Strategic Communications
Consulting and Training Opportunities Available

In government and non-profit organizations, developing and implementing effective messages and communications strategies has often been downplayed or totally overlooked. Yet, the strategic use of messages, public affairs, and communications tactics is vitally important for achieving most government and non-profit missions today.

The Performance Institute assists government programs and non-profit organizations in the development and implementation of strategic communications plans that directly contribute in measurable ways to the organizational mission and goals.

1. Strategic Communications Plans
The first step in harnessing the full potential of communications is to devise a strategic approach in linking the role of messages and outreach and achieving specific program goals. PI’s expertise is in aligning communications with specific and measurable organizational goals—through the development of a comprehensive strategic communications plan that contains the most potent messages and communications tactics to reach target audiences. These plans include:
• Outcome Goals: Linking communications to organizational goals
• Intermediate Outcome Strategies: Reflecting PI’s use of groundbreaking methodologies on public values, stages of public judgment, and communications styles
• Performance Measures: Tracking message delivery and resonance

2. Values-Based Message Development
For years, savvy PR firms have used “values” in developing messages that resonate with target audiences for the private sector. Values are the underlying hopes, aspirations, emotions, and assumptions made by your audience on a particular issue. The Institute helps to analyze the values of your target audiences and develop values-based messages that will resonate. This process takes into account the “Seven Stages of Coming to Public Judgment” that are critical to understand and to incorporate into government and non-profit
communications.

3. Internal Communications Planning
Communications professionals are often called upon to participate in organizational change management processes. The development of a communications process for conveying information to agency employees is as important as a process promoting communications with external stakeholders. PI will assist with the development of a process to ensure effective internal communications promoting employee morale and enhancing organizational performance.

4. Message Delivery and Implementation
Messages have to be targeted at the right audiences using cost-effective vehicles. This requires the use of a broad array of intermediaries—well in addition to the general media. PI’s expertise in message management assists government and non-profit agencies with the selection and implementation of the most potent communications tactics designed to produce the greatest impact among target audiences.

5. Grassroots/Coalition Strategies
Government and non-profit agencies are challenged to reach constituents and targeted groups with diverse values and communications styles. Moreover, cultivating and maintaining support for agency programs requires time and resources. Communications plays a critical role in mobilizing support at the grassroots and coalition levels. PI can assist in the development of strategies for the effective management of grassroots programs and maintenance of coalitions.

6. Stakeholder Dialogue Facilitation
The consideration of multiple perspectives of a government or non-profit program is critical to the development of effective communications. PI will facilitate stakeholder dialogue sessions bringing together internal and external stakeholders to ensure the integration of multiple perspectives in the organization’s strategic communications plan.

7. Crisis Communications
At times, government agencies and non-profits are called upon to address difficult issues and respond to crises. As such, they need to have on hand a crisis communications plan to address the issues and concerns of agency employees and the American public. PI can assist with the development of a plan integrating targeted messages for responding to crises and allaying public concern.

8. Communications Performance Measurement and Evaluation
Recognizing the need to evaluate the effectiveness of communications initiatives to make informed resource allocation decisions, PI will ensure the development of a system for measuring the performance of both internal and external strategic communications initiatives. Using a Logic Model methodology, PI integrates performance measures to keep the communications initiative on track, on time, and on budget.