By Lisa Schievelbein

I spent my winter break at a yoga retreat in Oahu, Hawaii—a mere 10-minute beach stroll to Barack Obama’s vacation getaway. (Or at least, that’s how long it took to walk to the literal line in the sand drawn by the Secret Service, clad in Hawaiian shirts.) Though I was intent on unplugging from all thoughts of Corporate Communications on this trip, Obama’s brush with crisis communication (re: the airline terror attempt on Christmas Day) did call to mind the many communication challenges that Comms and POTUS share.

First, though, let me acknowledge a fundamental difference. Obama has what every communicator wishes for: messages that break through the noise. (Of course, it helps to have the world’s biggest megaphone, as writer Dan Balz observed.) But as we all know, getting heard doesn’t equate to getting support. That’s the harder piece that we all struggle with, and in a few particular areas:

• Conveying a clear stance on complex issues through a consistent, relatable narrative
• Tailoring messages in a way that helps distinct stakeholder groups understand (and ideally like) the subject matter’s impact on them
• Managing stakeholder perceptions of the organization in an essentially uncontrollable (and often rancorous) media environment

At this point, my vacation twin and I are both back in chilly Washington D.C., hard at work on our respective priorities. I’m not sure of exactly what’s on Obama’s list (note to self: DVR the SotU address during team dinner at Kayleigh’s), but my own goals are quite clear: discovering solutions to those challenges by day, and mastering my firefly pose by night.

CEC members can follow our progress on 2010’s key research initiative here.

So, let’s hear from you. In what other ways do we share the pain with the Communicator in Chief?