Operationalizing Strategic Communication: Developing a Communication Plan
By Arthur-Martins Aginam, PhD
In this column last week, I tried to locate the Strategic in Strategic Communication. In doing so, I slightly stepped away from the sometimes contentious epistemic discourse of the term in all its conceptual fuzziness, to engage with the basic (dictionary) meaning of the word.
As a noun, Strategy speaks to a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall goal. Similarly, the adjective- Strategic refers to the identification of long-term or overall aims and interests and the means of achieving them.
With deep roots in military warfare, Strategy has since evolved and now applies to every type of organization which must engage in strategic thinking and planning in order to succeed. Stephen J. Bigelow and Mary K. Pratt, define Strategic planning as a process in which an organization’s leaders define their vision for the future and identify their organization’s goals and objectives. The process includes establishing the sequence in which those goals should be realized so that the organization can reach its stated mission.
The length of Strategic Planning initiatives in organizations vary but are usually mid-to long term on the average of three to five years respectively. In essence, Strategy is primarily a roadmap; a plan of action designed to achieve medium to long term goals. A well-articulated and implemented strategy is critical to every successful endeavour i.e. help drive the organization’s overarching mandate, shape public opinion, sustain positive image for the organization, among others.
Inextricably tied to Strategy is Tactics- the nuts and bolts of implementing the strategy, which often involves concrete initiatives with smaller time frames to realize the overarching vision. Tactics, among other things, address such fundamental issues as the How, the Who and the When; which is comparable to a typical Communication Plan. The Communication Plan will be discussed later as a key tool in operationalizing Strategic Communication.
In military terms, (returning to the roots of the concept), if Strategy is about winning the war, Tactics speaks to the tools needed to win the various battles that will inevitably lead to winning the war (i.e. realizing the mission of an organization as outlined in her core objectives). In this regard, Strategy must address in a robust and holistic way the overarching mandate, vision and objectives of the organization first at the macro level, which the specific projects and initiatives reinforce at the micro, implementable (practical) levels. Thus, Strategy and Tactics are both complimentary and mutually reinforcing, such that one cannot exist without the other. Indeed, without Strategy, there can be no Tactics and without Tactics, Strategy, no matter how well articulated, remains only an idea.
From the foregoing, it is evident that Communication is central to the success of any strategic plan. The U.S government, one of the earliest institutions to embrace Strategic Communication defines it as efforts to understand and engage key audiences to create, strengthen, or preserve conditions favourable for the advancement of United States Government interests, policies, and objectives through the use of coordinated programs, plans, themes, messages, and products synchronized with the actions of all instruments of national power. Similarly, Carsten Bocketette of the George C. Marshall Center for European Security Studies defines Strategic Communication as …the systematic planning and realization of information flow, communication, media development and image care in a long-term horizon. It conveys deliberate message(s) through the most suitable media to the designated audience(s) at the appropriate time to contribute to and achieve the desired long-term effect. Communication management is process creation. It has to bring three factors into balance: the message(s), the media channel(s) and the audience(s).
As I have reiterated in this column and reflective of the definitions above, Strategic Communication must be expansive in scope, holistic, integrated, adaptable, robust and above all, long term in efforts to project an organization’s mandate, values and accomplishments to its stakeholders and publics- internal and external.
Reminiscent of the Tactics in contrast to Strategy mentioned earlier, a well-thought out, robust and adaptable Action Plan is essential to realizing the Strategic ideals or vision of an organization. Given the intrinsic long term characteristic of Strategic Communication, every communication plan, even those tied to short term initiatives at the Micro level, must feed into broader efforts at both the Meso and Macro levels that capture the overarching goals of the organization. This is undoubtedly a challenge for the communication team, but one which it can overcome with creative thinking, methodical planning and clear focus on the organizations’ mission.
In the face of dozens of decent communication plan templates that abound on the internet, the practitioner must carefully select the one(s) that best serve his or her goals; which may require borrowing from one or more templates and adapting them to their needs.
Either way, a standard Strategic Communication Plan must include the following key components-
An overarching (broad) Vision: (relative to the Organization’s Mission, Vision and Goals to help keep the team focused (i.e. the big idea the team must keep going back to).
Vision Plans and their implementation should be subjected to such tested analytical tools as–
(i) SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
(ii) P.E.S.T Analysis: i.e. the Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural, and Technological changes that could impact the vision and action plan (positively or negatively as well as the challenges and opportunities they may present.
While this is not necessarily an implementable component, the Strategic Vision document serves as a compass or GPS of sorts for effective implementation of the Communication Plan as it helps keep the team focused.
2. Critical Stakeholders, Target Audiences and Means to Engage them:
Requires clearly identifying and engaging Stakeholders and Target Audiences. Who are your Stakeholders? Some may be Core/Primary, others Peripheral/Secondary; some supportive/sympathetic, others oppositional/antagonistic. How do you engage all (e.g. Town Halls, Focus Groups, through intermediaries etc. You engage some for their relevance, others for their nuisance value (but you must strive to talk to all). Getting stakeholders’ feedback and buy-in is also critical.
Who are your target Publics/Audiences? What Channels and specific messaging and tone should be used to engage each group?
Audiences may be Internal (Staff) or External (Local and in some cases International). Communication must be tailored to each audience as appropriate. Audiences are also not monolithic as they are often composed of various demographics. Even within an organization, there are various cadres of staff ranging from Executive Management to junior employees whose interests often diverge. Audience Segmentation demands identifying sub-groups within a target audience in order to deliver more tailored messaging to them.
3. Clearly Defined Goals/Objectives (relative to each Stakeholder group and target Audience):
What particular activities (outputs) will singly and in combination with others ultimately lead to both specific (Tactical) and grand Strategic) outcomes.
The mini output(s) must have clearly spelt anticipated (and possibly measurable) outcomes. Further, they should not be conceived as an end by themselves, but means to the end of the grand objectives of the organization (i.e. strategic communication is always about long term, overarching goals- the big picture)
4. Timelines, Responsibilities and Metrics:
Timelines speak to the specific period for executing the plan (e.g. a 10-year plan) which can be divided into Short, Medium and Long term. Activities may be scheduled weekly, monthly or quarterly. Timeframes may be adjustable in the light of the challenges of executing a plan
Responsibilities: A Communication Plan must assign specific responsibilities with timeframes to team members with a clear chain of command
Metrics (system or standard of measurement) speak to empirically sound approaches to evaluating the plan relative to outputs and outcomes (activities vs results). Metrics which is commonly called Monitoring & Evaluation has emerged strongly in the past decade as a key component of any Communication Plan as organizations increasingly seek empirical evidence of the impact of their interventions.
In summary, effective execution of a Communication Plan demands a great deal of creativity and effort. And without a well thought-out and finely executed Communication Plan, the Strategic Vision remains a pipe dream.
