Strategic Communication & Planning Flashcards

A city government wants to communicate a new zoning policy to diverse community members. Which approach best ensures inclusive strategic communication?

Answer: Translate materials into multiple languages and use culturally appropriate visuals

Translating materials and using culturally appropriate visuals ensures equitable access to information for all community members regardless of language or background.

When setting SMART communication objectives, what does the 'R' stand for and why is it important?

Answer: Relevant — objectives must align with overall organizational goals

Relevant objectives ensure that communication efforts directly support the organization's broader mission, preventing wasted resources on misaligned activities.

Which stakeholder mapping dimension helps determine how much communication effort to invest in a particular group?

Answer: Level of interest and level of power/influence

Mapping stakeholders by interest and influence helps communicators prioritize engagement strategies, investing more in high-power, high-interest groups.

A nonprofit's communication strategy fails to account for limited digital access among its target population. This oversight represents a failure in which planning phase?

Answer: Audience analysis and channel selection

Thorough audience analysis should identify barriers like limited digital access, prompting selection of channels that actually reach the population.

What distinguishes a communication strategy from a communication tactic?

Answer: A strategy defines the overall approach; a tactic is a specific action to implement it

Strategy sets the overarching direction and rationale, while tactics are the concrete, specific actions taken to execute that strategy.

In agenda-setting theory, what role does strategic communication play?

Answer: It influences which issues receive public attention by emphasizing certain topics

Agenda-setting theory holds that by emphasizing certain topics in their communications, organizations can influence what the public and media consider important.

A communicator needs to build long-term trust with a skeptical community. Which strategic approach is most effective over time?

Answer: Consistent, transparent, two-way communication over an extended period

Trust is built through sustained, transparent dialogue that demonstrates reliability and responsiveness to community concerns over time.