For successful execution and implementation of a strategic communication plan, everyone in the organization should engage with it. Every day, people talk about strategic communication and its elements. However, many people need help to get results from it.
Here are some factors that will ensure your strategic plan is successful:
1. Strategic Communication Requires Listening Skills
Many organizations are guilty of excluding some people when executing their strategic communication. Often, you will see strategic communication happening in a retreat or workshop, which usually has a small number of attendees from the organization. In some cases, there may be an invitation for feedback, but we all know only a little is done from it.
From the above, we can note that many organizations have made communication a one-way push update, and they don’t value feedback. To change this, you can
- Identify elements of your plan that can benefit from two-way communication involving a larger group.
- Place the information you want to be passed on a clear, single platform where everyone will understand it clearly.
- Create a feedback mechanism, such as appointing a spokesperson or a representative group.
2. Strategic Communication Requires Perspective
Some businesses have had complicated strategies that are hard to communicate in a way your audience will understand. Many people need to do better by assuming their audience and all stakeholders have the necessary background and context for understanding the strategy. You may also assume that an introductory email or slide deck is enough information for every stakeholder to understand.
To avoid this, you can:
- Use a test audience if you aren’t sure whether what you’ve come up with will be communicated effectively.
- Reconsider your medium of communication. What will do best between a video, workshop or presentation?
- Take your time to communicate the context by looking at the plan critically and identifying what parts are hardest to communicate without the context.
- Place your strategy in a platform that enables your audience to view the strategy flow and the relationship between the various elements.
3. Strategy Communication Does not End
A lot of effort goes into creating a beautiful whiteboard or presentation. In most cases, organizations will post it on the intranet and attach a pdf email to all staff. However, making your strategic communication one-off with the involvement of the different organizational levels lenders is effective.
You can change this by:
- All organizational teams embed their reports against their objectives, KPIs, and projects.
- Never allow the company’s wide communication to go silent. Ensure you communicate to the organization how you’re tracking against the plan to reinforce that the plan is still living.
- Place your plan in a platform that allows you to share and collaborate with clarity, plan and track your plan’s content. This helps support consistency and joined-up ongoing communication and reporting.
Types of Strategic Planning Skills
Strategic planning involves setting an organization’s vision and using small and attainable goals to realize it. On the other hand, strategic planning skills help set goals, decide on an action plan and increase employee productivity.
There are several types of strategic planning skills. They include:
A. Communication Skills
As a leader with strategic communication skills, you should communicate business plans with your team and employees. Your communication skills go hand in hand with active listening skills to help you resolve conflict, collaboration, constructive criticism, negotiations and team building.
B. Analytical Skills
Professionals working in strategic planning should be able to analyze and assess business plans and understand market analysis. With analytical skills, you can help your organization through critical and logical thinking, inductive and deductive reasoning, systematic thinking and calculating implementation costs.
C. Leadership Skills
Strategic communication planning involves a lot of decision-making. Hence you must possess at least basic leadership skills. As a leader, you should also inspire, motivate and ensure your employees are loyal to the organization. Proper leadership skills help portray an energetic workforce, flexibility, and interpersonal skills and establish incentives.
Ways to Develop Strategic Communication Skills
We live in a time where almost everyone competes for attention, and strategic communication professionals are no exemption. As mentioned above, you will require several skills, including writing and analytical skills, a proactive mindset and a proper understanding of your organization’s goals.
So, how can you develop strategic communication skills?
I) Building the Right Team
To develop a functional strategic communication plan, you’ll need to bring together a team with the right knowledge, skills and ability to advance their capabilities. Your team should be able to use digital technology and social media and follow through with an energetic application of common-sense and problem-solving skills.
II) Use Proper Communication and Management Tools
You will be required to develop a set of tools to guide your team’s planning and creative aspects. You can use a ‘Who/What/How’ model. First, you‘ll define the message and experience you want to create (What), what people you need to reach (Who) and the means of communication you’ll use to create them (How).
You will also develop communication tools such as:
- The corporate identity manual and brand guidelines
- A corporate guide style which is a set of guidelines on what words to use.
- A messaging framework shows the promises, products and services your organization makes to its audience.
III) Build a Strong Foundation
Clearly outline your mission, vision, goals and objectives and the benefits of a strong communication capability to your organization. Once you’ve set all these factors in place, start reviewing your options for strategic management of the PR aspect.
IV) Initiate the Planning and Implementation Process
Using a communication development and launch process will ensure every initiative is off to a good start, is reviewed at key points and is on target. Take note of milestones such as the approval of the plan, start of the project, production and implementation. Ensure you include the budgeting process, governance, and performance measures. Conducting your strategy in this manner enables your team to develop skills that result in tangible progress in the organization.
V) Develop Measures of PR Value
Ensure your communication activities have measures by setting SMART at the beginning to enable you to make a comparison after completion. This plays a huge role in proving the value of the PR role. You can also prove the organization’s ROI (Return on Investment) by focusing on the business areas where communication produces the greatest results in supporting the organizational goals.
VI) Gain More Professional Knowledge
You can gain more professional knowledge through networking and attending professional development workshops. Some of the areas you should consider gaining more knowledge include team and project management, government relations, strategy development, social media, reputation management and ethics
Effective communication strategies will help your business improve its overall productivity and give it a positive presence and position in the organization. If you’re a strategic communication professional, consider the above factors when developing your strategic communication skills.