Job security does not exist. The only way to ensure your future employment, in my opinion, is to develop new skills continuously. Now on that somber note, I present you with some hope—a look into three critical, but typically weak skills for corporate communicators complete with resources to jump start your learning and application.

Note: This is the continuation from CEC’s Back-to-School Special where we explored 3 of the 16 critical skills for the modern communicator.

Global Perspective/Cultural Awareness

I consider and proactively prepare for how stakeholders in other countries or cultures will respond to a communication strategy.

Why it Matters: This skill is the least-developed among communicators, but it’s also the most important to work on for two reasons. First, most of our CEC members tell us that their company is expanding into new, emerging markets. Suddenly, their audience has shifted from being U.S.-only to include employees and stakeholders on five continents. Second, whether or not their company is expanding or contracting, many Communications functions are reorganizing. For example, Communicators formerly aligned to a specific region are now formally reporting to Corporate.  In short, broader and more formalized networks of communicators are being employed at CEC member companies, which creates a whole new set of collaboration and ownership challenges.

Featured Resource: Managing Communication Across Global Teams—Use a simple framework to reveal how best to communicate and collaborate with communicators worldwide. The advice and resources contained within will help to build your sensitivity for and appreciation of differences in your business and develop decision-making mechanisms to respond quickly to potential crises or issues.

Business Acumen

I have an understanding of my company’s “ecosystem”, including the industry, global trends, macroeconomic changes, and regulatory changes.

Why it Matters: Your Head of Communication thinks you need to improve this skill. When surveyed, 63% of heads of the function said “business acumen” was the competency their team needed to improve the most. We aren’t just talking about a good understanding of business lingo! We’re talking about a deep understanding of your company and internal client’s business environment—the pressures that they face, the trends that will have the most impact on the future of the business, and the competitive landscape, among other influences.

Featured Resource: Taming Uncertainty—Impress your internal clients and boost your value to them by understanding why uncertainty is here to stay. We break down how you can plan and manage through uncertainty so that you can provide counsel and support to the businesses that rely on you. I’d also recommend visiting CEB’s Finance & Strategy’s blog CEB Views. It’s a good place to get news and advice from executives across functions, industries, and regions. I’ve personally found it helpful to bone up on global talent trends and emerging market do’s and don’ts.

Communication Coaching and Teaching

I provide superior communications counsel to managers and senior leaders and enable them to lead dialogue with their respective stakeholders

Why it Matters: Employees’ personal connection to the company is the number one driver not only of mobilization (think of this as engagement + alignment to strategy), but also of agility, the main driver of employee performance in a high-change environment. Managers and peers—not Communications—are the people that employees build their personal connection to the company through. Simply put, Corporate Communications doesn’t have the credibility or scale to create this connection, so our ability to enable the entire organization to be better at what we do naturally is critical.

Featured Resource: Dialogue Training and Workshops—Provide a safe forum for managers to get structured practice with dialogue tools to make sure that these important behaviors stick. These materials will help you run a dialogue skill-building workshop tailored to a specific business context. Don’t have time to run a train-the-trainer session with your organization’s managers? Share our short online e-learning module to help managers understand how dialogue functions as a business tool.

Check out, the CEC’s resources on the other 13 must-have skills:

• Foresight
• Strategic Agility/Judgment
• Outcomes Focus
• Interpersonal Influence
• Negotiation
• Dialogue-Enablement
• Channel Management
• Oral Presentation/Professional Posture
• Audience Understanding
• Project Management
• Purposeful Writing
• Communications Measurement
• Critical Thinking

CEC Related Blogs:

• Ideas to Improve Your Business Acumen
• Coaching Leaders: 10 Tips for Effective Presentations
• What Do Other People Do in YOUR Job?
• The CEC’s Back to School Special
• Strongest and Weakest Skills for the Communications Profession