The Case for Strategic Communications
It’s simple: strategic communication is at the centre of everything. You can’t execute a strategy if you can’t communicate about it. Even so, communications in international development is not a strategic management function. Instead, its position in relation to strategic planning is mostly an afterthought, a cost rather than an investment. I challenge this misconception and offer a fresh way to look at communications as an essential part of strategic management.
1. Strategic communications don’t just happen
Strategic communications happen because goals are set, success metrics determined, target audiences identified, messages developed, and appropriate communication channels used to send a consistent message. After-action reviews are also essential, to know what was supposed to happen, what did happen and, if there was a difference, what was it? Crucially, why? Finally, what can we learn from it for next time?
The truth is that strategic communications are no longer simply "nice to do." They are a "must do". Infact international development organisations are waking up to the fact that well-executed strategic communications can turbocharge their funding, highlight their impact and lead them towards their objectives.
However, to achieve these objectives, communications must be a strategic part of the process – a proactive function – rather than a reactive support function. Reactive communications are used in a project-by-project atomised way, focusing merely on press releases, graphic design, media, speech writing etc. Unfortunately, this ‘bolt on’ approach makes little difference to overall organisational performance.
2. The secret to achieving organisational strategies? Know your stakeholders!
Whether internal or external, stakeholders have the power and influence to make or break interventions. And, what better way to understand and engage with them, than through strategic communications?
Strategic communications are key in identifying and segmenting target audiences, tailoring messages to each of them and recognising the best communication vehicles, channels and products to use.
Knowing who your stakeholders are allows for clear communications during periodic updates or project progress; where they fit into the development and deployment phases of projects is vital to understanding and addressing their expectations. Stakeholders mapping diagram above suggests using ambassadors, monitoring friends (in case their power and influence increase), ignoring observers and prioritising convincing enablers.
