In academia, a practicum is a course of advanced study to bridge between theory and practice. That is exactly what the Practicum Methodology is designed to do.

Throughout a career as a professional communicator, I noticed a pattern: success—real success—was always rooted in strategy. Across campaigns and projects, whenever audiences, purpose, and outcomes were clear and aligned, they worked in concert. The result? PR projects thrived, and everyone benefited.

Now and then, luck would intervene. A single story might outperform expectations, briefly making waves. But too often, these moments had no connection to broader business goals. The publicity spike faded fast. Why? Because it stood alone, isolated from any larger strategic vision.

I wanted to fix this. My solution? Launching a micro-agency devoted to strategic communications.

Best Strategies

The best strategy is a working, living, breathing process that drives communications that matter, rather than a document that sits unread on a shelf. Great strategies are dynamic and can iterate new versions to compensate for changes to the audience or news environment. They also provide avenues for creative approaches, unique perspectives and new possibilities that can distinguish brands and organizations from competitors or antagonists.

Strategies that serve goals deliver real-world results. A strong strategy enhances revenue, brand positioning, and stakeholder engagement, producing measurable returns. Even nonprofits benefit from outcome-driven approaches in education and humanitarian work. 

Organizations with positive public perception enjoy higher retention rates, reduced crisis management costs, and stronger competitive positioning, which lead to long-term financial stability. That is equally true for private-sector, public-sector and non-profit organizations. 

Example: A communications strategy could be “positioning our brand as a sustainability leader,” with tactics such as promoting the launch of a recycling program. Success would be signaled by positive media coverage, expanded social media engagement, and, importantly, by increased participation in recycling by the target audience. 

Media coverage alone—that doesn’t spur actual activity—can’t help achieve institutional goals. The link may not be direct, but the lack of any effect is a telling sign that the message was not persuasive.

What’s Not Strategy

An assembly of random tactics, a continual stream of unrelated messages, and impulse-driven communications are not strategy. You can spot “non-strategy” easily. Is the work always rushed? Always reactive? Is there confusion of purpose? Conflicting notions about priorities and mission? Is the work no more than a scattered collection of tactical elements—random actions without a unifying direction. That’s non-strategy.

When strategy has gaps, failure follows. It’s that simple.

Why? Return on Investment

Get more value from your communications.

A strong brand and reputation directly affect organizational valuation, influencing everything from investor confidence to grant-makers, to customer acquisition and loyalty. A strong strategy enhances revenue, brand positioning, and stakeholder engagement, producing measurable returns. Even nonprofits benefit from outcome-driven approaches in education and humanitarian work.

To be clear, promises of great PR results aren’t real. Such guarantees are hollow, because of the many factors beyond our direct control, such as weather, politics or emergent technologies. But without a communications strategy, organizations can be adrift without any means to manage direction, unable to reach their goals. 

Strategy isn’t just about external perception and ROI isn’t just about dollars. 

Focus: Audience. Purpose. Outcomes.

The Practicum methodology rests on three pillars. It’s about the alignment of who you really need to reach, why you need to reach them, and what you seek as an outcome. If those elements are not aligned, how can you expect to achieve your goals?

Outcomes are actions that audiences or stakeholders take prompted by purposeful communications with the right message, delivered to the right audience, in the right format, at the right time.