The end of a year is always an appropriate time to look back and identify the trends that shaped the communications world – in part because they probably will continue into 2010. To us, among the many, here are five worth noting:
1. The economy: Clearly the impact of the economic slowdown was the most significant trend faced by communicators in 2009. Its impact ran from agency clients with smaller budgets to organizations now working with smaller staffs. For many, it was the time to hunker down and wait for the storm to pass. It remains to be seen how 2010 compares to 2009.
2. Changes in the media: The impact of a shrinking economy and a growing number of options to traditional media outlets has been profound at many levels: At a business level, how many print outlets can survive in today's leaner economy with diminished advertising for real estate, auto and jobs? In fact, the Washington Business Journal just reported that the Washington Times will discontinue its Sunday edition. And, where will people get their news in coming years? And at what cost? (And, these changes have had - and will have - an impact on the broadcast as well as the print world.)
3. Shrinking employment: We were told early in the recession that it wouild be easy for employers to reduce the number of employees and hope those remaining could manage the workload until the recession ended. However, for some organizations, we are well past that point and the cuts are now hitting “superstars” – and some organizations will not add back the staff they cut and, if they do, they will be in different positions that require different skills.
4. Merging your work life with your life in general: The continuing growth of everything from iPhones to Twitter, means you are rarely out-of-touch – and employers have come to expect they can reach their employees 24-hours a day - and this is becoming more of a reality as we migrate to a global economy where employees in D.C. have to be available to talk with clients in London, Hong Kong and elsewhere where time differences can be significant. The bottom line may be a fundamentally different blending of work and leisure than we have seen in the past.
5. Little is permanent: It is becoming increasingly clear that we are in the midst of fundamental change. From job skills to length of employment, one key message is to prepare for tomorrow. Online, we found the following that summed it up: "You can judge your age by the amount of resistance you feel when you come in contact with a new idea."
Clearly there were other changes that had an impact on communicators in 2009 and we encourage you to post them.