Communicators and the organizations they support continue to navigate a polarized world, where a surge in corporate activism has put pressure on whether executives should speak up or stay silent on critical issues. 

Last year, USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations’ Global Communication Report likened the landscape to a Rubik’s Cube, twisting and turning, with one move impacting the next. This year Annenberg draws on the analogy of a balancing act.

“In this unprecedented year, purpose and polarization are colliding head on, posing a challenge for CEOs. They’re walking a tightrope in a hurricane. Balancing the weight of competing demands from their stakeholders, while withstanding turbulence from a category-five political storm,” Fred Cook, director of USC Annenberg Cener for Public Relations says in the report’s foreword. “It’s tempting to hunker down until it blows over, but silence isn’t a sanctuary for companies with strong values and close relationships with their employees and customers.”

The report explores a wide range of issues, and a few key points are highlighted below:

• On the topic of addressing social issues, stakeholders continue to agree that companies have a responsibility here. However, consensus from consumers, employees and even PR pros have dropped, potentially signifying a shift away from purpose.
• If executives do choose to speak out on social issues, closing the knowledge gap in what stakeholders actually know about a company is critical. Not doing so can lead to a disconnect when responding accordingly to a crisis.
• Communicators reported that companies should lead on DEI, climate change and misinformation, but were more hesitant around topics such as immigration, gun violence and union workers’ rights. Annenberg advises to “be cautious of the expectations of their stakeholders and wiling to assume some level of risk for the right cause.”   
• A silver lining: employees feel employers are delivering on goals related to tough issues, including the economy, DEI, mental health, gun violence and more. This alignment shows the importance of strategic internal communications.
• Activist stakeholders represent less than 10% of the stakeholder population, but that doesn’t diminish their influence in a media echo chamber. PR pros should be ready to stress test divisive or charged issues by looking at the most vocal of their audience.
• Speaking of audience, is that the right frame of mind? According to the report, audience “implies a large group of people sitting quietly … We should ban the word ‘audience’ from the PR vocabulary, because today the roles are reversed. Stakeholders are not sitting quietly for anyone.” 

So where does this leave communicators as we look down the second half of the year?

"Leaders need to be prepared for this high wire act with a deep grasp of the issues, an intimate understanding of their stakeholders, and sound judgement on when they should engage,” Cook says. As for the communicators who support those leaders, opportunity to lead abounds. Based on the findings of the report, those who follow the balancing act — nimble enough to solve problems, brave enough to shake up the status quo — will find success.   

Access the report online here. 

Kristin Frankiewicz

Kristin Frankiewicz is the IABC content manager, based in Chicago.