CCMC Task6 - What does a communication plan involve?

CCMC: Task 6

"What does a communication plan involve?"

Find answers to:
LO1: What are the different communication plan models?
LO2: How to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of your communication plan?
LO3: How are trends reflected in a communication plan? (examples)

Keywords: communication plan, communication models, insights, trends, effective communication, weak signals



1. "What are the different communication plan models?"

http://www.virtualconsultingsolutions.com/CommunicationStrategy.JPG

Content:

Process Group:
1.) Initiating = Identify Stakeholders
2.) Planning = Plan Communications
3.) Exekution = Distribute Information + Manage Stakeholders Expectations
4.) Monitoring and Controlling = Report Performance
5.) Closing

(2 to 4 = implementation)


There are different types of communication:
personal communication , internal organizational media, news media and advertising media.
Organizational media consists of:
- Personal channels (speeches and interviews)
- Organizational media (occasional publications, e.g. fliers, brochures, newsletters, internet publications)

Every communication media has benefits and costs, therefore it may be necessary to use different media and tactics and combine them in a useful way to reach and catch the attention of the target audience. some of the main reasons for effective communication are to build up an maintain a good relationship between the company and its main key publics which should be turned into positive feelings, increased sales or other goals.

(Media Writing, page 319-320)

Some useful hints for successful communication (example broadcast):
- Readability: no hard-to-pronounce-words, avoid words ending in 's', 'th' or 'ing' (hard to pronounce, disrupt rhythm of sentences), also avoid sentences that start with similar sound.
-Simplicity and Economy: messages don't have to be long, keep it simple, otherwise they are difficult to follow, avoid tongue-twising, avoid repeating - could be annoying

(Media Writing, page 258-266)


According to Cornelissen, there are 
four different practitioner roles in communication:

1. The Communication Technician Role: specialized skills needed to carry out communication programmes, preparing and producing communcation materials
2. The Expert Prescriber Role: operates as the authority o both communication problems and solutions, management has passive role - leaves communication in experts hands
3. The Communication Faciliatator Role: practitioner = information broker, serves as liasison, interpreter and mediator between organization and stakeholders
4. The Problem-Solving Process Facilitator Role: colloboration with other managers to define and solve communication- and stakeholder problems, works closely together with management, active part in decision-making

Furthermore, there are the Communication Technician (practitioner) and the Communication Manager (decision-maker).


Content of communication strategy - different types of Messages:

1. Rational message style: distinctive advantage in capabilities, size or resources
2. Symbolic association message style: based on promoting physical and functional advantages in comparison to competitors --> psychosocial differentiation
3.  Emotional message style: = symbolically oriented communication, reaching audience through emotions
4. Generic message style: when making a claim that could be made by competing companies
5. Preemtpive message style: industry-wide orientation, with a suggestion of superiority - prevents competitor from saying the same things


Planning communication programmes and campaigns:

1. Strategic intent
2. Define communication objectives
3. Identify and prioritize target audience
4. Identify themed messages
5. Develop message styles
6. Develop a media strategy
7. Prepare the budget

Communication professionals of a company have to work (interact and coordinate work) together to create consistent programmes.

(Broom in Corporate Communication, Cornelissen. page 156-157, 102-118)



2. "How to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of your communication plan?"

Successful communication is measured on the people who interact (not necessarily).
Reasons for not reaching the goal can arise from miscommunicating, especially if the target group come from different countries/cultures. (Intercultural) communication, e.g. is successful, when new knowledge can be created an new solutions to existing problems can be offered, (but from another culture than from the own.)

 Successful communication:

Use imagination and figurative language - metaphors, symbols and slogans

Storytelling, mini-stories (= critical incidents)

Conflicts can help us understanding, how others do think, so it can lead to positive change.

(Networking Cultural Knowledge. Gore, Kevin, page 172-175)



 Interact - EU

http://admin.interact-eu.net/downloads/3087/Presentation_Evaluation_and_communication_INTERACT.pdf


Question: providing right communication means and products of communication to the right people through the right channel to the right moment??

If "yes" --> message has an impact

Typical mistakes:
- unrealistic objectives
- wrong timing
- wrong target audience
- wrong tools
- unclear message


Impact:
- difficult to measure
- short-lived, sometimes impact much later than expected

(http://admin.interact-eu.net/downloads/3087/Presentation_Evaluation_and_communication_INTERACT.pdf)

Evaluate Your Communications Efforts

Be prepared to evaluate the communications plan to determine whether it meets the objectives.
When evaluating the communications plan for the evaluation results, there are a few things that should be examined to assess its merit. Experts suggest that communication should be:

• Minimalist (as short and succinct as possible to achieve the goals)
• Automated if possible (easier to monitor and share)
• Local (meet the needs of campus administrators, funders, local media, etc.)

Evaluating the communications plan provides the opportunity to adjust the communications goals and campaign strategy in the following ways:

• Formally or informally, ask audience members, stakeholders, and funders or potential funders for their reactions and suggestions for improvement
• Improve the communications processes where needed based on the feedback and constructive suggestions

Evaluating the communications plan also provides the opportunity to monitor the communications goals and campaign strategy in the following ways:

• Track any completed communications events, presentations, or reports
• Track any solicited and/or unsolicited feedback coming from audiences or stakeholders
• Track the development of interest in the evaluation from potentially new audiences or stakeholders that were not previously considered

(http://toolkit.pellinstitute.org/evaluation-guide/communicate-improve/evaluate-your-communication-efforts/)

(Corporate communication, page 223-224)




3. "How are trends reflected in a communication plan?" (examples)

Trends: digitalization, deregulation, consilidation, globalization

10 Global Communication Trends in 2014

As I travel around the Burson-Marsteller network, the subject I get asked to talk about most is the future of communication.

As I see it, the major trends in communication are finely balanced between the emotional: periods of crisis, loss of trust, the desire for personalised communication, the drive towards greater transparency, and the rational: purposeful, strategic counsel with tangible, evidence-based outcomes. These are the ten top trends for 2014:

1. Shift to Mobile and Beyond #mobile
   The biggest trend with the greatest immediate impact on communication is the shift to mobile. Global mobile traffic currently represents 17.4% of all internet traffic and is rapidly increasing. Mobile internet use is expected to surpass traditional desktop internet use in 2014. Mobile has become so deeply embedded in our lives by offering convenience through immediacy, simplicity and context. Through mobile – and soon wearable – technology each of us can receive individualised content which also points to another major trend, that of personalisation.
2. Personalisation or the "Youniverse" #personalisation
   This idea of creating your own "Youniverse" is a perfect example of tapping into our emotional desire to be seen as unique personalities. Public relations professionals must assist companies in learning how to move from more traditional tactics in favour of smarter approaches that extend their personalisation capabilities beyond the PC. The ability to deliver relevant communication across multiple channels will transform these marketing efforts from an unwanted intrusion into a valued service.
3. Social Media Impact on Communication #socmedimpact
   Public relations professionals need to keep pace with this fast-evolving environment. The challenge is dealing every day with two huge data explosions: the expanding universe of ‘digital influencers’ and the massive volume of social media conversations and real-time mentions that concern your brand, industry and competition. Digital influencers have grown 30-fold in less than two years. A crucial difference with traditional media is the need for engagement. The sheer volume of mentions requires brands to prioritise: find out who matters, determine what they’re saying, how it sways others and how best to engage with them. Balancing the emotional (dialogue) with the rational (measurement of influence) is the key.
4. Brand Journalism #brandjournalism
   Social media broke the traditional media model in one fundamental way: media organizations are no longer gatekeepers of information & audiences. The very definition of "news" is changing, and this evolution creates the opportunity for PR & content marketing pros to create timely content that earns credibility, earns media and generates ongoing (and relevant) visibility for the brand. The key to finding and telling great stories in a way that will make your audience not only want to engage with them but share and even repurpose them is to commit to trying new things. Brand journalism isn’t content marketing, nor is it sponsored content. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It is meaningful, quality storytelling.
5. Crisis in the "Always On" Era #prcrisis
   Since the advent of "always on" social media, companies have to guard their reputations even more vigilantly. Viral videos can wreak havoc on brands. Legal responses like attempting to pull videos from YouTube only inflame the situation. Speed is of the essence and ultimately the only answer at times like this is timely, honest and transparent communication. This leads us to another key trend: hyper-transparent communication.
6. Transparency is King #transparency
   In our hyper-connected world, the trend is increasingly towards hyper-transparent communication. Consumers and other stakeholders have many more channels at their disposal for exposing and discrediting companies for any lack of honesty. As difficult a concept as that is for many, transparency is the only answer and any failures in this area are punished with alarming speed and efficiency. Brands that embrace this hyper-honesty trend will reap the benefits in consumer trust.
7. Evidence-Based #evidence
   A major trend in public relations is that of measurement from the outset and throughout a campaign to measure impact and effectiveness. Burson-Marsteller has developed an evidence based approach to communication with the use of research among target audiences to test messages and measure results. Digital campaigns are particularly easy to track as many social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have their own analytics which make it possible to demonstrate the reach of these campaigns by the number of views, shares, retweets, likes, etc. But it’s pushing beyond simple measurement into actionable insight that will be the game- changer for communications.
8. Image is All #image
   Studies have shown that people remember only 20% of what they read (are you still with me?) and that 83% of learning occurs visually. The massive popularity of visual social networks like Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr, demonstrates the emotional power of images to tell stories in a way that is proven to be far more memorable than mere words. In the same way, viral videos tell more powerful stories and allow greater engagement with consumers. The rise of infographics also shows the capacity of visuals to break large chunks of data into digestible portions. The bottom line is, we all have ever shorter attention spans and compelling images and visualisations are the key to making your story stand out from the crowd.
9. Power of Communicating Purpose #purpose
   The world has fundamentally changed. Globalisation, democratisation of information, the rise of social media and the global financial crisis have forced corporate leaders to reassess the strategic path for their brands and organisations. They do so at a time when the central objectives of communication, reputation and trust, have shifted shape, perhaps irrevocably. In today’s hostile business environment, there is more need than ever for companies to explain why they are here, the rationale and the context. Our 2013 Power of Purpose study builds on those we carried out in 2008, 2010 and 2011 but with a new focus on how Corporate Purpose impacts on challenges which are increasingly relevant for companies in today’s business environment: the need for transparency, managing successful organisational change and reputation recovery after a crisis.
10. Integrated Communication #integration
    The digital age has heralded a polar – and some might argue generational – shift in the way that the communications industries of PR, marketing, and advertising operate. It is increasingly evident that the future lies in full integration of all the communication disciplines. Previous (above and below) lines of demarcation are slowly but surely being dissolved. Driven by the fast pace of technological innovations, we can expect the industry evolution towards integrated communication to gather pace.

As trends should be followed as soon as possible, it is important to listen carefully to customers. A good customer service is inevitable for improving products or services. Research is also an important tool when talking about trends. Never stop improving your product/service and adopting customers needs and wants.

SOURCES:


URL: http://www.virtualconsultingsolutions.com/CommunicationStrategy.JPG

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7DwYHKM5eA

Whitaker, Richard W. and Ramsey, Janet E. and Smith, Ronald D.. Media Writing. Print, Broadcast, and Public Relations. New York, 2009, third edition, page 258-266, 319-320.

Gore, Kevin. Networking Cultural Knowledge. An interactive and eperiential strategy to apply intercultural communication in business, Porvoo, 2007, page 172-175

URL: http://admin.interact-eu.net/downloads/3087/Presentation_Evaluation_and_communication_INTERACT.pdf

Cornelissen, Joep. Corporate Communication. A guide to theory and practice. London, 2009, page