Communication Strategy

Managerial Communication
Managerial communication is different from other
kinds of communication because a brilliant
message alone is not sufficient: you are
successful only if your message results in
your desired response from your audience.

Communication Model

Communicator
Audience
Message
Channel
Culture

Communication Strategy

Communicator Strategy
Audience Strategy
Message Strategy
Channel Choice Strategy
Culture Strategy

Communicator Strategy
Objectives
Style
Credibility

Communicator Strategy - Objective

General objective
Action objective
Communication objective

Communicator Strategy - Style

Tell/Sell
Sufficient information
Do not want opinions
Want to control message content

Join/Consult
Do not have sufficient information
Want to understand others opinions
Involve audience / gain buy-in

Combination

Communicator Strategy Credibility

Factors affecting credibility

Rank
Goodwill
Experience
Image
Common ground

To enhance credibility
Stress upon initial credibility
Increase acquired credibility

Audience Strategy
Who are they?
Primary audience
Key influencers: decision makers, opinion leaders,
gatekeepers
Secondary audience

What do they know and expect?

Empathize with the novices

Deal with mixed background needs
Consider format expectations
Address second language issues

Audience Strategy (cont)

What do they feel?

Emotions
Interest
Probable bias
Desired action

What will persuade them?

Emphasize audience benefits
Persuade with credibility
Persuade with message structure

Message Strategy
THOUGHT PROCESS (drafting)
ends with conclusion

STRATEGIC PROCESS (writing)

emphasizes the conclusion

Bad ideas

Assumptions
Good ideas Data

Organized
ideas

Reach
conclusion
last

State
conclusion
first
(usually)

Organized
ideas

Organized
ideas

Facts
Organized
ideas

TIME

Message Strategy
Harness the power of beginnings and ends
Never bury important conclusions
Keep your audiences attention
State your conclusion emphatically

State your conclusion prominently

Direct approach
Indirect approach

Message Strategy (cont)

Overcome retention dip in the middle

Chunking improves memory

Repetition gets noticed
Flagging signals importance
The unexpected grabs attention
Visuals provide reinforcement

Message Strategy (cont)

Organize your message
Informative message
Key points, questions, steps, alternatives,
comparisons

Persuasive message
Recommendations, benefits, problem-solution

Choose your design cascade

Placement, size, font, direction

Channel Choice Strategy

Medium through which message travels
Channels of Communication
Highly
interactive,
always real
time
Written

Oral
Blended

Text, IM

Moderately
interactive

Email,
Hard copy,
blogs/mini-blogs, webpage
social networks

Telephone,
conference call
One-to-one,
consult/join
meeting, web
meeting

Minimally
interactive,
never real
time

Voicemail,
podcast
Tell/sell
presentation, live
webcast

Recorded
webcast

Channel Choice Strategy - Written

Hard
copy

Email

Blogs/Min
i-blogs

IM/TM

Wikis

WebPages

Advantages

Private,
detailed,
shreddable

Quicker
distribution
than hard
copy

Interactive,
creates
community

Highly
interactive,
fastest
response

Collaborative
writing

Potentially
huge
audience

Disadvantages

Rigid,
delayed
response

Unorganized,
too
uninhibited,
permanent

Relies on
blogger
expertise

Overused,
irritating

Hard to
control
content

No control
over who
reads

Channel Choice Strategy - Oral

Telephone
Advantages

Private

Disadvantages Telephone
tag

Voicemail

Conference
call

Podcast

Short items
quickly

Multiple
receivers at
same time

Radio show
for anyone
with an MP3
player

Delayed or
no response

Equal
interaction
difficult

No call-in or
live feedback

Channel Choice Strategy - Blended

Tell/sell
presentation
Advantages

Consult
/join
meeting

Tell/sell
webcast

Consult/join
web meeting

Richest channels: verbal and nonverbal communication

Real time; can control audience receiving information
Best for relationships

Disadvantages

Face-toface

Reaches different locations

Slower for audience because listening takes more time than reading
Less detail than writing

Channel Choice
Strategic questions

Audiences preference?
Audience participation?
Nonverbal?
Time control?
Permanent record?
Detail?

Culture Strategy
Attitudes towards

Time
Fate
Communication style
Credibility
Audience selection
Persuasion
Biases

Culture Strategy (cont)

Message structure
Channel choice
Nonverbal behavior
Space and objects
Greetings and hospitality