Turn Around When Possible: Mapping European Communication Competences

Abstract

Purpose:This synopsis of the European Communication Professional Skills and Innovation (ECOPSI) benchmarking Interim Report explains the complex landscape of competencies required by European communication practitioners and explores the underlying constructs that contribute to competence namely skills, knowledge and personal attributes.Design/methodology/approach: Through a partnership, the methodology draws on the expertise of six leading European universities in communication research around a common goal of mutual interest. The research approach draws on a systematic literature review along with an extensive desk research benchmarking technique conducted by each of the partners. The study builds on prior research on skills and knowledge of communication practitioners. Findings:The findings highlight gaps in knowledge about the specific competencies required by European communication practitioners and will underline the current contemporary issues faced by the profession. This information served as the framework for the ECOPSI program (an EU funded research project). Practical implications:The synopsis increases awareness of the competence and capability factors of communication professionals in Europe to key stakeholders. It aims to increase understanding of the training and development needs of communication practitioners across Europe. Social implications:The synopsis highlights what practitioners consider to be important skills, knowledge and personal attributes across different countries which is essential in today's globalized industry. This contributes to EU mobility targets and expectations for European workers. Originality/value:This study benchmarks the educational and practice landscape in six key regions of Europe to demonstrate that the elements focusing on skills, knowledge and personal attributes of European communication professionals can be synthesized using competencies as the foundational element.

Exploring the intersections: researchers and communication professionals' perspectives on the organizational role of science communication

“…The strategic role of social media is still in its developing phase (Tench et al , 2015), so for communication professionals allying researchers' profiles with an academic organization suggests reliability of an actor in the digital sphere and one small step towards more consistent messaging. One researcher described a similar tactical role choreographed with her research centre's communicator reflecting previous literature on researchers' (Koh et al , 2016) and employees' (Dreher, 2014; van Zoonen et al , 2014) strategic social media use:Researcher 3, economics: “It's not my job to follow the media monitors, but our communicator is clever to spot topical issues, and notifies me with direct messages in Twitter.…”

“…Reports on the percentages of the researchers' using social media vary (Veletsianos et al , 2018), and there is no single definition as to what social media should comprise (Lo and Peters, 2016; Lomborg, 2017). Furthermore, knowledge and understanding of the strategic role of social media in communication work is still developing (Tench et al , 2015).…”