Why Business Acumen Elevates Your Influence
Communicators often hear that business acumen is essential for career progression and credibility with senior leaders. But what does it look like in practice—and how can you demonstrate it?
What Business Acumen Really Means
Business acumen isn’t about becoming a finance expert. It’s about understanding enough of the business context to connect communication to what truly matters. That means knowing:
- How an organisation operates and generates revenue.
- How success is measured.
- How decisions are made—and how communication can help or hinder those outcomes.
When I’ve started new roles, my priority has always been understanding how the organisation makes money and what drives decision-making. That perspective allowed me to frame communication in terms leaders care about: growth, risk and efficiency.
It’s the difference between being seen as a tactical executor and becoming a trusted advisor.
Why It Matters Now
Communicators with strong business acumen can:
- Anticipate challenges and align work to organisational priorities.
- Speak the language of senior leaders.
- Build credibility with the C-suite and strengthen strategic influence.
Yet many communicators admit they lack confidence in financial or commercial conversations. The good news? Business acumen is a skill you can learn.
Confidence, Not Complexity
Business acumen is about demystifying the language of business and applying a commercial lens to your work— moving from outputs to outcomes and clearly articulating value, risk and impact.
Ready to Speak the Language of the Boardroom?
If you’ve ever felt unsure in financial or commercial conversations, you’re not alone. The good news? You don’t need to become a finance expert.
You just need the confidence to apply a commercial lens to your work and articulate value, risk and impact.
That’s where the PRCA Business Acumen course for communicators comes in. I’ll be running this interactive half-day workshop in February, designed for agency and in-house professionals who want to contribute meaningfully to business conversations.
What you’ll learn:
- Key financial and commercial concepts.
- How to read and interpret financial reports.
- How business performance shapes priorities and decision-making.
This practical session will help you move from outputs to outcomes and speak the language of senior leaders.
Find out more and secure your spot on the PRCA Business Acumen course here.