How much is poor communication really costing organisations?

The answer? An eye-watering $37 billion across the US and UK – and that was back in 2011. That is not a typo by the way – that is billion, with a ‘B.’

Imagine what that figure looks like today. And yet, leaders still dismiss it as a ‘nice-to-have.’

Despite mounting evidence, many organisations continue to treat internal communication as an afterthought – focusing on cost-cutting in areas they perceive as non-essential, without realising that ineffective communication is already draining their bottom line.

The truth? Miscommunication is not just frustrating – it’s expensive.

At the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence (CSCE), we fully support the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and its February 10, 2025, statement reaffirming its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

PRSA has recognised the growing challenges facing DEI initiatives, stating:

“At the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is unwavering. In recent years, DEI initiatives have become vastly criticized and often weaponized, leading to confusion among the general public. This has resulted in companies and organizations reconsidering or even retreating from their commitments due to shifting political and social pressures. Despite these challenges, PRSA remains steadfast in our belief that DEI is not a passing trend — it is fundamental to the future of public relations, business and society.”

We commend PRSA for its leadership in making this public statement at a time when it is more important than ever for our profession to stand firm on equity, fairness, and inclusion. DEI is not just a social initiative, it is a business and ethical imperative that strengthens organisations, fuels innovation, and builds stakeholder trust. Ultimately, it paves the way for a better world.

18 February 2025, at 3:00 PM US Central Time | 9:00 PM London GMT | 8:00 AM Australia AEDT

Join us for a free webinar as part of the Global Alliance Responsible Communication Month.

Generative Artificial intelligence is transforming the communication landscape, redefining how messages are crafted, delivered, and received. As communication professionals, we are not just facilitators of dialogue but stewards of ethical influence in a rapidly evolving AI-driven world. This webinar explores the pivotal role of communication leaders in advocating for ethical AI implementation.

Communication professionals are expected to be strategists, storytellers, advisors, and now – AI-savvy digital experts. The stakes are higher than ever. Organisations need communication leaders who can navigate complexity, drive meaningful conversations, and prove their impact.

That’s why professional development isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s an absolute necessity.

But identifying a priority isn’t enough. We need to go deeper. That’s why we need you to take this brief survey.

The survey is open now, but don’t wait – responses close on Friday, 21 February.

“Positions have been advertised that include those required for cultural diversity and inclusion adviser positions, change managers and internal communication specialists, but such positions, as I say, do nothing to improve the lives of everyday Australians.” – Peter Dutton, Opposition Leader (The Age, 31 January 2025)  

Recent comments from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton dismissing internal communication professionals as unnecessary government spending ignore a fundamental truth: clear, effective communication is the backbone of an efficient and high-performing public service.  

Slashing these roles may seem like a cost-saving measure, but the reality is, cutting internal communication professionals will cost taxpayers more in lost productivity, inefficiency, and poor service delivery.  

“If every Australian public servant saved just 10 minutes a day through better communication, we’d unlock nearly $400 million in productivity savings annually,” said Adrian Cropley OAM, FRSA, SCMP, co-founder of the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence. “Removing the people responsible for creating that efficiency is not just short sighted, it’s a step backwards for a modern government.”

This is a friendly reminder about the 2025 Approaching the Future: Trends in Reputation and Intangible Asset Management survey. Our friends, the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, are supporting this initiative, developed by Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership in collaboration with CANVAS Estrategias Sostenibles.

The report provides valuable insights into key trends shaping reputation, brand, sustainability, ethics, and transparency, helping professionals navigate the future of intangible asset management.

Completing the survey only takes about five minutes, and participants will receive a copy of the final report with insights into the trends shaping the business landscape in 2025.

The conversation around AI and its impact on the communication profession is evolving and so are we at the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence. We have created a 'safe space' for communication professionals to explore, question, and navigate AI. We now offer our AI Forum in two time zones so everyone can join the conversation.

• North America/Asia Pacific  
• Europe/Africa

At our last forum, we tackled: 

• The challenges of 'managing AI-driven change' in organisations
• The 'evolving role of communication professionals' in an AI-enabled world
• The 'ethical and societal implications of AI'
• The need for 'research and responsible AI implementation' 

Thanks to Ingrid Nienaber-Dickens for facilitating our forums, and Bonnie Caver and Wayne Aspland for sharing their insights at our January forum.

This forum is for communication professionals to share experiences, discuss this evolving world, and proactively shape the future of AI in our field. 

Our AI forum is every month for 60 minutes and we welcome everyone to help build knowledge we all need to keep up with the pace of change. Let’s lead the AI transformation together!

Generative AI isn’t just the future – it’s the present.

Right now, communication professionals have a choice: harness GenAI to gain a competitive edge or risk falling behind as it reshapes our profession.

From planning and research to writing, measurement, and beyond, GenAI has the power to enhance productivity, elevate content quality, and unlock new efficiencies. And it’s only getting smarter.

This session, hosted by CSCE co-founder, Sia Papageorgiou FRSA, FCSE, SCMP, with special guest, Wayne Aspland, will cut through the noise, showing you practical steps to integrate GenAI into your workflow and build the expertise you need to stay ahead.

To ensure global accessibility, we’ll be running two live sessions to accommodate multiple time zones.

Wherever you are, don’t miss this chance to gain the expertise you need to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving profession.

1 April, 5:00 PM AEDT

Internal communication is at a crossroads…again.

Too many internal communication professionals remain stuck in the cycle of tactics over strategy, missing opportunities to prove their true business value. And when internal communication professionals fail to step up, it fuels dismissive comments like Australian Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton’s recent take that internal communication specialists, “do nothing to help the average Australian.”

And let’s be honest – he’s probably not the only one who thinks that. Across politics and business, leaders everywhere question the value of internal communication – often because we’re not proving it ourselves.

But what’s really going on? 

In this no-nonsense conversation, CSCE co-founder, Sia Papageorgiou FRSA, FCSCE, SCMP and Sharn Kleiss, Strategy Partner for Employee Experience & Insights at Gallagher’s Communication Consulting Practice – the force behind the definitive State of the Sector report, compare insights from two critical internal communication research studies – Gallagher’s global deep dive and CSCE’s recent collaboration with Haiilo.

Both organisations will combine their 20,000-follower-strong community with an established industry platform - creating a new home for communication thought leadership, deepening connections and networks, and supporting their collective efforts to demonstrate their value and impact.

The paywall has been taken down.

They're bringing new and established voices to the forefront.

And there’s a lot more to come.

Unlock more value with our complete toolkit collection—5 essential resources for the price of 4, designed to support every step of your communication journey.

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