Last week I was a panelist at a conference in Chicago for corporate communication professionals. The topic was how to get communications on senior management's agenda. Communicators know that it's not always easy to do and that there's not much satisfaction -- or reward -- in a job that is not valued by business leaders.

Our advice to the audience focused on being business people first and communicators second. That is, understand your company, its industry, the competition and all the issues facing senior management. Be well-versed in how business operates. Then bring your skills and experience as communicators to the task. Make communication a tool for helping the company achieve its goals.

As I think about it, we could have easily made a few adjustments to our remarks and delivered them to business leaders. The title might be something like "How to Make Sure Communication is On Your Agenda."

I believe it's a two-way street. People who work in communication functions should be aware of the issues facing their senior management and address those needs with communication solutions. On the other hand, sometimes senior management doesn't expect enough out of communications.

Here are some of the things business leaders can do to make sure your agenda is being addressed by communication professionals:

Hire communicators who understand your business needs. Writing skills are important. Creativity is a must. People skills are great. But when it comes right down to it, the reason companies have a communication function is to help solve business problems. If your communicator is not business savvy, find one who is.

Include communicators in strategy sessions. Any communication professional worth her salary knows how strategic planning works. She also knows how to use communication to help achieve business goals. Put your communicator to work from the very beginning. Don't let communication be an afterthought.

Set a high standard of performance. A skilled communicator knows how business works and also knows the tools of his trade. Insist on excellent performance in all areas of communication -- writing for multiple media, a good sense of design to help communicate messages effectively, the ins and outs of planning a program or event and whatever else you assign as part of a communication strategy.

Acknowledge when you need additional communication resources. Not every business has all the necessary resources in-house. Sometimes you need specialized help, such as audio-visual support, printing, Web site design, photography, graphic design or other services. Encourage your communication professional to be well connected to service providers.

Insist on measurement. As a business leader, you demand results from other business functions. Communication should be no exception. While it is sometimes difficult to provide a "return on investment" figure for communication -- because it is one of those functions that operate in conjunction with others -- it is reasonable to expect your communicator to demonstrate how her work affected the achievement of a business goal.

Communication professionals want to be part of the business team. The standing-room only crowd at the panel session in Chicago is evidence of that. If you have communicators on staff, get the most out of them. Put them to work on your business problems.

Robert J. Holland owns Holland Communication Solutions LLC in Mechanicsville. He works with Fortune 500 companies and small businesses to help them develop communication programs that support business goals. He is also available to speak to business groups about workplace communication. You can reach him at robert@hollandcomm.com, at www.hollandcomm.com, or by calling (804) 368-0312.