PageViews Monthly - Issue 7

PageViews Monthly is a public-facing newsletter for member teams and other communicators. To subscribe, click here.

Oct 31, 2024

Page recently hosted its two annual conferences, where members of the Page and Page Up communities convened to address the most pressing issues for the profession. Both of these conferences built on conversations that Page has been having for quite some time; below is a recap of some of those discussions, and what was added at the events.

Election Concerns

The risk of political instability after the upcoming U.S. election has been a concern of members both inside and outside the U.S. for some time.

• In May, we began co-hosting a series of conversations with Society for Human Resources Management and the Dialogue Project at Duke University. These Civility Calls have highlighted the crucial role the CCO plays in reducing political polarization by helping to create a respectful workplace.  
• At the Page Annual Conference, we heard from Bruce Mehlman, a seasoned political strategist who served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Technology Policy under President George W. Bush. He discussed how we reached this point of polarization (spoiler: it has much to do with diminished trust in public institutions). 
• In Boston, we closed out the Page Up Annual Conference with a spirited panel discussion on what will happen on November 5 and beyond. In closing, the entire panel agreed that, should the election be contested, or disaffected voters resort to violence, U.S. members should lean into supporting the constitution, the independence of the military, and the rule of law. 
• For international observers, they reiterated how the president has broad powers to affect global business and geopolitical stability, with or without congressional approval, and suggested game planning for either scenario.

AI Revolution

• As we have followed the evolution of GPTs and Generative AI, our expectations have evolved almost as much as the technology itself. 
  • Our initial conversations evolved from discussing the initial anxiety about the new tools and what they might mean for communicators, to curiosity about how they may improve our work and productivity, to adopting the technology for day-to-day tasks. 
  • At the Page Annual Conference, we heard about how Generative AI was used to enhance the work of communicators and how crucial it is to align AI use with the organization’s mission and purpose. 
  • At the Page Up Annual Conference, we heard how presenters were not just using AI for low-level redundant tasks, but deeper strategic analysis; from market analysis to IPO preparation, generative AI holds significant potential in assisting with increasingly strategic work.

The Future of ESG and Sustainability

Amid the attacks on ESG, many organizations are figuring out how they can pivot their messaging and strategies to avoid backlash. 

• As we have discussed in recent Page Conversations, which are member-only virtual discussions, this issue is especially prickly for international organizations, as many of the ESG strategies being demonized in the United States are required in Europe under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.  
• At the Page Annual Conference, we heard how communicators are dealing with increasing skepticism around their sustainability efforts, as many are not on track to meet the 2030 deadlines they set since the innovations required to meet them are still in their infancy. To maintain their climate credibility, the presenters explained that they are doubling down on the efforts they can make, like reducing waste and improving efficiency where they can.
•  At the Page Up Annual Conference, we discussed weaknesses in the current approach to ESG. Building on previous conversations and research, Michael Maslansky of Maslansky+Partners shared new joint research on communicating ESG strategies with real-world comms scenarios. 

Eye on the Future

• At the end of the Page Up Annual Conference, event co-chair Ken Peters, Head of Brand and Communications, NA, Philips, shared his perspective that the next few days and weeks will likely be filled with uncertainty. But as communicators, it is our job to help our organizations and leaders make sense of the uncertainty, leaning into our peer network and Page Principles. Leaning into these principles help communicators as they guide their organizations through ambiguity and volatility.