3 execs on how to build trust with the C-suite

Seventy-three percent of CEOs believe that they oversee internal communications, yet only 14% of internal communicators agree.

To close this gap and best position yourself with the C-suite, three top communicators recommend building strong relationships, establishing and maintaining trust, and building the skills that allow you to better connect with execs.

Media Oakes, director of communications and PR at Calumet, Daviera Powell, senior manager of internal communications at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Paul Mayer, director of enterprise internal communications at The Home Depot, sat down with Mike Prokopeak, Ragan’s director of learning and council content at the 2024 Internal Communications Conference.

Here are the panel’s suggestions for leveling-up internal comms:

Fostering trust with the C-suite

The most effective way to build rapport with executives is to walk into an executive’s office knowing what is important to them that day. “I care about what’s important to them,” said Oakes.

Understanding the business, their role and their world is key. Oakes leans on news monitoring and sitting in on business meetings to understand what’s on executives’ radars and what might affect their mood and decision-making.