Spokesperson to communication manager
A spokesperson already meets 47% of what the communication manager role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
63/ 100
1 How much of what a communication manager is expected to do is already part of a spokesperson’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the communication manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A communication manager role treats 16 of its required skills as things a spokesperson already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on public image
- analyse external factors of companies
- apply diplomatic principles
- communication principles
- corporate social responsibility
- develop communications strategies
What stands in the way is 17 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 28 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A communication manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a spokesperson background worth leading with.
- already held forming of public opinion business, administration and law
- already held give interviews to media communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held organise press conferences management skills
- already held reputation management business, administration and law
- already held establish relationship with the media communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held advise on public image communication, collaboration and creativity
All 28 carried skills, including the 16 the communication manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 33 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn advise on communication strategies required
- still to learn apply grammar and spelling rules required
- still to learn build trust required
- still to learn identify clients' needs required
- still to learn proofread text required
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held carry out forum moderation optional
- optional, not held disseminate internal communications optional
- optional, not held establish communication with foreign cultures optional
- optional, not held manage visual communications optional
- still to learn organise participation in local or international events required
- still to learn develop public relations strategies required
- still to learn integrate strategic foundation in daily performance required
- optional, not held manage online communications optional
- still to learn corporate sustainability required
- still to learn strategic planning required
- optional, not held company policies optional
- optional, not held public relations optional
- optional, not held social media management optional
- still to learn ethics of sharing work through social media required
- still to learn grammar required
- optional, not held writing style guides optional
- still to learn analyse internal factors of companies required
- still to learn compile content required
- optional, not held study communications channels for different employers/contractors optional
- still to learn use intranet required
- optional, not held share through digital technologies optional
- optional, not held use online tools to collaborate optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a communication manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 organise participation in local or international events practise this
- 02 use intranet practise this
- 03 corporate sustainability study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 28 skills that carry over
- already held advise on public image skill
- already held analyse external factors of companies skill
- already held apply diplomatic principles skill
- already held communication principles knowledge
- already held corporate social responsibility knowledge
- already held develop communications strategies skill
- already held digital communication and collaboration skill
- already held diplomatic principles knowledge
- already held forming of public opinion knowledge
- already held market research knowledge
- already held perform public relations skill
- already held prepare presentation material skill
- already held protect client interests skill
- already held reputation management knowledge
- already held rhetoric knowledge
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held advise on public relations skill
- already held build business relationships skill
- already held build community relations skill
- already held conduct public presentations skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held draft press releases skill
- already held establish relationship with the media skill
- already held follow the news skill
- already held give interviews to media skill
- already held implement marketing strategies skill
- already held organise press conferences skill
- already held speak different languages skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn business communication required
- still to learn office software required
- optional, not held media and information literacy optional
- optional, not held government representation optional
- optional, not held psychological concepts optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held study communications channels for different employers/contractors optional
- optional, not held company policies optional
- optional, not held manage online communications optional
- optional, not held media and information literacy optional
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held carry out forum moderation optional
- optional, not held disseminate internal communications optional
- optional, not held establish communication with foreign cultures optional
- optional, not held government representation optional
- optional, not held manage visual communications optional
- optional, not held psychological concepts optional
- optional, not held public relations optional
- optional, not held share through digital technologies optional
- optional, not held social media management optional
- optional, not held use online tools to collaborate optional
- optional, not held writing style guides optional
7 held skills the communication manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse the comments of selected audiences skill
- not needed by the target role develop promotional tools skill
- not needed by the target role give live presentation skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with politicians skill
- not needed by the target role types of media knowledge
- not needed by the target role work closely with news teams skill
13 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn corporate sustainability required
- still to learn ethics of sharing work through social media required
- still to learn business communication required
- still to learn grammar required
- still to learn office software required
- still to learn strategic planning required
- optional, not held company policies optional
- optional, not held media and information literacy optional
- optional, not held government representation optional
- optional, not held psychological concepts optional
- optional, not held public relations optional
- optional, not held social media management optional
- optional, not held writing style guides optional
Common questions about this move
Can a spokesperson become a communication manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A spokesperson already covers 47% of what a communication manager is expected to do: 28 skills carry over, 16 of which the communication manager role treats as required.
What skills does a spokesperson need to become a communication manager?
17 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is organise participation in local or international events.
How hard is the move from spokesperson to communication manager?
Its learning distance is 63 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.