Strategic Communications

Deliver the right messages to move the right audiences.

When change is done right, those within the change effort feel coordinated and connected, which spurs further innovation and accelerates progress. And those not directly involved with the change teams are aware of what’s happening, how it impacts them, the value to the organization, and why change is necessary. With the execution of a strategic communications plan, you get the best out of your teams and foster an organization eager to support their efforts.

Our approach to strategic communications is two fold: 1) perform rigorous audience analysis to understand who is impacted by different changes and how the change affects them; and 2) employ a variety of communications channels and messaging formats to best meet their needs.

TOP FOUR Benefits of Strategic Communications:

1. Inclusivity

An authentic sense of belonging is a basic human need, and without it, change-related activities flounder. Understanding who — specifically — will be impacted by a change, and to what degree, is a critical step in developing a relevant, meaningful strategic communications effort. A strategic communications plan builds depth in stakeholder analysis — both inside and outside the organization.

2. Understanding

Too often senior management expects the organization to “just get it” after only one or two attempts at communication. Building real awareness and understanding about an organizational change — a sense of knowing what is happening and why — especially in today’s over-saturated world of tweets, posts, updates, texts, etc. — is vital. A strategic communications plan focuses on breakthrough measures, not just piling on top of other messages.

3. Ownership

Even when we know why a change is happening, it’s often challenging to make a direct connection to just “what is MY role in it…” Tightening up and making specific the roles each of us play in delivering an organizational change — and then driving up ownership in those connections — is a CRITICAL element in ensuring change-related success. A strategic communications plan reaches audiences in such a manner to make these connections clear and actionable.

4. Action

There’s no such thing as organizational change — instead, if we get the right number of people moving in the SAME direction at the same time, it “looks” like organizational change. When we choose to be influenced by the messages we’re receiving, we choose to change our behaviors — and that gets the organizational change moving forward. A strategic communications plan builds powerful alignment and underpins coordinated, sustainable behavior changes. The organization MOVES TOGETHER.