11 biggest takeaways from Ragan’s Future of Communications Conference

The 2022 Future of Communications Conference gathered hundreds of communications professionals at the Edison Ballroom in New York City, New York to refine and align their strategies around moving from order takers to strategic advisors whose judgment is material to the growth and success of their organizations. Attendees had the opportunity to brainstorm, reconnect with colleagues, make new friends and learn real-world tips and tactics from dozens of leading communicators.

If you missed out on all the action in real time, don’t worry we’ve got you covered with some of the biggest lessons from the two-day conference:

1. Communications isn’t a separate function of the organization. It’s just a pure reflection of how the organization functions.
2. If you’re doing comms without a business or representational goal, then you’re not doing it correctly.
3. When trying to convince your boss or the C-suite on the metaverse, get them into it. Don’t try to explain it based on a slide.
4. Crisis used to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, but the pandemic brought on the idea of the ongoing crisis. So make sure you don’t have a crisis person but rather a crisis team.
5. Lean on your brand’s voice and values when you’re thinking about the message you’re putting out in the world on social. Remember, your reputation is your revenue at the end of the day.
6. ESG is a way to demonstrate that the trust you’ve built is truly earned
7. It’s easy to say that your company is a great place to work – it’s much more impactful to actually be a great place to work and tell those stories. They’ll ring much more true to the audience and will make employees more likely to share their own stories.
8. Build real relationships with journalists — and not just reporters. Knowing who can help with a troublesome headline can be a game-changer.
9. When building a comms tech stack, get employee buy-in — from the bottom and the top — at every step in the process.
10. Psychological safety is different for every employee, and we need to listen to our employees to know how to make them their best selves at work. Listening should use both qualitative and quantitative approaches for the most holistic approach.
11. When you’re building a great culture, there should be many touchpoints along the employee journey to help people feel like they’re part of the larger picture. If they get the organization’s overall strategy, they’re more likely to feel like a part of the bigger mission.

Communications Week continues through Monday, Nov. 7 with lots of opportunities to still participate virtually and in person. To check out all the upcoming events, visit here.

Isis Simpson-Mersha is a conference producer/ reporter for Ragan. Follow her on LinkedIn