At companies where messaging platforms have taken hold, employees (and communicators) rely on them more often than on traditional methods, according to Ragan’s 2021 Communications Benchmark Report.

Tony Silber, Editorial Director, Ragan CommunicationsOne defining characteristic of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the challenges it poses for a distributed workforce, especially those with a global footprint.Teams have been disrupted and meetings that would have happened in person moved to virtual platforms. Social cues that might have helped bridge cultural divides are more tenuous than ever. Whether it’s language, communication styles or meeting management, the challenges for communicators of a dispersed, global workforce were amplified in the 15 months.[EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Communications Benchmark Report 2021]What’s fascinating though, and critical for communications success going forward, is how social technologies are beginning to transform the way people communicate and work with each other. These tools are more integrated into their organizations’ work than ever before, and the most sophisticated of them, message-based platforms, are gaining traction. At the companies where messaging platforms have taken hold, per McKinsey, employees rely more often on these social methods of communication than on traditional methods.Continue reading here...