Here's how you can navigate a rapidly changing industry as a strategic communicator: focus on key skills.

By prioritizing adaptability, you position yourself and your company as forward-thinking leaders in your industry. This approach not only enhances your strategic communication but also builds resilience and competitiveness. Stay agile, stay informed, and embrace change—these are the keys to thriving in the dynamic world of strategic communication.

For a brand to be successful on a global level, the challenge is a need to balance brand consistency with local market relevance. Definitely keep your ears to the ground and look out for geopolitical, cultural and social sensitivities to avoid any land mines.

In addition to collecting and synthesizing the above mentioned insights, I’ll throw in another challenge of stimulating consumer needs; to help them aspire towards a better future that they haven’t thought of yet.

Aktives Zuhören bedeutet vor allem sich auf das Gesagte des Gegenübers gedanklich einzulassen ohne gleichzeitig im eigenen Kopf eine Antwort oder ein Gegenargument parat zu haben. Dazu ist es sinnvoll das Gehörte mitunter mit Verständnisfragen zu verifizieren, damit man sicher sein kann, nicht nur was der andere gesagt hat, sondern wie er es gemeint hat. Viele übersehen in der Kommunikation, dass Sprache und Gesagtes nur das Medium von Gedanken und Gemeintem sind, dessen Inhalte mitunter fehlerhaft gesendet, aber auch verstanden werden.

Look for the connections between the comments and messaging you hear. A quick example from restaurant industry. Owners worried about training new workers on cleaning of equipment. Need to do properly to maintain food safety. Employees overwhelmed with information and can't recall all the steps to maintain multiple pieces of equipment. Employee turnover at an all time high. Solution: We took all that in, stitched those data points together and knew we couldn't directly solve each problem, but for our equipment we used the touch-screen displays to show step-by-step cleaning instructions, and on-board sensors to verify each step was completed properly. Eased training burden, gave employees confidence, kept restaurant compliant!

Remember that good storytelling involves a clear beginning, middle, and end. Often, you don't need as much set up as you think; it's best to start right before the climax of the story when the emotional tenor is strongest. Utilizing storytelling techniques in your brand messaging helps bring a human element and deepen your audiences' sense of connection to your product, service, and/or brand.

With the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence and other technologies, our profession (like many others) must stay connected. If we want to remain relevant and creative, we need to cultivate this curiosity. It's part of the process