3 Executive Communications Predictions for 2024
I’ve been doing some plotting and planning for my business for 2024 and I’m most excited about this Executive Communications Masterclass I’m hosting in February.
But what are my clients thinking about? Or what do I wish they were thinking about as we head into a new year? Here are three things that should be in every 2024 strategy:
The US Election
If there’s one prediction I’m willing to make about the 2024 election, it’s that the road to get there will have more twists and turns than San Francisco’s Lombard Street. Aside from that, all bets are off!
So, how does one prepare for so many ‘known unknowns’? As we get closer to the main event, make sure robust media monitoring and regular communication with your policy and regulatory teams are both part of your plan. And ensure you have any statements your CEO made after the 2016 election or in the wake of January 6th handy. When the ‘known unknowns’ reveal themselves, the first ask from your CEO will be, ‘What have we said before?’
2. more Statements
The 2016 election was the start of CEOs sending internal and external statements commenting on political issues. This trend accellerated through the omni-crises of the past few years and recently we’ve seen things come to a head for university Presidents speaking out about the Israel-Hamas war.
My second prediction for 2024 is that we will continue to see crises erupt where CEOs and leaders are called on by stakeholders (be that employees or customers) to express their views publicly. If you haven’t done it already, now is a great time to do a review of all your statements and have some internal conversations about whether they’re yielding the results you hoped for.
3. A.I. Leaks
We all know that A.I. is changing just about everything. But my prediction for executive communicators is that someone is going to put sensitive information into ChatGPT (or similar), which will show up somewhere it’s not supposed to, causing a reputational snafu. Numerous American banks and tech companies have restricted employee access to A.I. for this reason. Don’t be that employee. Better yet, host some training to make sure your team understands the risks.
If these are the kinds of issues that are on your mind for 2024, join us in February.
