Course Introduction

Strategic Communications have never been more critical. Organisations must communicate effectively with their stakeholders in a crowded communications world to build trust, manage reputation and inform them of their priorities and objectives. You will develop the skills to scan the horizon for issues and forecast and analyse trends which might impact your organisation – including political, economic, social and technological developments.

Packed with examples of best practices, this Strategic Communication: Thinking, Planning and Execution training course will explore how to create, develop, and deliver communication strategies that have real value for the company. This training course enables managers and communications practitioners to examine the development of a communications strategy and its execution. The methods, tools, and techniques you will learn will help your organisation achieve its strategic objectives.

This Oxford Management Centre training course will highlight:

• How to align your communications with your corporate strategy?
• Assessing your communications environment
• Ensuring that your communication matches strategic intent
• Horizon scanning, forecasting and scenario painting
• Measuring outcomes

Objectives

By the end of this Strategic Communication: Thinking, Planning and Execution training course training course, you will be able to:

• Understand organisational strategy and strategic communications issues
• Define the aim, objectives and tactics of a strategic plan
• Identify research needs and ways to source information
• Categories audiences and design programmes to engage them
• Identify risks and plan to manage them
• Scope what can be evaluated and plan how to evaluate them

Training Methodology

This Strategic Communication: Thinking, Planning and Execution training course training course uses various proven adult learning techniques to ensure effective assimilation and retention of the information presented. This highly interactive training course will prompt delegates to reflect on their thinking, communication style and practice.

Your Tutor will guide and facilitate learning using a wide variety of methods, including direct input, video, discussions, case studies and group and individual exercises to focus on the themes of the course, practice skills and receive feedback.

Organisational Impact

Your company will benefit in the following ways:

• Increased relevance of the communications effort to realising the corporate strategy
• More robust measurable objectives and KPIs
• Increased dialogue between the communications team and business units
• More focused internal and customer communication
• Greater attention to data and external trends in defining comms plans

Personal Impact

The personal benefits to be derived from attending this training course include the following:

• Greater confidence in handling strategic communications
• Improved ability to plan specific stakeholder groups
• A greater understanding of strategy and how to research and develop it
• Enhanced understanding of the ways to look for over-the-horizon events
• A vast repertoire of strategic and tactical planning skills

Who Should Attend?

This Strategic Communication: Thinking, Planning and Execution training course training course is suitable for a wide range of professionals but will significantly benefit:

• Communications professionals
• Directors with communications responsibility
• Corporate Communications Practitioners / Managers
• Public Relations Officers / Managers
• Public Affairs Practitioners
• Marketing Officers / Managers
• Anyone planning a career in PR

Course Outline

DAY 1

Why is Strategic Communication Important?

• What is communication important – and what is ‘strategic’?
• It starts with the corporate strategy
• Exploring corporate strategy to define your role
• The place of business and communications plans
• Structures for Communications strategies and plans
• Applying these insights to your organisation

DAY 2

Researching Strategy

• The big picture – analysing trends
• Using SWOT, PEST and PESTLE
• Analysing Opportunities and Threats
• Over the horizon events – early warnings
• Research skills
• Research sources

DAY 3

Stakeholder Communications

• Mapping your regular stakeholders
• Identifying ‘situational stakeholders’ by project and issue
• Planning stakeholder communication activities
• Recognising the need for campaigns
• The skills of negotiation and persuasion
• Stakeholder narrative and messaging

DAY 4

Communications Strategy

• Vision, mission, values and strategy
• Account management and business communications strategies
• SMART objectives
• Creating KPIs and CSFs
• Developing your communications plans
• Consulting on your draft strategy

DAY 5

Evaluation 

• Communication – what can be measured
• Gathering and using data
• Making your data gathering plan
• Acquiring the tools – your ‘tech stack.’
• Making strategy happen
• Reporting to the C Suite