Strategic Communication: Principles and Practice

by Mahoney, James

• ISBN13: 9780195576894
• ISBN10: 0195576896
• Additional ISBN(s): 9780190303761
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-01-13
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

Strategic Communication: Principles and Practicedeals with the principles behind strategic communication planning and the professional practice involved in researching, writing and implementing a communication strategy. The framework followed here can be used for planning specific strategies for a range of specialisations including corporate communication; community relations; financial and investor relations; government relations and lobbying; internal communication; marketing communication and public relations. The book is grounded in the concept that strategic communication goes beyond the immediate bottom-line profit aims of integrated marketing communication, to deal with longer term issues. The book explores this idea through a framework that suggests communication strategy should be linked to the way in which organisations' plan their business activities in three time 'horizons': what they need to do now, in the mid-term, and in the long-term. This approach links communication strategy to how organisations deal with issues. It does not ignore the need for integrated communication, but it does suggest that how organisations deal with public policy issues influences their market-related communication. Working out how issues influence organisational communication involves strategic thinking and analysis.

Author Biography

James Mahoney is Convenor of the Master of Strategic Communication degree, and Lecturer-in-Charge of the Communication Internship program at the University of Canberra. He teaches the final-year units Public Relations Practice and Public Relations Strategy. Jim holds a Master of Arts in Communication (Canberra) and a Bachelor of Arts (ANU). He is a Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Australia and the Institute's Honorary National Secretary. Prior to joining the University of Canberra, Jim had a career as a senior public relations practitioner and manager in private industry, for Federal government agencies, and in the tertiary education sector.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: What this book is about
2. The nature of strategic communication
3. Communication strategy and business planning
Time out: On the importance of theory
4. Elements of a communication strategy
5. Analysing organisational communication needs
6. Why target publics matter
7. Setting the Compass: Communication goals and objectives
Time Out: On intercultural communication
8. Planning effective messages
9. Reaching target publics: The role of communication strategies
10. Tactics: The things we do
Time Out: On applying professional practice skills to strategy
11. Managing a strategic communication plan
12. The Gemini Factor: Evaluating strategic communication projects
13. Strategic communication counselling
Reflection