{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Earning Your Seat","title":"Why Business Acumen Is the Missing Skill in Communications with Katie James","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3265,"description":"In communications, many teams are highly skilled at creating content and managing channels. But what does it really take to move from being a tactical executor to a trusted strategic advisor?\n\nIn this episode of Earning Your Seat, Katie James joins us to discuss the capability gaps holding communications teams back and the skills that help leaders earn real influence inside their organizations. \n\nKatie is the Commercial Director at Kademy, where she helps upskill communications teams through training, assessments, and advisory support. Bringing insights from surveying thousands of communicators, she explains the capability gaps holding teams back and what it takes to become a more strategic, trusted advisor inside the business.\n\nKatie talks about what separates high-performing teams from reactive ones, why communicators often fall into the trap of jumping straight to outputs, and how asking better questions can change the role communications plays across the business. \nWe also dive into how AI is reshaping the profession, where human judgment still matters most, and why building stronger internal relationships may be one of the most practical ways to earn a seat at the table.\nThis episode is a must-listen for communications leaders and ambitious practitioners who want to become more strategic, more proactive, and more valuable to the business.\nEarning Your Seat is a Meltwater podcast.\nEpisode Highlights:\n(00:00) Welcome to Earning Your Seat\n(02:07) The critical skills holding communicators back from strategy\n(06:52) Why leaders aren't coming to you and how to fix it\n(11:13) The default role that keeps comms teams stuck\n(14:22) Why asking the right question is a superpower in comms\n(19:33) Why slowing down first pays off later\n(23:53) The stat that changed how Dino thinks about AI adoption\n(27:20) How a comms leader used AI agents to reclaim her time\n(29:36) Why one big announcement beats six small ones every time\n(34:35) How Kademy built a custom AI readiness...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/Q8AipQFAstv07wUFEgasi98KjhE8BfBp4jYUuIERgDk/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8yZjJm/MDM5Yzc3OTc5MjJi/ZTZhOGFkMjQyOWJm/YWQxYi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}