Future Directions of Strategic Communication

Future Directions of Strategic Communication #

Strategic communication is entering an era where its central challenges can no longer be addressed in isolation. Information overload, artificial intelligence, and ethical responsibility are often discussed as separate trends when however, they are deeply interconnected in practice. This blog article brings together three recent contributions by my colleagues to offer a holistic future perspective on strategic communication: Faye’s analysis of the attention crisis and content overload, Judith’s exploration of AI literacy in organizational communication and Andjela’s blog on language awareness as an ethical responsibility.

Rather than repeating their arguments, this article connects them. It briefly revisits three key trends: information inflation, AI literacy and finally language awareness. It discusses how their interaction can shape the future role of strategic communication. The aim is to show why meaning, modern technology and use of language must be considered together if strategic communication is to remain relevant, responsible and effective in an increasingly complex communicative environment.

Why more communication creates less meaning

One of the most pressing challenges for strategic communication today is information inflation. As content production becomes cheaper, faster and increasingly driven by digitalization and generative AI, the value of individual messages in the public sphere declines. Faye’s article  explores this development as a crisis of communication, arguing that excessive communication depletes shared attention and undermines trust. This diagnosis closely aligns with García’s (2024) notion of a communicative “tragedy of the commons,” where information overload leads to declining meaning and relevance.

From a future perspective, strategic communication will increasingly be defined by its ability to create relevance rather than volume. As Zerfass et al. (2018) emphasize, the core contribution of strategic communication lies not in producing more messages, but in creating purpose and orientation for stakeholders. To adapt successfully, organizations should reduce redundant content, invest in editorial prioritization and design communication that respects attention as a scarce and shared resource.

The digital dilemma

A second key tension shaping the future of strategic communication lies between decoding human behavior through data and fostering AI literacy within organizations. Judith’s article on AI literacy explores why strategic communication should not focus solely on extracting insights from algorithms, but on developing critical competencies to work responsibly with AI. While analytics and automation promise efficiency, an unreflective reliance on AI risks reducing communication to a technical and potentially manipulative exercise.

Looking ahead, strategic communication will be shaped by how well organizations balance technological capabilities with reflexivity and human judgment. Cornelissen (2020a) and Dühring and Zerfass (2021) argue that communicators must enable collaboration, strategic alignment, and critical reflection simultaneously. Organizations should therefore adapt their content practices by ensuring transparency in AI use, maintaining human oversight in content creation, and using AI to support and not replace contextual and ethical decision-making.

The ethical future of strategic communication

Beyond attention and technology, language itself is becoming a central strategic resource. Andjela’s post on language awareness demonstrates how everyday language use shapes perceptions, reinforces stereotypes and influences inclusion in organizational communication. The workshop highlights that language awareness is a professional responsibility, not a “nice to have,” because words actively construct social reality. This perspective resonates with Cornelissen’s (2020b) argument that stakeholder relationships are built on shared meanings embedded in language.

From a future-oriented viewpoint, strategic communication will increasingly be evaluated by how consciously and inclusively organizations use language. Zerfass and Viertmann (2017) show that communication creates business value when it aligns organizational behavior with societal expectations. To adapt, organizations should establish inclusive language guidelines, regularly audit content for bias, and embed language awareness into strategic communication processes rather than treating it as an add-on.

Looking ahead

Taken together, the three perspectives discussed here, information inflation, AI literacy and language awareness, illustrate that the future of strategic communication will not be shaped by a single dominant trend. Instead, it will emerge from how organizations navigate key tensions: abundance versus relevance, automation versus reflexivity, and efficiency versus ethical responsibility. While strategic communication is becoming more complex and less controllable, its role as a meaning-making and trustbuilding function has never been more important.

Where to go from here #

The Tragedy of the Attention Commons and the Crisis of Communication

Language Awareness in Corporate Communications: From Unconscious Wording to Inclusive Content

AI Literacy: A Core Skill for Modern Strategic Communicators

References #

García, C. (2024). Is public relations a Tragedy of the Commons (TOTC) for the public sphere The need for an ecology of content, Public Relations Review, Volume 50, Issue 4

Zerfass, A., Dühring, L., Berger, K., & Brockhaus, J. (2018). Fast and flexible. Corporate communications in agile organizations (Communication Insights, Issue 5). Leipzig, Germany: Academic Society for Management & Communication.

Cornelissen, J. (2020a). Corporate Communication in a Changing Media Environment. In: Cornelissen, J.: Corporate Communications. A guide to theory & practice, Sage, pp. 37-59.

Cornelissen, J. (2020b). Stakeholder Management and Communication. In: Cornelissen, J.: Corporate Communications. A guide to theory & practice, Sage, pp. 63-85

Dühring, L. & Zerfass, A. (2021) The Triple Role of Communications in Agile Organizations, International Journal of Strategic Communication, 15:2, 93-112, DOI: 10.1080/1553118X.2021.1887875

Zerfass, A. and Viertmann, C. (2017), "Creating business value through corporate communication: A theory-based framework and its practical application", Journal of Communication Management, Vol.21 No. 1, pp. 68-81. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-07-2016-0059