A Team of One – expanding your capacity as a corporate comms pro

by Chitra Phatak:

In today’s dynamic corporate landscape, it’s increasingly common for Corporate  Communications professionals, especially individual contributors, to manage diverse portfolios that range from core Internal Communication and Social Media activities, and often range more broadly into  Employee Engagement, DEI, CSR, etc. 

While this spread of activity can offer exciting opportunities for growth and impact, it can also lead to overwhelm. 

I see the key to thriving in this environment lies in working smarter, not just harder. 

Below are some ideas from my personal experiences and some strategies I’ve adapted over the years to grow from being a “team of one” to having a full-fledged team with its own budget.  

Build extended teams  

As a corporate comms pro, you might not have a large team reporting to you at first, but that doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. Here are some resources I’ve used to expand my capacity: 

• Empower Employee Resource Groups (ERGs):
  
  Your colleagues from in these groups crossing different functions can be invaluable partners in collating relevant content, providing you with on-the-ground insights and raw material that you can build on to create stories.
    
• Strategic External Partnerships:
  
  Recognize where external resources can significantly enhance your output without increasing your direct workload:
   
  •  Boutique Design Agencies:
    
    Outsource design-intensive tasks to specialized agencies. They bring creative expertise and efficiency, ensuring your communications are visually compelling without you getting bogged down in design intricacies. 

  • Social Media, Event & Other Specialized partners:
    
    Partnering with social media experts can streamline content creation and management for your social channels; onboarding Event partners for things like management conferences, town halls, and other gatherings will free your time and help you focus on broader strategic messaging.  ◦ 

Put your foot down (literally) – Take on few but key initiatives and set clear  expectations  

Its most likely that if you are good at your job, many new initiatives will be thrown your way and, as a senior professional, you will be expected to fly with them as well. What you need to do is set expectations in the beginning on what can be done with your current limited resources and how adding resources can improve the quality and the impact of those initiatives.

Quarterly communication planning & scheduling: 

Instead of scrambling for content and execution, adopt a quarterly planning cycle for recurring communication elements like newsletters, podcasts, videos, etc. will allow you to map out themes, gather necessary information in advance, and ensure a well-thought-out and cohesive communication flow.

Building a case for the future : 

Organizations often face headcount limitations, but they are frequently more flexible when  it comes to engaging external specialists. This can be your stepping stone to building a  stronger team in the long run:  

• Demonstrate the value of external support
  
  Start with small outsourcing projects; over time, the organisation will witness the change and invest more. By strategically leveraging external resources, you can showcase the increased reach,  quality, and efficiency of your communications efforts. 
  

• Demonstrate and quantify the growing need
  
  Partnering with agencies alone is not the answer as the major part of strategy and content is done by us internally.
  
  As your responsibilities expand and the demand for communication support increases, meticulously document your workload and how your external partnerships are adding measurable benefit. Then, spell out the case for additional resources and what they would be useful.
  
  Using this data will help you form a compelling case for expanding your internal team with dedicated subject matter experts. Keep improving your business case as you collect more quantitative data.  

Even in post-COVID times, Corporate Communication functions often still do not get the appropriate weightage as a core and essential strategic function, which means budgets & resources continue to be an issue.  

Working smart as a Corporate Communications “team of one” in a multi-portfolio role is about strategic delegation, leveraging available resources, proactive planning & most importantly building a case for the future.

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India-based Chitra Phatak is a seasoned Corporate Communication & Employee Engagement professional with over 18 years of experience of working in multicultural global organizations.

Written by: Editor