The new rules of Corporate CommunicationsIn many organizations, the corporate communications function hardly gets the attention it deserves until the moment crisis hits. But undervaluing the importance of powerful communication is a mistake, and it’s costing some companies dearly.

“Like many other soft skills, [communication] is undervalued in corporations because it’s difficult to measure,” says Dorie Clark, author and adjunct professor of business administration at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Corporate leaders can do their part to improve how their companies communicate. Here are five steps to take.

Recruit talented, senior-level communications executives with solid business skills and deep knowledge of the company’s products and processes. According to David Moyer, president of the executive search firm Moyer, Sherwood Associates Inc., the challenges of the role now make it more essential for candidates to hold an MBA. More broadly, companies need to give communications chiefs the titles, reporting relationships, access and resources to be effective company-wide. And that means investing in senior communications roles for the long-term.

Learn to trust and understand the communications function. Companies “need to learn more about communications and the communications consequences of their actions and not treat it like a foreign language,” urges Moyer. Otherwise, they’ll end up spending too much time mopping up after crises as opposed to preempting them.

Let communications leaders advise and educate the C-suite. If corporations need to listen better to their communications leaders, then the reverse is also true. Communications execs need to help other leaders understand why they’re important.

“Good communications chiefs recognize that one leg of their job is representing communications to senior management,” says Moyer. “They can point to communication wins in that area with the same pride they do to a media relations victory outside. The CFO or the head of engineering doesn’t need to explain their functions the same way. But the communications person needs to do this.”

Eliminate command-andcontrol communications. “The best companies are transparent, and when they are wrong, they promptly admit it rather than hide behind ‘corporate speak,’” author Clark says. “Apologize, take responsibility, and do what’s necessary to right the wrong….”

Let employees be ambassadors, Clark advises. “Smart, far-sighted companies recognize that if employees are using social media anyway, you might as well tap that power,” she says. “Give them information about the company’s vision, goals and what it’s doing and allow them to spread that positive message online.” (Excerpted from www. fastcompany.com)