Strategic Communications Professional:10 Key Points Of Impact
10 Capabilities of A Strategic Communications Professional
Strategic Communications is not a buzzword.
It describes a field of practise that is designed to drive and enable a targeted approach to communication. One that is pre-determined and designed to deliver tangible real-world business and bottom-line results.
The scholarly definition of Strategic Communication we align with at SA&A is that by Hallahan et al where Strategic Communication is defined as:
The purposeful use of communication by an organization to fulfill its mission.
See the article: Defining Strategic Communication
And in the following article, we articulate our perspective on what it means to be a strategic communications professional and how this capability skill plays out in real-life workplace and business or institutional and organization context.
1. You understand the fundamental concepts and principles of Strategic Communication:
There are concepts and principles of Strategic Communication. These are principles that need to be learned, practised and improved over time. They are not skills you can pick up just because you have a talent for public speaking, writing or for networking or connecting with people. And this is one of the many misfortunes out there. That people confuse the Communications practise with communications skills – which are everyday capabilities. They are not the same thing.
A Strategic Communications Professional is familiar with the Strategic Communications Framework. They can explain and teach it to others and apply it on diverse projects as required.
2. You know how to address and/or resolve complex challenges through the use of communications:
A Strategic Communications Professional understands the science and the art of communications so well that he/she can develop and deploy a targeted communications and stakeholder engagement strategy aimed at addressing and resolving complex challenges on behalf of a business, an organization or institution with positive results in terms of:
- awareness,
- perception shift,
- alignment on key issues,
- behavioural change,
- participation, enrolment,
- investment or whatever the desired outcome may be.
3. You know how to drive an agenda through communications:
A strategic communications professional is adept at driving an agenda through the use of communication. It can be a business agenda, an investment drive, a political or policy-making agenda or brand re-positioning agenda etc.
A Strategic Communications Professional can work with a broad agenda and map out the areas where targeted communication would be most useful either to initiate the agenda or support/enable or complete it and devise methods to achieve it in measurable terms within the required timeframe.
These agendas could include supporting a new business entry for a mining company; or promoting an investment drive; positioning as a credible player in a sector for partnership and collaboration purposes. The key thing to note here is that impact is given and outcomes are visible not intangible.
4. You manage reputation:
A Strategic Communications Professional understands how to manage reputation. They understand that reputation is the currency of every brand – so implicitly ensures that everything they do does not erode reputation or devalue it. Rather their role is to identify reputation risk and help the business or organization to proactively manage it ethically and in a sustainable manner.
This is a very unique capability different from practitioners who are just focused on defending image and perception in the NOW. Reputation management is a long-term task that does not sacrifice long term trust and credibility on the altar of short-term or immediate expediency. A Strategic Communications Professional understands the importance and value of reputation as a trust currency and income generating asset and would always act and advise with immediate and long-term interest in mind.
5. You understand business, organization and strategy and know how to make the connections linking people to objectives and outcomes:
The Strategic Communications Professional understands 3 things very well. The world of business, the psychology of organizations and the importance of strategy. Their role is to ensure that organizations are as effective as they can be by using targeted communication to bridge the gap between objectives ➡️ people and ➡️ the desired outcomes.
This is why only strategic communicators are able to help organizations walk through change management and transformation initiatives because the tools required for those efforts is a combination of understanding the intersection between the strategic communications and stakeholder management frameworks, organizational structure and psychology as well as behavioural change communications. The skills in this space are very niche and are completely different from what a Public Relations practitioner does.
An organization going through a change management exercise would require specialist communications skills to help in that space. Only a Strategic Communicator can function effectively in this space.
6. You Help Organizations Connect the Dots:
A Strategic Communications Professional helps organizations connect the dots between objectives, people and outcomes. We understand the role that people play in enabling or hindering a business or political agenda. Strategic Communicators also understand the importance of weighing the words and actions of individuals and mapping internal and external stakeholders based on interest and influence on emerging issues and not only based on historical behaviour.
A Strategic Communications Professional is an expert at social listening and can help business and organizational leaders connect the dots in terms of stakeholder or societal complexity; external perceptions; online and offline conversation; understanding what needs to be done; or how to respond or position to mitigate risk or effectively navigate difficult conversations with key stakeholders or earn/win or solicit public trust.
7. You understand that Communications is not the end-game:
A Strategic Communications Professional understands that Communications is a means to an end and is not the end in itself. This thinking is what makes them very guarded in their decision-making about what needs to be done. Strategic Communicators are not activity-driven or task-oriented. They are focused on what is most important and necessary to achieve the results that are needed.
Strategic Communicators are not overly concerned about creating avbuzz or going viral unless they can draw a straight line to confirm that either or both would result in achieving the desired outcome in tangible terms. Buzz in itself is not the end game. A strategy focused on creating buzz would only exist in a Strategic Communicator’s plan – if it was being sequenced as an entry point to a wider agenda or initiative that would then niche down on those from which specific actions is required in a visible and measurable way.
8. You understand the Breadth of Communications and where to get help:
The Strategic Communications Professional understands the spectrum of the Communications and Public Relations practise and knows where to get help.
9. You Know The Limits of your own Expertise:
The Strategic Communications Professional knows the limits of their expertise and instinctively knows when to get help to support the delivery of an intiative. They also know the kind of support they need in terms of specialisms and the kind of competencies they require.
I have noticed in my experience that strategic communicators are the least likely to attempt winging their practise. They are not likely to take on tasks that they are not competent or highly skilled to deliver upon. They are typically practitioners with deep expertise in highly specialist areas of communications and they understand the risk of taking on tasks that require a level of expertise that they do not have.
My personal observation and lived experience over the years, is that practitioners who are yet to become strategic communicators are less likely to fully grasp the spectrum or depth of the profession; so are more likely to believe they already know all there is to know i.e. take on tasks they have no competence or expertise for and more likely to fail spectacularly in the process.
10. You Measure Success in terms of real life terms: ie. people, business or organizational efficiency or productivity impact:
The most obvious differentiator of a Strategic Communicator is that they measure success in terms of real-life impact. Not in terms of engagement, impressions, likes or story counts and mentions.
The Strategic Communications Professional is measuring the shift in awareness levels, in reputation amongst key stakeholders , in perception or behavioral change impact, efficiency, work culture, productivity, attitudes etc in terms of tangible outcomes – and not in activities and events.
A strategic communicator measures the success of a campaign or event by looking beyond superficial activity to deliver concrete, real-life outcomes, including:
- Conflict Resolution & Mediation: Successfully bringing opposing or warring parties to the table to initiate constructive dialogue and reach alignment.
- Narrative & Perception Shift: Measurably shifting a negative or neutral external narrative into a more balanced or positive/favorable perspective across key stakeholder groups.
- Strategic Influence & Access: Earning a seat at the table in critical leadership conversations, policy discussions, or high-level decision-making spaces.
- Stakeholder & Institutional Attraction: Capturing positive attention from government authorities, industry leaders, or regulators that opens doors for new business opportunities, policy support, or licenses.
- Enhanced Strategic Positioning: Positioning the organization as a preferred, trusted partner in a visible, tangible way that directly drives future growth and sustainable action.
Strategic communication operates as a high-level practice because it treats intangible inputs not as abstract theory, but as precision levers designed to engineer specific, real-world outcomes
Sola Abulu & Associates (SA&A) is a strategy and communications consulting and training firm dedicated to enabling businesses, brands and institutions achieve their desired objectives through strategic communications, organizational effectiveness and reputation risk management. Learn with SA&A online 24/7 from anywhere in the world on learn.solaabuluassociates.com