One org, one voice: How to keep comms consistent in a charged political climate

Leading comms at a large organization is never easy — especially in the bristling political landscape we are all experiencing right now — but smooth collaboration among departments can keep leadership united through even the fiercest reputational storms.

At Ragan’s 2024 Future of Communications Conference in Austin, Texas, industry experts gathered to share their best advice on how communicators can promote unity and create clarity amid increasing societal and organizational complexities. The opening keynote panel addressed the challenges and benefits of getting different departments on the same page around messaging and deciding when an org should speak up on key issues.

Moderator Marco Pena, EVP and GM of Edelman Austin, led the conversation with Anh Selissen, chief information officer at the Texas Department of Transportation; John Hallock, chief communications and marketing officer at Quantum Health; Elizabeth Monteleone, chief legal officer at Bumble; and Alise Marshall, senior director of corporate affairs and impact at Pinterest.

Read on for their best advice.

Values and vision

As businesses face calls to take public stances on social issues, panelists discussed when and how companies should respond. Marshall argued for a consistent, values-driven approach: “Instead of shape-shifting to match the moment, take a long view,” she urged, advising organizations to focus on what matters most to their consumer base and avoid opportunistic “performative” statements that lack authenticity.

She emphasized the need for companies to reinforce shared values and truths that orgs use to keep their heading through rough seas, and she advised communicators to work with leaders to frame company missions around community service and societal impact, rather than solely shareholder value alone.

“Regardless of that polarization that we see across the electorate, folks still want the same basic things out of this life,” she said. “They want to be able to go to work in a dignified manner and role. They want to be able to give back to their communities and to those loved ones.”

Reinforcing these shared values by providing clear evidence of non-performative community impact, as well as opportunities for employees to get behind a message of societal support, can help companies meet consumer and staff expectations without inciting partisan ire.

Although Monteleone said Bumble favors “policies, not politics,” it is a women-founded, women-led and women-focused organization that has consistently been supportive of reproductive healthcare — a highly politicized topic during the 2024 election. The company organized election triage and crisis teams to ensure both legal and communications alignment around Bumble’s response to the outcome of the election and its implications.

“It’s key for every industry… to continue to stick to the mission and the values that you as a company are committed to,” she said. “There are a ton of things that are going to come up. You don’t need to respond to every single one of them. But on those that we have committed to, regardless of what the political landscape is going to be, we’re going to continue to show up. And that consistency builds trust. It builds authenticity in your employee base and your consumer base. “

Truth and consistency

When in doubt, Selissen advised, get back to the heart of any comms role — delivering on business objectives through clear communications. “Every organization has a critical mission,” she said. ”Regardless of political landscape… you have a core mission to deliver open and accurate information, regardless of the function that you serve.”

It can be easy to shy away from directness when societal dynamics require organizations to make decisions and express positions on issues that impact the business, but transparency and consistency are the best path to both employee and public buy-in.

Clear protocols and policies around what issues the organization will address can help even the most ardent employees know what to expect. “I think that we don’t give the employee base enough credit,” Marshall said. “They understand that the leadership of a company is facing lots of different complex questions and navigating lots of different dynamics and has to be thoughtful and measured and how to move.”

Hallock explained that Quantum Health positions marketing and communications under corporate communications to maintain narrative control around the expression of company values when working with different clients — say, an airline that operates under different regulations than an oil company.

Partnering with legal and IT from the outset is critical to that balance because it can help organizations pick their battles and choose when not to speak up — and it’s the guidance from corporate levels that ensures that awareness of nuance is consistent across the board. “I see corporate comms continuing to take a larger, more strategic role in most companies, because … it lends itself to just being the most powerful lever to bring all these things together.

Key Takeaways:

• Values-driven messaging: Anchor communication strategies around shared values to build unity amid polarization.
• Accuracy and collaboration: Engage legal and IT teams early to ensure accurate, regulation-compliant messaging.
• Consistency: Maintain a consistent stance on core issues instead of reacting to every societal trend, building authenticity with both consumers and employees.
• Integrated communication structures: Make sure leadership is positioned to help craft clearer, cohesive storytelling across functions and channels.

For more lessons from Comms Week, join us a FREE webinar Nov. 19.