public communication course

1. Communication Strategy
PART I: Communicator & Audience

2. Managerial Communication
 Successful if there is a desired response
 Think ahead, strategically
 Five components:
 Communicator strategy
 Audience strategy
 Message strategy
 Channel choice strategy
 Cultural context strategy

3. Communicator Strategy
 Define your objectives:
 GENERAL – broad goals
 ACTION – specific, time-bound steps
 COMMUNICATION – expected audience response
 Communication style:
 TELL – audience is informed by the speaker
 SELL – audience is persuaded by the speaker
 CONSULT – the speaker learns from the audience (questionnaire)
 JOIN – the speaker learns from the audience (brainstorming)
 Credibility:
 INITIAL – before communication
 ACQUIRED – after communication

4. Audience Strategy
 Gearing your communication towards audience needs & interests
 Whom to include:
 Primary – direct receiver
 Secondary – others affected
 Gatekeeper – the one routing the message
 Opinion leader – informal influence
 Key decisión-maker – formal influence
 Learning about them:
 As individuals
 As a group
 Their knowledge:
 low, high and mixed background / information needs
 Preferences: style, channel, standard length & format
 Their feelings:
 High / low interest
 Positive / neutral / negative bias
 Desire action – easy / hard

5. Audience Strategy (cont.)
 Motivating them:
 BENEFITS:
 Tangible – value (profits, etc.) & symbols (offices, etc.)
 Career / task – corporate ladder / challenge
 Ego – invitation to participate
 Group – benefits, enhancements, advancements, worth
 CREDIBILITY:
 Shared-value – common ground
 Goodwill – reciprocity / bargaining
 Rank – threats / punishments (extreme cases)
 MESSAGE STRUCTURE:
 Opening – emphasize benefits / state the issue / arouse interest / relate
 Body – inoculation / foot in the door / door in the face / two-sided
 Ending – easy call to action (questionnaire / checklist)