Do you have and regularly update risk
mitigation plans and crisis protocol to protect
reputation and business continuity?
Understand the business
and identify potential
exposure points that are
misaligned with corporate
strategy and values.
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10. Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams | Behavioral Stewardship
Do you routinely articulate proof points,
such as how your innovations improve lives,
your services enhance business and your
existence improves the social good?
Do you have a communications calendar of
meaningful actions that convey character and
positive social impact?
Demonstrate both company
goals and larger mission
beyond profitability.
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11. Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams | Behavioral Stewardship
Are you transparent about missteps and
disappointments as well as successes?
Have you fostered understanding and
alignment between employees and
management so the enterprise consistently
speaks in one voice?
Communicate with
authenticity to build
trust and convey
clarity of your mission.
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12. Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams | Behavioral Stewardship
Is the platform of your executive leadership
and enterprise voice accessible and inclusive
of both profit and purpose?
Is there alignment on the tone-of-voice for
communications including spokesperson training?
Give the enterprise an
accessible and human
persona that invites
audience connection.
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13. Insight-Based Evolution
Gather real-time insights and use the information
to evolve, keep the company relevant and ensure
mutually-valuable relationships. The world is moving
fast, so your job is to help your enterprise stay
ahead of reputational shifts and needs.
Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams 13

14. Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams | Insight-Based Evolution
How are you monitoring, evaluating and
acting on what is said about your company
and other relevant topics?
Are your community managers, sales teams
and frontline employees armed to ask the
right questions and convey the feedback they
are hearing?
Actively monitor and
engage in dialogue
on-line and in-person.
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15. Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams | Insight-Based Evolution
Does your team stay conversant with all
aspects of the industry, competition and
business environment?
Do you regularly partner with external advisors
and stakeholders to ensure an accurate and
objective view of business implications?
Consider the external and
competitive environment.
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16. Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams | Insight-Based Evolution
Is there cooperation between customer service
and communications to quickly escalate and
address complaints?
Are you sharing positive customer testimonials
about your innovations?
Delve to truly understand
both customer complaints
and unique benefits.
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17. Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams | Insight-Based Evolution
Do you have plans in place to communicate
both positive and negative changes within the
evolution of your enterprise?
Do stakeholders see you as a credible guide
for helping them navigate the changing
business landscape and long-term business
competitiveness?
Anticipate the future
state for your industry
and stakeholders.
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18. Mission
Outline the mission of your department in the context of
these ideal behaviors (i.e., audience-centricity, behavioral
stewardship and insight-based evolution), your business
strategy, and the challenges facing your organization.
Structure
Architect your department to drive toward the mission and
offer the kind of career opportunities top talent is seeking.
Talent
Evaluate your current bench against your needs and
make tough decisions about retention, migration,
dismissal and hiring needs.
Training
Help your team learn to think and perform differently. On
an ongoing basis; learning is continual.
Metrics
Establish measures of success that demonstrate value to
the organization and keep team members accountable.
Building an effective corporate
communications team does not happen
overnight, but you can start the journey
today with these five steps.
Turning Theory
into Action
Behaviors of the Most Effective Corporate Communications Teams 18