Transitioning into a Strategic Communications Practitioner

Most communications professionals start off in their career learning how to do the simple things, write a story, or develop content, post on social media, organize an event; monitor engagement on a campaign etc They are implementing tasks and activities that they have been instructed to do. With time, one gets good at these tasks and activities and more responsibility is given. What no one tells you is that as you move into leadership or grow in expertise, you will be rerequired to be more strategic in your thinking, approach, style and in terms of your focus, solutions and guidance to the organization you support.

Why is this?

This transition is necessary because it is more effective to have an integrated approach that enables all communications to achieve on overarching goal, than to be focused on implementation of random activities that do not connect to one another in terms of purpose, vision or brand attribution. A structured approach to communication is more cost efficient, has potential for higher impact and is likely to be more effective.

How does a communication professional make the transition from tactical to strategic?

1. Learn the Strategic Communications Framework (SCF)

The Strategic Communications Framework is a tool that provides structure for development of a communications strategy. It is a template that enables you to focus on what is most important. The framework takes a step by step approach and starts from objectives to outcomes. It ensures that every step is guided by the agreed goals and that there is no room for random thinking. Everything must be logical and make sense towards the achievement of the agreed goal. There are different versions of the framework in circulation.

• All versions follow the a similar model. They start with objectives and end with outcomes and ask questions about who is being targeted, why, when and where. Most importantly, the framework also includes a section on success criteria and what the key performance markers or evidence are. 

2. Begin to apply it

The more you apply the framework, the more you become familiar with it and are able to adapt it to different scenarios. The benefit of operating based on the SCF is that it is easy to practise across sectors and solve problems in diverse contexts. The framework enables the communications professional to apply the universal principles to different situations and develop tailored solutions that deliver high value – rather than just copy and pasting tactics from one campaign to another.

3. Work from problem to solution

In making the transition, learn to work from problem to solution i.e  from A to B and not the other way round. A tactical mindset tends to move to solution mode without diagnosing the problem and is quick to treat all campaigns the same way, without taking the time to understand the unique context that requires a tailored solution. This leads to ineffective campaigns and a situation where impact is sub-optimal and cannot be measured.

4. Resist the urge to be activity-driven

Making the mindset shift from activity-driven to outcome/impact/results-oriented is an important step in transitioning to strategic communications practise. The discipline to focus on impact and results rather than on events and activities will take time. It will also require some effort but is worth it in the long run. A focus on impact would ensure that a dilligent diagnosis of the challenge is conducted before deciding on what needs to be done. The main difference between tactical and strategic communications is the time, effort and focus on interrogating the WHY and the WHO and definining measurable success criteria.

5. Start with the WHY – not the what

Transitioning to the mindset of strategic communications requires the ability to start every piece of work with understanding the underlying business or organizational objective from a leadership level. It is very common for communications professionals to get lost in the WHAT and get locked into developing tactics – without stopping to inquire about the WHY. A strategic communicator would always ask about the WHY because that determines everything. The level of importance, urgency, the connect with the overall success of the business; other issues at play etc. Understanding the back story is very important. It defines the focus of the proposals that come forward. And improves the quality of the thinking going forward.

6. Learn the business you support

Business knowledge is a mandatory requirement for effective functioning as a strategic communications professional. Lack of knowledge about the business will hinder the ability to support it with strategic communications. This requires a learner mindset and a commitment to take the time and effort to understand how the business functions; its place in the market; its key relationships; the dynamics of the sector; the brand’s positioning; its future agenda and current plans. And the place of strategic communications as an enabler and protector of value in this regard.

7. Measure what matters

Transitioning to strategic communications requires a commitment to measuring what matters to the business or the organization or entity on a fundemantal level. Communications professionals have traditionally focused on measuring what makes sense to them and preferring not to be held accountable for business outcomes. Although communications teams cannot take full responsibility for delivery of shared outcomes –  it is possible to own the outcomes from programs, campaigns and initiatives that have specific deliverables that are measurable in real-life business or strategic terms. e.g. communications that enables a brand to become a household name.

The onus lies on the Communications team to provide data that shows that the brand has become a household name as a result of its communications initiatives. It can also make a connection as to the relationships or partnerships that have been birthed as a result with direct impact for the business. This is a hypothetical example that may not be relevant in all cases. The point is that a strategic communications professional should be able to find a metric that captures the impact of communications in a way that matters to the business and strategic leaders of the organization.