CommCore Blog and News

Let’s look at several news events from 2023 to help identify corporate communications trends, and set communications goals for 2024:

• One Congressional Hearing Brings Down Two Ivy League Presidents. Commentary about the Congressional testimony from the presidents of Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and MIT lambasted the event as a byproduct of over-lawyering and the two presidents’ failure to respond well to aggressive, if not fully predictable, questioning. These hearings and subsequent pressure resulted in the resignation of 2 of the 3 university leaders.
• New SEC Cyberattack Reporting Rules. New rules from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding timely disclosure of information to investors about any cyberattack or breach that is deemed “material” have public company lawyers and investor relations specialists ready to respond.
• Surge in Union Activity Post-COVID. Increase in union organizing efforts in all sectors of the workplace have HR, labor relations and legal planning implications.
• Policies Proposed for Safe, Effective Use of AI. Organizations are wrestling with how to overcome dependence on highly technical staff while creating frameworks for data privacy and organizational control when using AI. Governance rules and regulations are being proposed for how to utilize AI, and businesses need to pay attention.

Each of these issues has profound communications and reputation impacts. None are going away any time soon. Each was a seismic event, and is an indicator of corporate communications trends we’ve been seeing for quite some time now. It’s time to look at your organization and see how close your communications seat is to the policy and decision-making table.

If communications is already there, make sure it’s a solid chair that can’t be dislodged.

If you are currently excluded from the decision room or in a back-row seat, a 2024 goal should be to get to the main table before things get hot. Here are suggestions on how to gain access or keep your seat:

• Take a look at the 2023 events and corporate communications trends that are closest to your situation and provide analysis.
• Look around the corner and find trends that will impact external and internal reputation. Share your insights with your teams.
• Monitor the news and social media. Try to anticipate the “crisis du jour” and don’t get the note that says, “Why didn’t you tell us about this before?”

CommCore Can Help: Whether you’re presenting information to your team, your supervisor, or to an audience of decision-makers, your ability to brief senior executives in a compelling way can set you apart as a leader. Mastering the art of delivering a compelling message—one that instills belief and trust—is absolutely crucial to your career and your organization’s mission. Learn more and schedule a call with us on our Executive Briefing Skills Training page.