Whale Song: What impact does the current Corona crisis have on the communications consultant profession?

A conversation between Dietrich Schulze van Loon and Frederike Buddensiek, trainee at ORCA van Loon Communications

 

Question 1: Frederike, you chose communications consulting as your profession and consequently joined ORCA van Loon Communications as a trainee in January of this year. What made you choose this profession and what education did you complete?

My interest in the profession as a communications consultant originated from my activities at university. During my studies of Political Science and Communications, I was active in various university groups and I was always involved in PR and marketing activities when planning projects and events. These first contacts with communications then motivated me to gain practical experience through internships and working student positions both in communications agencies and on the client side in communications departments. The creative and varying work quickly convinced me that it was the right profession for me. Therefore, it was an easy decision for me to complete a Masters degree in Strategic Communications and Public Relations in Scotland. In order to begin my career in the best possible way after graduation, I opted for a traineeship afterwards. This position allows me to quickly take on responsibility and at the same time learn from experienced colleagues. Now, almost six months after starting my traineeship, I remain convinced that it was the right decision for me.

Question 2: A really farsighted approach. In my days it wasn’t even possible to study Strategic Communications and Reputation Management, at least not in Germany. Public relations existed as an annoying appendage in marketing and the budget for it was calculated using an equation with three unknowns. In other words, it was miles away from being as important as communications consultancy is today. This makes the development of university education, especially in Germany, all the more gratifying. Where do you see the main differences and what suggestions do you have for the relevant studies and their graduates?

The increasing number of communication-related degrees offered by universities and the rising number of students and graduates in the field of strategic communications are a clear indicator of the growing relevance of this profession. In the Anglo-Saxon speaking areas, PR research and education has a comparatively long tradition, which is why I was very drawn to studying in the UK. My studies in Strategic Communication in Scotland were characterized by a high level of practical application, which never ignored the theoretical foundation. As a result, I found the learning to be very sustainable. Among other things, I was able to use real clients in order to learn how to develop a long-term communications strategy – beginning with the initial analysis up to measuring the actual output. This is fundamental knowledge that I can use in my job now.

Mentioned quite often, I can only recommend it to students and graduates: early networking in the industry! Either by attending lectures or by participating in networking events – an aspect that has been advised by the university in Scotland in a way that I have not yet experienced in Germany. For example, the university organized mentoring programs with industry professionals and cultivated collaborations with the two most important British organizations for communication - CIPR and PRCA. That way I was able to form professional connections early on, gain a lot of practical knowledge and gain new motivation for my studies at the same time. However, the students also have the responsibility to consciously seek out and take advantage of these networking opportunities themselves.

Question 3: You can read everywhere that nothing will be the same after Corona! There are quite a few decades between us, and as an older colleague who has gone through quite a few ups and downs, there are bound to be different points of view. How do you assess the situation and what conclusions do you draw from it – for yourself and for your profession in general?

I think it is indisputable that the corona crisis poses an exceptional situation, the likes of which we have never experienced before, especially because of the way it is affecting all areas of our society.

Communication is not exempt from this, and the Corona crisis represents an enormous challenge. However, I believe that it should also be seen as an opportunity.

For example, the crisis has shown quite clearly how important strategic corporate communications are, especially with regards to internal communications. Companies can only remain capable of acting and communicating in a crisis like the current one if they have established solid structures for internal communications. Only if companies manage to communicate developments, decisions and measures in a way that is comprehensible to employees, they will be able to maintain their trust even in a crisis.

Therefore, I assume that the need for communication in companies will increase after Corona. Every communications consultant should be aware of the responsibility this situation entails. Communication shapes the society in which we live in and it can provide orientation in times that are characterized by an abundance of news and information as well as growing levels of uncertainty. For that reason, we as communication consultants need to prove ourselves right now by communicating in a sensible and thoughtful way.

Question 4: You're only at the beginning of your career, but that's what allows you to still have an unobstructed view of the future. How do you see ORCA van Loon Communications positioning itself in this context? What role played working from home for such a long time? In your opinion: What have we learned from our time working from home and what results can we use for our future cooperation as a team?

I think what I have just described becomes very visible at ORCA van Loon Communications: if basic structures of internal communication are in place, it is possible to adapt quickly and flexibly to new situations in times of crises. Working from home was an option that was already available to all employees before the crisis and was made possible by online tools for internal communication that were firmly established in the working process. This made the transition to permanently working out of home office much easier and helped us to remain productive.

For me personally, a central component for mastering the work from home were the regular team meetings via video tools. This helped me feel informed about current developments in the agency and also helped to maintain a close connection between me and the team. Together, this is how we were able to digitally master the Corona crisis. Thankfully, so far this has also helped to prevent suffering from cabin fever while working from home.

Overall, the crisis has shown us how well we can work together as a team even during difficult times. That is a key point from which we can draw confidence and strength for our future work.