Practicum Strategy

Strategy isn’t just for executives. It’s not just for the sales or marketing team, the PR department, or the boardroom. Strategy is everyone’s business.

Of course, not everyone in your organization will fully understand or even care about communication strategy. But they should. 

Every person plays a role in shaping how the organization is perceived. Whether in customer service, product development, HR, or sales, every employee is a messenger. If they can’t articulate at least two or three key elements about why and how your organization communicates, there’s a problem.

If your team doesn’t know why communication matters, how can they represent the organization effectively?

Why Strategy Isn’t Just for Communicators

Every Employee Shapes the Organization’s Reputation

The way employees communicate affects the brand every day. Some simple examples include:

• A customer service rep responding to an email builds or breaks trust.

• A salesperson explaining a product influences buying decisions.

• An HR manager communicating a policy impacts employee engagement.

When people don’t understand the bigger picture, communication becomes inconsistent. 

Mixed messages lead to confusion, misalignment, and lost opportunities. Employees don’t need to be communication experts, but they should understand the basics. Strategy gives communication purpose.

A Unified Message Strengthens Organizational Impact

Organizations with clear, strategic communication gain a competitive edge. They have:

• Consistency: When employees communicate with shared understanding, messaging is stronger.

• Trust: Aligned internal and external messaging increases credibility.

• Engagement:  Employees feel connected when they understand the organization’s purpose.

When employees don’t understand strategy, communication feels scattered. Leaders contradict each other. Teams say different things. The message gets lost. Strategy keeps everyone on the same page, ensuring that communication doesn’t just happen but happens with purpose.

If Your Own People Don’t Get It, Why Should Anyone Else?

Here’s an easy test. Ask some employees outside your sphere across different roles: “What are three things that our organization communicates to the world and why?”

If they struggle to answer, then the strategy isn’t reaching the people who need it most: your own team. The “why” is as important as the “what.” 

Some possible “whys” could include that your organizations communications to increase sales, educate investors, shape public perception and policy, or recruit the right people as new employees.

Every organization communicates for a reason. If employees can’t articulate those reasons, your audience likely won’t understand the purpose of your communications either. And if they don’t understand, how can audiences make the leap to actions that would benefit themselves and your organization? Isn’t that the outcome you really want?

Strategy Builds Cohesion

A strong communication strategy isn’t just a document, it’s a shared understanding. We help organizations align audiences, purpose, and outcomes to ensure strategy works across teams. Cohesion of purpose has powerful benefits, including but not limited to these:

• Clarify communication’s purpose so every employee understands why it matters.

• Align internal and external messaging so strategy isn’t just for leadership, it’s for everyone.

• Develop simple, memorable frameworks so employees at all levels can communicate the organization’s goals.

This isn’t about making every employee a PR expert. It’s about ensuring they understand why communication matters and how their role contributes to it.

Strategy Is for Everyone

Leadership should know it. Front-line employees should recognize it. The entire team should feel connected to it.  If strategy is trapped in the boardroom, it isn’t working. If employees don’t know what you stand for or why communication matters, the strategy isn’t working.

It’s time to make strategy a shared responsibility. Doesn’t your organization deserve a communication strategy that works, and that your people understand?

#strategy #communications #PR #publicrelations