Corporate communication for managers

CORPORATE
COMMUNICATION
1
• This is the communication(s) issued by a
corporate / organization / body / institute to all its
public(s). Publics here - can be both internal and
external. Corporate communications serves as
the liaison between an organization and its
publics.
• Organizations can strategically communicate to
their audiences through public relations and
advertising. This may involve an employee
newsletter or video, crisis management with the
news media, special events planning, building
product value and communicating with
stockholders or shareholders, clients or donors.

Basic Communication Skills
2
The 4 basic communication skills are:
1. writing.
2. speaking.
3. listening.
4. Reading.
A person who communicates well will succeed in
his /her academic work and professional life.
Communication skill is an important managerial /
leadership skill.

Basic Communication Skills …. contd
3
WRITING
The writer needs to know the
following aspects before he/she
commences to write so as to
write a readable writing.
 Know the audience.
 These are the some of the
demographic attributes about
the audience that are helpful to
know:
 Age, education, income and
gender,
 Interests, opinions, values and
 Knowledge of the topic –
determine the Fog index, which
is the level of sophistication of
the audience. Obviously, the
reading level for high school
teacher and University professor
is different. Be aware of
audience you are targeting.

4
WRITING …… CONTD
These are the common types of audiences :
 Laypersons – No motivation to read
 Expert – interested in process and detail
 Executive - wants to know the bottom line
 User- wants to know how to use the information
 Complex - Fits more than one type
 Mixed - all the types in the audience e.g. readers‟
of daily news paper.

5
Know the purpose of the
write up. – What your
writing should do?
These are some of the
purposes of most
professional and or
business writing. Also
bear in mind the tone of
the message.
 Inform,
 Persuade,
 Teach
 Entertain and
 record or document

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 Know the power of words to express and not impress.
 Write with clarity that is the opposite of ambiguity
 Economy use of words - Use no more words than it is
necessary. Cardinal rule: try to keep sentences under
17 words in length.
 Use straightforwardness, keeping subjects near the
verbs.
 Avoid these:- wordiness and redundancy; trites and
clichés; negative writing by featuring positive; passive
voice by using active voice; noun and adjective
stacks, use one word rather than many descriptions;
italics and ALL CAPS.
 The writer should work on the structure and the style
of the document be it a letter, a paper, a memo and a
circulars. Either in soft or hard form.

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These are the tips:
 Use easy formats to guide the reader.
 Apply the power of visual, spacing and heading.
 Know where to start and when to stop.
 Always brush up your grammar.
 Use the action verbs
Key tip: The writer should keep the reader in mind
and write effectively.

8
 PUBLIC SPEAKING
 Public speaking is skill that
can be learned. There are
many tricks of the “trade”
that can be perfected with
practice. One the first
things (rule) journalists are
taught and we pass on to
the students of
Communication is that
every story must cover:
 Who?
 What?
 Why?
 When?
 Where?
 How?
Mnemonic : 1Hubby with 5Wives

9

10
 ACTIVE LISTENING
 You need to be become more
aware of your listening habits.
How do you assess your
listening habit?
 “Bad” listening e.g. responding
to interruptions, taking phone
calls, reading other materials,
giving short unresponsive
answers, or bringing up other
topics.
 Consequences of “Bad”
listening are: reduced
motivation, decreased
personal and organizational
performance.
 “Good” listening habits e.g.
paying attention and
responding to his/her
concerns.

Communication Skills …. contd
11

Communication Skills …. contd
12
 EFFECTIVE
READING
 The activity of somebody
who reads.
 The act of reading
something.
 Way of understanding of
something.

13

Advanced Communication Skills
14

8 C‟s of Corporate
communication
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1. Credibility – Communication starts with climate belief.
2. Concise – Giving only information that is necessary and
important using few words.
3. Context – A communication program must square with
the realities of its environment.
4. Content – the message must have meaning for the
receiver and it must be compatible with the persons‟
value system.
5. Clarity – message must be put in simple terms. No
ambiguity.
6. Continuity and Consistency – communication is an
unending process.
7. Channels – established channels of communication must
be used.
8. Capability of the audience – communication must take
into account the capability of the audience.

Corporate Communication:
Disciplines and their
Interrelationships
16

Interrelationships … contd
17
1. PUBLIC RELATIONS
EDWARD LOUIS BERNAYS and IVY
LEDBETTER LEE are considered the founding
fathers of modern public relations, in the early
1900s.These two Gurus defined public relations
as
“a management function which tabulates public
attitudes, defines the policies, procedures and
interests of an organization. . . followed by
executing a program of action to earn public
understanding and acceptance“.

Interrelationships .. contd
18
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
defines PR as "Public Relations helps an
organization and its publics adapt mutually to
each other.“ According to the PRSA, the essential
functions of public relations include research,
planning, communications dialogue and
evaluation.
UK Chartered Institute of Public Relations
(CIPR) defines PR as “the role of managing
relationships with a whole range of key
stakeholders”.
A management function that helps organizational
objectives, define philosophy and facilitate

19
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia defines PR as the
practice of managing the flow of information between an
organization and its publics. Public relations - often
referred to as PR - gains an organization or individual
exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest
and news items that do not require direct payment.
Because public relations places exposure in credible third-
party outlets, it offers a third-party legitimacy that
advertising does not have. Common activities include
speaking at conferences, working with the press, and
employee communication.
• PR can be used to build rapport with employees,
customers, investors, voters, or the general public. Almost
any organization that has a stake in how it is portrayed in
the public arena employs some level of public relations. A
number of specialties exist within the field of public
relations, such as Media Relations, Investor Relations or
Labor Relations.

20
Development of PR in the Corporate /Academia World
There is growth of Public Relation courses around the
World. Full-time undergraduate and graduate course
are providing a pool of knowledgeable entrants to the
industry and part-time courses for working
practitioners are helping to improve standards of
qualifications and performance.
• These courses demonstrate that PR is beginning to
fulfill one of the key requirements for gaining
recognition as fully fledged profession:
i. that is a solid, articulate knowledge-based discipline.
ii. building its own „body of knowledge‟ through research
and curricula development for the courses. This
commitment to education and training depicts a level
of maturity in the industry and mirrors the
development of other professions such as Law,
Medicine, Engineering and Accountancy.

21
Development of PR in the Corporate /Academia World ..
contd
• PR has not only arrived but it is also thriving and making
headway into heights where other professions are.
• PR professionals are being employed (and / or self-
employed) in virtually all forms of organizations set-ups
and management.
• For example according to the UK Chartered Institute of
Public Relations (CIPR) all the FTSE 100 companies have
PR Departments and PR is one of the top three careers
choices for graduates. Also an increasing number of
Communicators are full board members within companies
and, in the public sector, the developing stakeholder
engagement provided opportunity for PR Professionals.

22
Development of PR in the Corporate /Academia
World .. Contd
• Today Public Relations is a set of management,
supervisory, and technical functions that foster an
organization's ability to strategically listen to,
appreciate, and respond to those persons whose
mutually beneficial relationships with the organization
are necessary if it is to achieve its missions and
values." Essentially it is a management function that
focuses on two-way communication and fostering of
mutually beneficial relationships between an
organization and its publics.
• Building and managing relationships with those who
influence an organization or individual‟s important
audiences has a central role in doing public relations.

Corporate Communication: Disciplines
and their Interrelationships .. contd
23
What is a Public?
This is a group of people who share a common problem
or goal and recognize their common interest.
Three (3) types of Publics
1. Latent Public – is not a ware of the need to change
or act.
2. Aware Public – recognizes a need but is not prone
to any action.
3. Active Public – is aware and ready to do sth.

24
What is a Public?
Which Channels that commonly used to influence the Publics ?
i. Mass media – electronic and print such as radio, TV,
newspapers, podcasts,
ii. Biased intermediaries – individuals and / or groups that stand
to benefit from another‟s adoption e.g. Merchandisers
iii. Unbiased Intermediaries - individuals and / or groups that do
not have vested interests or beneficiary from another‟s
adoption e.g. Government Agencies
iv. Significant Others – Friends, relatives and other who are
esteemed / admired by the Potential adopters.
v. Personal Experience – the school of hard knocks or ….. The
best teacher!

Corporate Communication: Disciplines
and their Interrelationships .. contd
25
Elements of PR Process
PR is a process that involves a series of actions,
changes or functions that bring about a result.
The process consists of four key elements. These
elements are :
• R – Research – What is the situation?
• A – Action or Program Planning – What is to be
done?
• C – Communication or Execution – How will the
public be told?
• E – Evaluation – Was the target audience
reached? And what was the effect?
Mnemonic R.A.C.E.

26
2. PR versus Marketing
 Marketing – this is the Art and Science of finding, retaining and
growing profitable customers. Marketing Mix has 4 major
activities described as the 4ps in Marketing Profession; These
are Product, Price, Promotion and Place (distribution).

27
3. PR versus Advertising
 Advertising – this is one of the elements of the 4Ps - Promotion
in the Marketing mix. It is to tell the public about a product in
order to encourage / woo them to buy or to use. Also to let
people to be aware something is going to happen before it
occurs.
 Unlike advertising or marketing, PR :-
i) is more “soft sell” than “hard sell.”
ii) emphasizes information and persuasion as opposed to
packaging and paid media.
iii) emphasizes diplomacy as opposed to force.
iv) owing to its subtleties is occasionally viewed either as
“propaganda” or, “spin”.

28
4. PR Vs. Propaganda
Propaganda is the intentional manipulation of public
opinion without regard for what is accurate or true.
 Although PR has certainly been misused from time to
time, its record of historical achievement suggests a
much deeper and abiding respect for and adherence
to openness and honesty in its dealings and
communications. PR has blossomed as a
professional endeavor in the 20th Century, most
conspicuously in the United States and other Europe,
but its roots, both philosophical and pragmatic, can be
traced throughout civilization.

29
6. PR vs Journalism.
Journalism is the work of collecting and writing
stories for newspapers, magazines, radio or
television.
Similarities in Both:
Writing is a common activity and also their job is the
same in many ways: interviewing people,
gathering and synthesizing large amount of
information, write in news-worthy style
(journalistic), trained to produce good copy and
on-time.
The misconception that a PR professional is a

30
Areas of Difference PR Journalism
Scope Needs strategic thinking, problem-solving and management
skills.
Needs Journalist writing and media relations.
Objective Gather facts and information for the purpose of informing and
changing the attitude of the Publics. Are advocates.
Gather and select information to provide the public
with news. Are objective observers.
Audience Segment audiences by demographic and psychological
characteristics and the messages are tailored to address the
concerns or interest for maximum mutual benefits.
Mass –audience readers / news viewers, listeners.
The audiences are not defined.
Channels Employ (hire / buy space) from the media houses that publishes
and or broadcasts their work. Also uses brochures, pamphlets,
posters, radio, TV, Internet.
By their employer’s media that publishes and or
broadcasts their work.

References
31
Fitzgerd Suzanne Sparks, (2005), Schaum‟s quick
guide to great business writing, Tata-McHill, New
Delhi .
Lamerton Jacey, (2004), Collins complete guide
public speaking, Harper Collins publishers,
Glasgow,
Free encyclopedia Wikipedia.

Parting Shot
32
You never get a second chance to make a good
first impression.
When should put your best foot forward?
When should present yourself in a way most likely
to gain favourable attention?
Answer: Every time. All the time.

Corporate communication for managers

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