COMMUNICATING STRATEGICALLY:

INTRODUCTORY CONCEPTS

Bart Collins, Ph.D.

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 Strategic
communication is…
• Goal-Directed
• Tailored

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 Goals.

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 Strategic communication is
inherently goal-directed.

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 Effective communicators
excel at managing
multiple and complex
goals concurrently.

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 Most communication situations
have multiple salient goals.

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 Two major types of goals:
• Primary goals
• Secondary goals

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 Primary goals are usually explicit…

Educate Train

Change Change
Opinion Behavior
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 Secondary goals are often implicit…

Enhance Maintain
identity relationships

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 Tailoring.

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 Strategic communication is tailored,
or adapted, to the unique
characteristics of the audience.

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 Effective communicators adapt
messages to their audiences to
reach their goals.

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 Three key audience
characteristics are…

Ability
Motivation Attitude
Audience
Features

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 People vary in how much they
care about what you have to say.

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 People vary in how able they are
to understand what you have to
say.

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 People are often hesitant to
change preexisting attitudes and
beliefs about what you are saying.

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 Audience dynamics impact
communication strategy.

Low Motivation High

Weak Ability Strong

Supportive Attitude Hostile

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 Where is your audience?

Low Motivation High

Weak Ability Strong

Supportive Attitude Hostile

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 It can get even more complex!

Low Motivation High

Weak Ability Strong

Supportive Attitude Hostile

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 Audience characteristics can
either enhance or constrain
communication goal attainment.

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 Audiences shape speaker goals and strategies
for achieving goals?

How Does How Does

Who is My
This Impact This Impact
Audience? Strategy?
My Goals?

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

 Reflection Exercise
• Goals
• Primary Goals?
• Secondary Goals?
• Audience
• Motivation?
• Ability?
• Attitudes?

BRIAN LAMB SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION