Today’s chief communications officer, or CCO, is the leading voice and communicator in many organizations. Today’s business are tasked with creating a variety of communications for many different stakeholders and it’s critical that these all support an overall strategy and common goals. For those interested in learning more about this integral management position, here are the basics of the role of the CCO in the business world right now.
Communications Management
The typical organization today regularly creates and delivers many different types of communications. Some of these communications deal with public relations and are designed to maintain a healthy public opinion of the organization. Others are made specifically for customers and meeting their needs and expectations. Others still are crafted for internal purposes and directed at employees and associated businesses and vendors.
As the types and purposes of these varying communications are listed, one can begin to see how wide of a field communications can entail for a company. And while there are numerous job roles and even departments assigned to handling many of these communications, the totality of it all often calls for the need of an upper manager of sorts to oversee everything in accordance with corporate positions and strategy. Enter the chief communications officer.
CCOs manage greater communications in accordance with company intentions, but they also craft many communications themselves. One moment you may find them creating a speech for management, while in the next moment they may be working the company’s social media presence.
Related Resource: Top 20 Best Online Communications Degree Programs
How To Become a CCO
There are numerous paths one can take in order to become a CCO. As to the educational requirements, a bachelor’s degree or higher in journalism, communications, or public relations opens many opportunities to work in this role. In addition, demonstrated experience in internal and external communications can help distinguish applicants in the hiring process. For those wanting to gain more experience, internships are one great way to make practice communication skills. These can be found through various employment websites as well as through one’s own college or university.
Additional Facts and Figures
The Korn Ferry Institute carried out an exclusive study on the job of the modern CCO and subsequently found some interesting facts and figures regarding the CCO of today. The following represent a handful of those findings.
- Not all CCOs report directly to a chief executive officer. Only 37% of CCOs report to a CEO, while many others report to different figures such as a president or vice chairman.
- Every CCO encountered by the study had a minimum of a bachelor’s degree as well as 25% holding a master’s degree and 15% having an MBA.
- The age range of CCOs surveyed showed over 30 years of difference from the youngest workers to the eldest. The age group of those between 46 and 50 years old had the highest population working as CCOs with 31% of the overall position occupancy.
- 46% of all CCOs studied are classified by their employers as corporate officers.
- 72% of all CCOS studied had worked for three to six prior companies to date.
CCOs represent an integral part of many organizations today. It is these professionals who manage the greater extent of communications internally and externally for their associated employers. These are the basics of the important role of today’s chief communications officer.