1.
Become a
Strategic Communicator
David L. Caruso, MAPW

2.
Intro and overview
•Why are we here?
•Strategic thinking –
what is it and why should you care.
•“Hoot…hoot”
#STC16 @DCCD

3.
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Can you see the big picture?
leaders engineers
http://www.4castplus.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/buried-by-content.jpg http://www.peaktechnical.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/careers-foto-peak.png

4.
Your story
•How do you feel at work?
•How do your coworkers view your role?
•“I feel underappreciated.”
•“If I could only find a project where I could
shine…”
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5.
Your goal internal monologue should be…
“I solve problems”
“I add value”
“I improve quality”
“I make my role critical”
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6.
VPN
NOT THIS…
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7.
VPN
Value Worth, useful, helpful, advantage
Priority Primary, most important
(may not be most urgent)
Nexus Connection, convergence
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8.
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Spark
The Role of Strategic
Thinking in Business
Planning
https://is.gd/DCCD_StratThink
http://www.campinc.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Bright-Idea-Bulb-343x223.jpg

9.
https://bia.ca/the-role-of-strategic-thinking-in-business-planning/

10.
What is Strategic Thinking?
Strategic Thinking is a planning process that
applies innovation, strategic planning and
operational planning to develop business
strategies that have a greater chance for
success.
#STC16 @DCCD

11.
What is Strategic Thinking?
a process
innovation,
strategic planning and
operational planning
success.
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12.
Process
INNOVATION
STRATEGIC
AND
OPERATIONAL
PLANNING
SUCCESS!!!
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13.
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Why is Strategic Thinking Important?
•Organizational need
•Location, location,
location
•It fits squarely within
the communicator’s
zone
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/15/15/6a/15156a7d4d70632df504ef7962f2db4f.jpg

14.
#STC16 @DCCD
First step…Research
Who/what are your current research inputs?
•Internal = employees
•External = customers and the competition
•How do you get the information you
need?

15.
Benchmarking

16.
C B inputs – how do
your customers tell you
what they need?
B C outputs – how do
you tell your customers
what you are offering
them?
C  C ? – You do know
your customers could be
talking to each other
about you, right?

17.
E  B inputs – how do
your employees tell you
what they need?
B E outputs – how does
your org tell their
employees what they
need to know?
E  E ? – You do know
employees gossip about
the company, right?

18.
Benchmarking
Who are the market
leaders in your
sector?
What is your source
for industry best
practices?
Who do you
compare your
outputs to/with?

19.
Innovation/Change
Benchmarking
Customer
Employee

20.
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Innovation
• Change happens
• What is the change
management plan?
• What will the new normal look
like?
• How can you help?

21.
Strategic Planning
•Mission
•Vision
•Goals
•S.W.O.T
•Gaps
#STC16 @DCCD

22.
Mission
•Mission Statement – highest level of this
process, should happen for organization and
for “mission critical” sub-units (branches,
teams, centers etc.)
•May be a good first step but revisit at the
end to make sure it is still relevant
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23.
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Vision = “We believe…”
A vision statement should answer the question
“What do we believe?”

24.
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Vision Statement Example - Apple
Apple’s current (2015) vision statement was introduced by
CEO Tim Cook, who stated:
“We believe that we are on the face of the
earth to make great products and that’s not
changing…We believe in the simple not the
complex. We believe in saying no to
thousands of projects, so that we can really
focus on the few that are truly important
and meaningful to us… http://panmore.com/apple-mission-statement-
vision-statement

25.
#STC16 @DCCD
Wait, what did he say?
= VPN
“We believe in
saying no to
thousands of
projects, so that we
can really focus on
the few that are
truly important and
meaningful to us…”

26.
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Goals
• SMART in construction
• Should fit within the context of
higher levels and written in the
same style
(mission and vision)
http://www.caneprevost.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Haley-SMART.jpg

27.
S.W.O.T
•Strengths
•Weaknesses
•Opportunities
•Threats
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28.
#STC16 @DCCD
Gaps
• Funding and Staffing are the
usual suspects
• Try to dig deeper…what is in
the way of making the goals
happen?
• Are there admin or engineering
approaches to closing these
gaps?
NOT THIS…

29.
Innovation
Strategic
Planning
Operational
Planning

30.
•Action plans – how are you going to do the
things you said you wanted to do in your
goals?
•Measure/Evaluate
• How will you know when you’ve achieved your
goals? If so…[what]? If not…[what]?
Operationalization*
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*This may top my list for most hated business jargon!

31.
Benchmarking

32.
VPN
MAYBE THIS…
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33.
VPN
#STC16 @DCCD
YOU
SUCCESS!

34.
#STC16 @DCCD
Is this role right for you?
•Investment
•Deep Commitment
•Institutional Knowledge
•Support
•Supervisory
•Mentor

35.
Pathways
•On the job training
•Mentor/Mentee
•Back to school
•Network
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36.
QUESTIONS

37.
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Resources
• Initial spark article
• Covey’s Time Management
Quadrants
• Randy Pausch’s Time
Management Lecture to UVA
• Linchpin: Are You
Indispensable? By Seth Godin
• Developing Your Organizational
Power and Influence – Andrea
Ames LavaCon Keynote 2015

38.
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CONTACT INFO
healthcommunicator@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/healthcommunicator
@DCCD