Build your value as a strategic communication professional.

Course description:

This two-day course teaches communication professionals how to plan and implement communication initiatives grounded in business thinking that adds greater value to stakeholders and deliver business results. From analysing the business environment to defining needs, segmenting audiences and delivering measurable outcomes, you'll walk away with the tools and techniques to build your credibility as a trusted in-demand communication professional.

What to expect:

Develop your strategic planning and execution skills
Align your communication efforts with business outcomes
Build measures and develop ROI for your communication efforts
Develop a clear understanding of what drives value for stakeholders in today's communication environment
Increase your perceived value within the organisation

Who should attend:

Professionals working in strategic communication, corporate communication, internal communication, external communication, corporate affairs or public relations. Those leading teams, projects, or having to influence others within the organisation.

Career Level: Foundation, Generalist/Specialist, Strategic Advisor

Course outline:

Upon completion of this course you’ll be able to:

Build alignment between business needs and communication outcomes
Know the elements of a strategically focused communication plan
Develop a clear understanding of what drives value for stakeholders and increase your perceived value within the organisation
Explore best practices, principles, processes and implementation elements designed to equip you with the knowledge and expertise to deliver business results
Analyse the business and communication environments to understand how that affects your plan
Develop research-based measurable objectives that deliver business outcomes
Identify, segment, and analyse audience characteristics that inform your strategic planning
Harness the power of preferred communication channels and connect with audiences at an emotional level
Deliver tactical implementation on multiple levels through multiple channels with a consistent, meaningful voice
Measure the effect of your work

Day 1

Overview of the strategic communication planning process

Understand the needs of the business
Align communication strategy with business needs
The steps in strategic communication planning

Defining business needs

Why it’s important to align your approach with business needs and how to take a brief from an internal customer
How to convert a business need into a communication outcome

Setting SMART objectives aligned with business goals

The difference between goals, objectives and tactics
The difference between an output and outcome objective
Align objectives with business needs
Set measurable objectives

Defining your measurement approach

Output versus outcome measures
The difference between quantitative, qualitative and observational research
How to set a measurement approach

Audience segmentation and analysis

How to define and effectively segment audience groups
How to analyse audience characteristics, why it’s important and how the analysis influences strategic direction

Day 2

Developing key messages

Why key messages are important
How to develop clear key messages
Explore and understand the need to create message maps to bring messages alive

Tactical Implementation

How to use audience insight and messages to inform tactical planning
How to determine the right channel mix to achieve results

Measuring the impact of your communication strategy and defining ROI

How to effectively measure results against objectives and define ROI
Explore example dashboards

Personal brand

The essential qualities of a successful communication professional
Understand your impact on others and the value of collaboration
Build your personal brand

Provide insight into your organisation and demonstrate your value

How to demonstrate value by providing insight at every stage of the process
Use insight to provide more opportunities for communication
Discover where and how you add value and look at where you spend your time (time/value audit)

About the trainer

Dr Amanda Hamilton-Attwell ABC, IABC Fellow

Dr Amanda Hamilton Attwell was the first woman in Africa to be awarded a Doctorate in Communication Science. Over the last 34 years, Amanda has taught, coached and mentored thousands of communication professionals. She has worked with hundreds of organisations to demonstrate the value of strategic communication and has delivered significant business results for her clients. Originally a journalist and a lecturer at the University of South Africa, Amanda has spent most of her career conducting communication and organisational research at the National Productivity Institute in Pretoria. In 2000 she started Business DNA as a communication and organisational research group. As her client base grew she extended her services to include training and implementation solutions. She specialises in stakeholder research, measuring communication ROI, communication audits, communication structure, facilitation of strategic planning, communication professional development and the design and implementation of communication campaigns specifically to address absenteeism, unsafe behaviour and poor production. She has served on numerous community and industry boards and committees. She was a board member of the Gauteng Chamber of Commerce and Industry for several years, is the past president of the Northern Areas Chapter and deputy president of the Africa Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).