At Kademy, we’re always thinking about skills development in comms. Unsurprisingly, a statistic from the World Economic Forum’s recent Future of Jobs Report caught our attention:
“On average, workers can expect that two-fifths (39%) of their existing skill sets will be transformed or become outdated over the 2025-2030 period.”
Naturally, this got us asking: what skills will be most important for communicators in the future?
We don’t need to tell anyone how rapidly the business landscape is evolving. Like any function, comms doesn’t exist in a vacuum and is constantly being reshaped by various macro trends. As part of our ongoing research about the future of the function, we’ve been examining what communicators need to do now to stay ahead.
For the most part, we don’t think there’ll be a radical shift in the skill sets needed by communicators. However, we do believe that certain skills will become even more important than before.
We’ll be spotlighting these skills in our upcoming webinar, “What’s next for comms?” but we thought we’d give you a sneak preview now.
Here are three of the skills that need to be on your and your team’s radar:
1. Strategic advisory skills
These have always been essential for comms, but with AI taking on some of our tactical and operational tasks, communicators will be able to spend more time on strategic issues and relationship building.
Communicators need to act as strategic advisors to their business.
2. Business acumen
This always comes up when talking about comms skills. For communicators to best serve their business, they need to understand their organisation and the operating environment they are working in.
It’s all about business acumen for communicators.
3. Digital acumen
We define this as a good understanding of technological trends and how they impact an organisation, and it has emerged in our research as a key skill for every communicator. As we’ve seen with AI, communicators must learn how to use new technologies for their own work and to reach their audiences.
Communicators need to be more digitally literate.
We know that identifying the skills that will make your team most valuable and relevant is only part of the story. Working out where skills gaps exist now and how to hone these skills is even more important. That’s why we recommend regularly taking stock of where your team is, so you can create a meaningful development plan that sets them up for success. Our Skills and Competency Assessment can give you a clear view of your team’s current skills, how they compare to other teams and what training could best support them.
Find out what’s next for comms
Want to know what macro trends are shaping the comms function and what they mean for you and your team?
Sign up for our webinar, “What’s next for comms?” on Wednesday, 5th March at 3pm GMT/10am ET, where we’ll be sharing insights from our soon-to-be-released report, including:
- The major trends impacting comms and what they mean for you and your role.
- The skills you need to stand out and set yourself apart.
- Things you can start doing today to prepare for tomorrow.
