Strengthened relationships with other departments has helped comms pros engage with the workforce and deploy cascade-method messaging, according to the 2021 Communications Benchmark Report.

Tony Silber, Editorial Director, Ragan CommunicationsOne of the most significant trends for communicators in the last 15 months is the strengthened relationships they’ve forged with allied departments. Much of the impetus for this new dynamic comes from the pandemic and the realities of remote work, but it’s likely that the value of closer relationships across the enterprise will continue.In fact, nearly half of communicators—42%—reported they’ve developed stronger relationships with other departments as a result of the pandemic, according to the Communications Leadership Council’s 2021 Benchmark Report.

Improved relationships naturally lead to improved communications support from frontline managers, a critical component in any messaging effort. It’s challenging to integrate managers into internal communications processes, but communicators who do work with their departmental managers consistently report better engagement. Indeed, the vast majority of more than 700 respondents to the Benchmark Report rely on managers to help distribute and underscore communications efforts.Continue reading here...