ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY;

Sharon Musyoka - DMSHARK PR
Jul 24, 2020
3 min read

Communication is a critical function in any organization, from the very small to the very large.

“Communication – the human connection is the key to person and career success “ J. Meyer

Communication is vital to human life!

It can be termed as the oxygen of any business or organization. Well, it remains a necessity in the business objectives.

An Effective Communication Strategy facilitates a business to meet its goals.

Communication is not just about the verbal or written communication but it also entails;

Visual and Non-verbal communication – these are the visual aids, images, videos and infographics an organization applies in their day-to-day activities. They have an impact as they reinforce the organization verbal communication as well as portraying the image of an organization to the public.

COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY

This is a plan to achieve the communication objectives of a business.

To achieve business objectives and goals, an effective communication strategy must be implemented.

Key Elements to consider when planning a communications strategy;

A communications strategy is designed to help you and your organisation communicate effectively and meet core organisational objectives.

Here we look at the key elements to consider when planning a communications strategy.

Purpose

Consider the objectives and goals you want to achieve in that communications strategy.

Statement of purpose acts as a reference and reminder for those using it in their work. Considering the purpose helps those responsible to disseminate information tailored towards the intended objective.

Situation

communication varies depending on the prevailing situation.

A well detailed current situation report will help one to know how to modify information to align with the current situation.

For instance, information offering solutions to a problem or the way forward for businesses during this COVID-19 pandemic will be important to other entrepreneurs in different industries.

Audience

Considering the audience demographics (age, gender, ethnicity) attitude, interests and behaviours is of paramount importance when developing a communications strategy.

This helps one to know the kind of language, length of your message and visual aids to apply as well as tailoring what the targeted audience needs to hear, see and feel.

Channels of communication

Choosing an effective communication channel will definitely help one achieve their business objectives. For instance, if its the social media channels being used to communicate to the targeted audience, it is easy to monitor their frequent visit to that specific channel.

Budget & Schedule

Having a planned budget and schedule will help you avoid unnecessary budget deficit issues along the way. The budget should be flexible to accommodate any changes that may occur in the process.

Measures of Evaluation

Metrics are important.

An effective communications strategy should conclude with a section of the evaluation. What does success look like and how will you know when the organizational goals and objectives have been met?

One should indicate the tools to be used to evaluate various sections of the communications strategy.

Also keeping an eye on your competitors’ communication strategy will help you improve on yours too.

Feedback;

For communication to be regarded complete there must be room for feedback and also skills of listening must be employed. Listening means more than paying attention but also being in the position to:

Construct meaning,
Respond appropriately.
Learn new ideas, insights and changes in communication process.

Listening helps to prevent an organization or business' reputation from being ruined by being vigilant as it will help you be alerted on rumours and propaganda that might ruin the positive image of the company.

Feedback, on the other hand, plays a vital role in helping a business grow. How your targeted audience react and respond will help you determine if the communication strategy was effective and well-implemented.

For communication strategy to be effective it must be: