LOUISIANAAGENT
4 WAYS TO HELP YOUR TEAM MOVE FROM TACTICAL TO STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS Learn how to stop being an order taker and take the lead as a strategic advisor
By: Sally Ann O'Dowd Given the digital, always-on nature of work, communications professionals are moving at an insanely fast clip these days. The need to respond to colleagues’ requests requires tactical action, and that means we risk losing strategic foresight. But fret not: it is possible to regain control of the communications function, even as the volume of work seems to grow. To learn how, we talked with Julie Baron, principal of Communication Works and Ragan Consulting Group affiliate consultant specializing in change and strategic communications. 1. Understand the organization’s business goals. It is critical to understand the company’s mission and to have direct access to business and strategic growth plans – whether you’re at a PR firm or on the corporate side with internal clients. Is the company entering a new market, launching a new product, or aiming to hire more diverse talent? It might be all three at once. Whatever the corporate priorities might be, comms pros need to understand them to ensure their ideas and activities ladder up to the broader initiatives.
“It’s important to educate our clients on the complexities of communications, the processes we use, and the information we need up front, and how early we need to be brought into the planning process,” Baron says. “They come to us for consulting and advisement.” 2. Ask questions. Just like a reporter conducts interviews to write a story, communicators need to ask questions, whether you’re preparing an annual plan or working on a short-term project. “Ask good questions and do great listening so you can understand what the goal is, making sure you have this strong understanding of the problem to be solved,” Baron says. “Problems are complex and communications isn’t always the only way to solve a problem; it’s usually just one piece of the solution.” Asking questions helps you develop a sense of ownership, while demonstrating your strategic acumen. It’s all part of the discovery process, which takes time. Jumping into projects, on the other hand, could lead to failure. “You can’t say, “I
