FROM STRATEGY TO ANNUAL ACTION PLANS
by Diane Gayeski, Ph.D. The key to excellent communication is creating the right infrastructure-the expertise, the staffing and funding structure, the understanding of your communication channels and constituent needs, and your overall communication philosophy and standards that will support individual communication efforts. These give you the resources and the guidelines necessary to decide what good communication looks like, which projects deserve priority, and how to communicate a consistent organizational voice. Although problems and opportunities that require a communication intervention...
Read MoreManage your professional development
As a communicator, you’ve acquired a portfolio of skills and abilities that you use successfully in your current job or projects. However, the job or projects you are working on today may not be what you will be working on in five years. Most of us will have multiple jobs or specialties throughout our careers. Given that you want to progress, challenge yourself professionally and achieve your goals, you must manage this portfolio to ensure it is current, practical and useful throughout your career. The following are six steps to help you direct your professional development. 1. Expand...
Read MoreWhat does a communication plan look like?
by Les Potter, ABC A communication plan looks very much like a strategic plan or a marketing plan. Remember, to be called strategic, it must share some of the same elements and methodology of accepted planning formats. My model for a strategic communication plan contains the following sections: 1. Executive summary. 2. The communication process (a description for instructional purposes). Not all decision makers are trained in communication, PR or integrated marketing communication. This section builds the business case for using communication...
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