COMMUNICATION STRATEGY -

PREVIEW
Strategic communication is based on four interactive
variables:

Communicator Strategy

Audience Strategy

Message Strategy

Channel Choice Strategy


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COMMUNICATOR STRATEGY
What is your objective?
What communication style do you choose?

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WHAT IS YOUR OBJECTIVE?
Effective strategic communicators are
those who receive their desired response.

To clarify this outcome hone your thoughts
from the general to the specific

General objective: This is your broad
overall goal toward which each separate
communication will aim.

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Action objective: Then, break down your general
goal into a consciously planned series of action
outcomes specific, measurable, time-bound
steps that will lead toward your general
objectives. State your action objectives in this
form: To accomplish a specific result by a
specific time.

Communication objective: Your communication
objective is even more specific. It is focused on
the result you hope to achieve from a single
communication episode such as a report, email
or presentation. To create a communication
objective, start with the phrase: As a result of
this communication, my audience will.

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WHAT IS YOUR OBJECTIVE?
Writing such an objective benefits you in many
ways. For example,

it saves you time by preventing you from
researching topics you wont end up using or from
making dozens of slides no one will see.

It provides clues about how to open and close your
talk.

And, if some of your presentation time gets cut, it
helps you figure out how to adjust on the spot.
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WHAT IS YOUR OBJECTIVE? HANDOUT - PAGE 10
General Objective Action Objective Communication
Objective
Increase customer
base
Sign with 20 new
clients each month.
As a result of this letter,
the client will sign and
return the contract.
Develop a sound
financial position
Maintain annual debt-
to-equity ratio no
greater than X.
As a result of this
email, the accountant
will give me the
quarterly expense
information for my
report.

As a result of this
report, the board will
approve my
recommendations.
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WHAT IS YOUR OBJECTIVE?
Many things you say will not, in fact, be heard and
remembered, which is why you need to limit the number of
main points highlighted in a presentation.

Consider this simple objective: As a result of my
presentation, the audience will agree to include us on their
approved supplier list. although it meets the criteria reviewed
so far, this objective wouldnt help you decide what to include
in your pitch.

To make it more useful:

1] identify key messages by inserting benefit statements or
specifying take-away points or

2] include supplemental targets, which might refer to
attitudes or emotions.
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COMMUNICATOR STRATEGY - WHAT COMMUNICATION STYLE
DO YOU CHOOSE?
As you define your communication objective, choose the
appropriate style to reach that objective.

The given diagram displays the range of communication
styles used in virtually every job at various times.






Instead of trying to find one right style, use the appropriate
style at the appropriate time and avoid using the same style all
of the time.

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WHEN TO USE A COMBINATION OF STYLES
In an ongoing communication project, you may
need to use a combination of styles: for example,

join to brainstorm ideas,

consult to choose one of those ideas,

sell to persuade your boss to adopt that idea, and

tell to write up the idea once it becomes policy.
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AUDIENCE STRATEGY
What do they know and expect?
What do they feel?
What will persuade them?
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WHAT DO THEY KNOW AND EXPECT?
Empathize with the novices simplify the information use
familiar examples to explain difficult concepts. Try
comparing a complex procedure to an everyday activity or
incorporating several concrete examples to make an abstract
idea less confusing.

Deal with mixed background needs: provide background
material for novices, such as sending an article or CD in
advance or adding a glossary of technical terms or an email
attachment. Acknowledge the experts by saying something
like As those of you who have been through this before
know.. or Just to bring our visitors up to date..

Aim your message toward your key decision-maker.
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WHAT DO THEY FEEL?
How interested are they in your message?
If their interest level is high

In these cases, you can get right to the point without
taking much time to arouse their interest.

Build a good logical argument.

Do not expect a change of opinion without continued
effort over time; however, if you can persuade them,
their change will be more permanent than changes in
a low-interest audience.


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IF THEIR INTEREST LEVEL IS LOW:
In these cases, think about using a consult/join
style and ask them to participate: one of the
strongest ways to build support is to share control.

If, however, you are using a tell/sell style, try to
persuade them with audience benefits, your
credibility, and message structure.

In addition, keep your message as short as
possible;

Finally, for low-interest audiences, act quickly on
attitude changes because they may not be
permanent.

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WHAT DO THEY FEEL?
What is their probable bias: positive or negative?

Positive or neutral: If they are positive or neutral,
reinforce their existing attitude by stating the
benefits that will accrue from your message.

Negative: If they are negative, try one or more of
these techniques:

1] convince them that there is a problem, then
solve the problem.

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BIAS NEGATIVE..
2] state points with which you think they will agree first;
if audience members are sold on two or three key
features of your proposal, they will tend to sell
themselves on the other features as well.

3] limit your request to the smallest one possible, such
as a pilot program rather than a full program right
away.

4] respond to anticipated objections: you will be more
persuasive by stating and rejecting alternatives
yourself, instead of allowing them to devise their
own, which they will be less likely to reject.

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WHAT WILL PERSUADE THEM?
Think about how you can be most persuasive
by

1] emphasizing your audience benefits

2] drawing on your own credibility

3] structuring the way you organize your
message.
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PERSUADE WITH AUDIENCE BENEFITS
Always stress whats in it for them
Career or task benefits:

1] Show how your message will enhance your
audiences job (such as making it easier or more
convenient).

2] Appeal to the task itself (such as the chance to
be challenged or participate in tough problem
solving),

3] emphasize their career advancement or prestige
(such as organizational recognition or reputation
enhancement).


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PERSUADE WITH AUDIENCE BENEFITS
Ego benefits: Enhance their sense of self-worth,
accomplishment, and achievement, with formal
statements, informal praises, or nonverbal nods or
perhaps even hand slaps.
Bandwagon appeal/Group benefits: For group-oriented
audiences, emphasize

1] the benefits to the group as a whole, such as group
enhancements or sense of group worth;

2] group consensus over individual preferences; and

3] group comparisons, such as benchmarking or
bandwagon (everyone else is doing it).


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PERSUADE WITH AUDIENCE BENEFITS
Personality benefits: Different personalities are
persuaded differently.

Persuade thinkers with lots of data,

Skeptics with lots of credibility,

Unemotional people with rationality,

Emotional people with enthusiasm, passion and
energy.




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PERSUADE WITH AUDIENCE BENEFITS
If your key decision-maker frequently wants to
find out what your competitors are doing, then
he might be a fan of benchmarking.

If he spends lot of time asking questions about
the column charts on your slides, then bottom-
line reasoning might be a better option. To use
bottom-line reasoning, you need to collect
quantitative data, analyze it, and develop a
logical story line.
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PERSUADE WITH AUDIENCE BENEFITS
Benchmarking Corporations have used
benchmarking for decades to chart progress or
make comparisons.

This technique is useful in situations involving
change or uncertainty. It requires finding out what
others are doing and comparing that information to
what your company is doing.

For example, when looking at best practices for
campus recruiting, an executive will be most
impressed when those practices are used by
companies he respects.

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GENDER-BASED TENDENCIES
Sometimes it's useful to think about the differences
between men and women. Research shows,

men tend to take arguments impersonally, women
personally;

men seek quick authoritative decisions, women use
consensus building;

men use stronger language even when they're not sure,
women use more qualified language even when they are
sure;

Men use less active listening, women use more.


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PERSUADE WITH AUDIENCE BENEFITS HANDOUT
P.17-20
Consistency reminders For example, if a CEO has
recently praised his organizations values, he will feel
the pull of consistency if you can show how your
recommendations are linked to those values.

Similarly, if you can get your audience to agree yes,
there is a security problem, then they will be more
willing to explore solutions to that problem.

Build support with benefit statements All products,
services, and ideas have many features. Some of
these features could be turned into a benefit
statement.


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PERSUADE WITH CREDIBILITY -HANDOUT - PAGE 12
Here are some techniques to apply your credibility as a
persuasive tool. Remember, the less your audience is
involved in the topic or issue, the more important your
credibility is as a factor for persuasion.

Shared values credibility and common ground :
Establishing a common ground with your audience is highly
persuasive, especially when done at the beginning of your
message. For example, refer to goals you share with your
audience before focusing on your controversial
recommendation to achieve them.

Goodwill credibility and liking: People tend to be more
persuaded by people they like. So, taking the time to meet
your audience one-to-one, to establish a relationship, to
uncover real similarities, and to offer genuine praise will
make you more persuasive in the long run.



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PERSUADE WITH CREDIBILITY
Image credibility and emotionality: Another way to
persuade is to connect emotionally with your
audience. Show your emotional commitments and
adjust your emotions to your audiences emotional
state.

Rank and expertise credibility by association:
Sometimes, rank and expertise can be persuasive.
So, either refer to your own rank or expertise, or
else use rank or expertise by association (for
example, have the CEO introduce you or cite
credible experts). If you have succeeded with
certain relevant projects, then referring to those
efforts may bolster your credibility.
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CREDIBILITY ENHANCEMENT TECHNIQUES
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Personal credibility based on audiences perception
of you

Integrity having a sense of values and adhering to
them
Honesty telling truth though tactfully not painfully
Sincerity concern for audience needs
Fairness considering all sides of an issue and
justice for all involved
Openness considering diverse points of view; the
absence of a perceived hidden agenda

Personal credibility is especially important in flatter,
more decentralized organizations.
ORGANIZATIONAL CREDIBILITY HANDOUT P.20
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Legitimate power useful in hierarchical organizations for
CEO/VP
I have decided to change our method of trip
reimbursements to better reflect overall strategic goals.

Referent power with peers/less hierarchical
organizations
We have all had problems with the current method of
travel reimbursements (list the problems).
Then, explain how the new system will solve all those
problems.

Expert power useful in all organizations. Explain how
you came up with the new travel reimbursement system
using your expertise to do so.

MESSAGE STRATEGY
Emphasize your conclusion
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EMPHASIZE YOUR CONCLUSION










As the Audience Memory Curve implies, you should.
Never bury important conclusions in the middle of your message.

Since the first and last parts of your presentation are most likely to
be remembered: therefore, make sure your opening and closing are
linked to your presentation objective in some way.

Try to hold your audiences attention in the middle of your message
by using persuasion techniques.


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USE THE DIRECT APPROACH WHENEVER POSSIBLE
Improves comprehension and saves time: people
assimilate content more readily when they know the
conclusions first.

Therefore, the direct approach is appropriate over 90%
of the time for

All non-sensitive messages

Sensitive messages if
1] the audience has a positive or neutral bias,
2] they are result-oriented, or
3] your credibility is high.

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USE AN INDIRECT APPROACH WITH CAUTION

The indirect approach is harder to follow
and takes longer to understand, hence use
it when

You want to soften audience resistance to
an unpopular idea or

To increase their likelihood of seeing you as
fair-minded.
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USE AN INDIRECT APPROACH WITH CAUTION
Audience and message constraints Use an
indirect approach when you have :

1] a highly sensitive message, low credibility, and a
negatively biased or a hostile audience, or

2] an analysis-oriented decision-maker who insists
upon it.

Cultural norms, when you are in another culture in
which the direct approach would be viewed as
inappropriate or pushy.

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PREVIEW DIRECT/INDIRECT APPROACH
Example of a preview statement using a direct approach:

In the time remaining this morning, I want to explain the benefits of the
new system. First, I will demonstrate how these guidelines will save
you time; second, I will point out how you can use them to respond to
clients billing questions. And finally, I will explain how they address a
complaint many of you had about the old system.

Example of a preview statement using an indirect approach:

In the next 30 minutes I want to discuss two topics. First, I will
describe the record-keeping problems that have plagued our billing
system. Second, I will share three options we have in dealing with
them.
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2

EXAMPLE
Customer will
purchase our
service
Audience is
result-
oriented/
attitude is
neutral
Direct
recommend
your service
followed by
audience
benefits from
service
Audiences
attitude is
negative
Indirect list the
benefits from your
service and/or
problems with
competitors
service, then
recommend your
service
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CHANNEL CHOICE STRATEGY

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CHANNEL CHOICE STRATEGY
Traditional writing is usually fairly
controlled, logical, and grammatically
correct and does not include nonverbal
cues.

Electronic mail, however, may be less
reserved and controlled, more creative,
full of grammatical and typographical
mistakes, and emoticons such as : -), to
show nonverbal cues.
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WRITING OR SPEAKING
Writing is the channel to use to keep a
permanent record, to get across a great
deal of detail, to use precise and studied
wording, or to have your audience process
your message quickly (reading is faster
than listening)

Speaking is the channel to choose if you
need a richer communication (nonverbal
cues), less rigidity and permanence.

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FORMAL CHANNEL
Formal channel for legal negotiations, key
ideas precise, controlled technical, logical,
focused, organized, informative, conclusive,
action-oriented and forceful

Writing memos, proposals, reports, letters

Speaking presentations, briefings, and
lectures.


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INFORMAL CHANNEL
Informal channel to gain new ideas from others
fast, interactive, uninhibited, innovative, creative,
open and flexible

Writing e-mail, notes, rough drafts

Speaking to a group interactive meetings, group
collaborations

Speaking to an individual face-to-face, voice mail.

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CHANNEL CHOICE STRATEGY
If you dont have a choice about the channel, think
about how you can overcome its shortcomings

Providing hard copy along with your presentation

Following up with an email after a face-to-face
conversation to make sure there is no misinterpretation
of the message
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