Slides for Communication Planning at Budapest Business School

1. Communication
planning

2. What is communication
for you?

3. 1. We communicate to persuade: It means that we want someone to do
something and this desire of ours is communicated. The mother patting the
child to stop crying, the advertiser displaying a model in a new T-Shirt and
the politician haranguing (urging) his audience to vote for him are all having
the same objective of persuading, while communicating it differently.
2. We communicate in order to give or provide information: The science
teacher demonstrating an experiment, the bank announcing a reduction in
interest rates and the finance minister, presenting the budget are all
communicating to provide information.
3. We communicate seeking information: A passer by asking you the way to the
post-office, the student asking the teacher for some clarification or the
investigating policeman making discreet enquiries are all seeking information
by using this communication skill.
4. We communicate to express our emotions like courage or fear, joy or sorrow,
satisfaction or disappointment with appropriate gestures and words. Some
people have unlimited skill to emote, (i.e., to display excessive emotion) to
suit the occasion. Our politicians are capable of emoting well, which by itself
is a communication skill.
Why do we communicate at all?
Source: http://communicationtheory.org/why-do-we-communicate/

4. • Communications happens when the message
you send is received, understood and acted
upon by your intended audience.
• Communication planning is simply a process
to help you reach that goal.
• Clear and logical summary of what you want to
say to your intended audience and map out
how you will deliver that message.
What is Communication planning
about?

5. Why do we communicate at all?
To Inform Seek
Information
To persuade
To express emotions
Source: http://communicationtheory.org/why-do-we-communicate/

6. Communication happens
When the message
• Received
• Understood
• Acted upon
by your target audience

7. Communication planning is
simply a process
to reach that goal

8. Content of a Communication
Plan
Target
audiences
Who
Key
messages
that are
trying to be
articulated
What
Occasion or
time of
delivery
When
Desired
outcomes
Why
Communi-
cation
channel
How
The sender
By whom

9. Research
current
situation
Define goals
and objectives
Determine
target audience
Develop key
messages
Choose
communication
channels
Evaluate results
Six steps of building a plan

10. • Why are we doing it?
• Provide relevant, accurate, reliable, valid, and current information
to Communication leaders.
• To identify and assess how communication impacts customer
behavior.
• What are we doing?
• Market conditions
• Own and competitive products
• Customer segments, sub-segment (audiences)
• Perceptions
• Potential effects of the communication campaign
• How do we do it?
• Define the communications challenge, opportunity
• Collect and process information (Quantitative and qualitative
data)
• Communicate findings
Research current situation

11. • Why are we doing it?
• It will help you on the who, why, when and how of the
communications planning.
• What are we doing?
• Goals: overall changes to reach
• Objectives: short term and measurable steps to reach
the goals
• Create a clear statement of what to do
• How do we do it?
• Be specific, measurable, realistic
• Evaluation will measure outcome against these goals
Define goals and objectives

12. • Why are we doing it?
• It will help you on the who, why, when and how of the
communications planning.
• What are we doing?
• List the groups to communicate with
• Analyze each group
• Describe characteristics, behaviors of these audiences
• Focus your most relevant (sub)audiences
• Get deep insight of the focus groups
• How do we do it?
• Be specific, measurable, realistic
• Evaluation will measure outcome against these goals
Determine target audience

13. • Why are we doing it?
• Identify the essential idea and the statements to communicate
• What are we doing?
• Understand what the audience know already and need to
know.
• Develop the message the target audience should hear and
believe.
• Write down each message in a simple, specific statement.
• How do we do it?
• Show the audience that you will help meet their needs
• A clear message will be received, understood and acted upon
• Involving communication expert happens frequently
Develop key messages

14. • Why are we doing it?
• Select the communication channels that will land our
message most effectively to the audience
• What are we doing?
• Select the most effective channels to reach the target
audiences and influence them with the messages
• Fit with the available resources (time, budget, policies ...)
• How do we do it?
• Research (phase 1) should give insight on channel usage
by audiences
• Collect performance data of channels from past, market
• A/B testing of channels
• Involving communication expert happens frequently
Choose communication channels

15. • Why are we doing it?
• Compare goals with actual results and give recommendations
to improve the plan.
• What are we doing?
• Measure performance of execution
• Learn how the plan worked with various audiences, which
activities had the most impact, and which parts of the plan
failed.
• The evaluation of the first plan is the foundation of the next
communications plan.
• How do we do it?
• Collecting data from systems
• Surveys and market research
• Assessing media coverage. Talking to customers
• Communicate findings
Evaluate results

16. Communication
planning