Improving your organisation by strategic communications

• Strategic planning to achieve business improvement and success and the ability to identify outcomes from proposed actions, are among our strengths. Linking targets and objectives to the corporate agenda is essential if the communications strategy is to serve the organisation effectively. The strategy needs to be flexible enough to adjust to the shifting priorities of the organisation as it responds to events.
• Communications and Public Relations is the most cross-cutting service in an organisation
• The communications strategy only works if it is owned by all the key figures in the organisation – executives, managers and particularly, the front-line staff
• Ownership means individual responsibility and involvement.
• The strategy has no value if it is a dead document - it has to be a working document which gives a mandate to those driving the strategy.
• The purpose of a strategy is to define where an organisation plans to be at a given point
• The strategy must be written in clear English, if it is to work.
• It must be harnessed to a business/marketing plan which gives detailed instructions on actions required, a clear schedule, accurate costings and who leads on which action.
• It must be precise on the target audiences the organisation wishes to reach and serve.
• It should be based on quantitive and qualitative research among the target audiences.
• Importantly, without clear corporate objectives and detailed actions in a business plan, it will not be possible to unlock the necessary resources to deliver the desired results.
• The strategy also sets the tone and mood of an organisation – it enlightens employees about the values of the organisation and what is expected of them in terms of personal and professional behaviour.