This document provides guidance on developing and gaining acceptance for communications strategies within organizations. It discusses barriers to professional communications management, key dimensions of communications strategy and management, and a workflow for developing a communications strategy plan. It emphasizes listening, collaboration, and preparing both the strategy and management team for validation and implementation. When "selling" the strategy, it recommends choosing an effective presentation approach and avoiding tactics like multiple choice questions or compromises that could undermine defending or implementing the strategy.

1. HOW TO GET YOUR
STRATEGY ACCEPTED
MASTERCLASS
EUPRIO CONFERENCE 2012,
GÖTEBORG
Monique Jipping & Tom De Smedt

2. WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO:
• Short introduction
• Case: analysis
• Case: approach and alignment
• Case: presentation and debate
• Implementation
• Roundup

3. INTRODUCTION

4. The communicator’s influence
• “In my organisation, recommendations of the
communication function are taken seriously
by the senior management”
• “In my organisation, the communication
function is likely to be invited to senior level
strategic meetings”

6. Main barriers for professional
communication management
Poor reputation of Comms / PR in society
Shortage of Comms training
Diffuculties of proving Comms’
impact on organisational goals
Lack of understanding of Comms
within top management

8. advice triangle
e
t o f th (hannah nathans)
ex ent
nt nm on
co viro ati Profession
en aniz Know your profession
org
EFFECTIVE
ADVICE =
Quality x Acceptance
x Management
You Client
Know yourself Know your
customer

9. Dimensions of communications management
(BETTEKE Van Ruler)
strategy
MANAGEMENT REFLECTION
Directing Monitoring
Coordinating Vision
development
PROCESS
OPERATION SUPPORT
Executing Facilitating
Producing Coaching
Training
tactics
instruments processes

10. Workflow communications strategy plan
(van der hilst communications)
STEP 1 YOUR POSITION
STEP 2 ANALYSIS
> ORGANIZATION
> COMMUNICATIONS
STEP 3 COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY
STEP 4 PLAN
> APPROACH
> ALIGNMENT
> INSTRUMENTS
> ACTIONS, PLANNING
STEP 5 PRECONDITIONS (TIME, BUDGET, TEAM ETC)
STEP 6 EVALUATION

11. Listen and collaborate
(steven van belleghem, www.stevenvanbelleghem.com )
CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE
COLLABORATION
CONTENT
CONVERSATION

12. Comms Unit Strategy development
Management Strategy validation
Organisation Strategy implementation

13. Comms Unit Strategy development
Management Strategy validation
Organisation Strategy implementation

14. Strategy development is a non-
linear
process of co-creation
So:
• Prepare your strategy
• Prepare your management
• Prepare your organisation

15. Before/While developing your strategy…
• Know your context
– Organisation, communication, influences
• (Ab)use your corporate strategy
– Embed and learn from experiences
• Learn form your own research
– SWOT, DESTEP, etc for communication potential

16. Before/While developing your strategy…
• Involve and connect
– Input and support
– Information, participation, co-creation
• Know your allies (and your ennemies)
– Invest in your friends
– Academic and external experts
• Share and communicate
– Leverage effect of internal communication
– “Yours” isn’t “ours”

17. CASE

18. Reasoning and mindset managers
Other vision on Experiences from the past
Comms
Personal interests
Broader organisational
concerns
Political
interests (Implicit) long
term strategy
Influence other
stakeholders

19. IMPLEMENTATION
AND ROUNDUP

20. Ready for validation?
• Timing
– Use or create momentum
• Procedures
• Prepare your selling strategy

21. “Selling” your strategy: do’s and
don’ts
• Choose your presentation strategy (crescendo
vs. big bang)
• Avoid multiple choice
• Avoid DIY and ad hoc "bricolage"
• Avoid compromises (hard to defend, and even
harder to implement)
• Avoid polls and contests (“Democracy kills
creativity”)
• Think about package of proposals
• Go for the unrefusable
• Let your bosses get the credits