Building a well-structured communications department is crucial for any organisation looking to maintain a positive reputation, engage with their stakeholders, and deliver clear, effective messaging. The structure of your communications team can significantly impact your ability to communicate effectively, both internally and externally. Ensuring you have a strategically organised communications department will not only help to protect and enhance your brand’s external exception, but will also ensure the smooth flow of information within your organisation.
Though the shape and size of communications departments can differ immensely for different business sizes, this guide outlines the key points to consider when structuring and building your team.
Define Key Functions
Before building your communications, it’s crucial that you clearly define the core functions of the team. These roles may often work in parallel but can require different skillsets and strategies:
External Communications
External communications focuses on how your organisation interacts with the public, media, customers, investors, and external stakeholders like government bodies and industry associations. Some of the key functions include:
Public Relations:
Responsible for promoting a positive public image via shaping the organisation’s reputation and brand via managing press releases, media relations, etc.
Typical job titles include: Public Relations Manager, Media Relations Specialist, Crisis Communications Manager
Public Affairs:
Focuses on strategic communications with government bodies, regulatory agencies and policymakers to advocate for the organisation’s interests.
Typical job titles include: Public Affairs Manager, Government Relations Manager, Policy Advisor
Brand & Reputation Management :
Responsible for shaping and maintaining a positive public image of a brand and managing corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Internal communications focuses on messaging and communication within the organisation itself. This function is crucial for keeping employees informed, engaged, and aligned with the company’s goals, so shouldn’t be overlooked. Some of the key functions may include:
Employee Engagement:
Responsible for creating campaigns aiming to keep employees informed and motivated.
The best communications departments start with clear leadership. These leaders should have experience in both strategy and day-to-day operations. Common leadership titles include:
Chief Communications Officer (CCO): Oversees all communication functions, ensuring alignment with the organisation’s overall goals.
Director of Communications: Manages the team and day-to-day operations of the department, including strategy development and execution.
Head of Internal Communications: Responsible for managing all internal communications to ensure employees are informed, engaged, and aligned with the organisation’s goals.
Promote Collaboration & Communication
Depending on the size of your organisation, the communications team may exist as an independent function or as part of a wider function. Often the communications department may sit within the Marketing & Communications team, as there can be some overlap between the roles. Moreover, in some organisations the Internal Communications team sits within the wider HR function.
However, whatever the structure of the department, it’s crucial that a culture of collaboration is fostered. Cross-department collaboration ensures that messaging is consistent and aligned across all channels across the organisation, helping to build stronger strategies that address both internal and external audiences.
For example, on the launch of a new product, the communications team should collaborate with marketing to create the messaging and craft press releases, social media content and media outreach. This collaboration should also extend to the sales team. Internal communications is also key here for updating other employees regarding the latest developments within the organisation.
Be Adaptable
As your organisation grows and changes, it’s inevitable that your communications department will do. It’s important that you regularly assess the effectiveness of your department’s structure to ensure its fit for purpose, and make the adjustments where necessary. Considering hiring interim communicators or contractors at times where you need extra support or more flexibility will help you to be adaptable.
Partner with Experts
The best structured communications department aren’t built overnight. If you want to build an efficient and effective function, partnering with specialists is essential.
Whether it’s building out your team with the help of a recruitment partner, or reviewing your current team structure and providing guidance as to how create a more strategic communications function for the future, VMA GROUP can support with both.
Our team of recruitment consultants includes ex-communications industry professionals who are experts at connecting the best talent in the market with your organisation.
Additionally, as part of our Advisory Services offering we support organisations with strategy and organisation design. Having worked in the communications industry since 1978, we hold a deep understanding of the intricacies of the function and the challenges that you may face. Working with us allows you to create a plan for your department that aligns with the wider business strategy, but also operates in a way that truly works for you and your team.
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If your organisation is looking for support in building or structuring your communications team, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
