4 ways to help your team move from tactical to strategic communications

Given the digital, always-on nature of work, communications professionals are moving at an insanely fast clip these days. The need to respond to colleagues’ requests requires tactical action, and that means we risk losing strategic foresight.

But fret not: it is possible to regain control of the communications function, even as the volume of work seems to grow. To learn how, we talked with Julie Baron, principal of Communication Works and Ragan Consulting Group affiliate consultant specializing in change and strategic communications.

1. Understand the organization’s business goals.

It is critical to understand the company’s mission and to have direct access to business and strategic growth plans – whether you’re at a PR firm or on the corporate side with internal clients.

Is the company entering a new market, launching a new product, or aiming to hire more diverse talent? It might be all three at once. Whatever the corporate priorities might be, comms pros need to understand them to ensure their ideas and activities ladder up to the broader initiatives.