Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to return as a guest speaker for the May session of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program at the University of Minnesota to talk about the importance of strategic communications in any organization.
While the importance of advertising has been highlighted through the decades, with ads about “diamonds being a girl’s best friend” or “the taste of coke” changing generations of perspectives and viewpoints on what is seen as superior or cheap, the greater importance of a strategic communications plan, the theories, and tools to create one have grown as we see the implications of more crises affecting organizations, the globalization and monopolization of companies and industries, and the effects of citizen-led boycotts or trends as a result of media consumption and engagement.
Despite the growing need for full communications plans that are integrated throughout an organization, it’s usually viewed as a backburner skill set for many – until they actually need it. As part of my presentation, I walked fellows through the various concepts and theories that make up strategic communications and explained how and why people receive messages. The idea behind the theories is that in understanding how media is consumed, how messages are shared, how they work with one another to change opinions and ideas, we can craft messages, ideas, concepts, and campaigns that best reflect the mission of an organization and will be best received by the target audience.
In presenting at conferences and programs like the Humphrey Fellowship program, K2 has the unique opportunity to demonstrate the importance of strategic communications in the inner working of any organization or campaign, impart some ideas on how to sell and implement the strategies shared with them during the presentation, and be a resource for these fellows and their organizations should they need it.
As you look to level up your strategy as an organization – whether it’s a new campaign, grassroots organizing, crisis management, or day-to-day strategy to rise above the competition, be sure to reach out and find out how the K2 way can help you find success.
-Preya Samsundar, Communications Director