1. Communication Strategy
Chapter Two: Communication and Strategy
J.S. O’Rourke, University of Notre Dame / USA

2. Communication Strategy
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
Communication Strategy
Always involves five basic considerations
Communicator: who should send this message?
Audience: who should receive this message?
Message: what should we say?
Channel Choice: how should we send this message?
Cultural Context: what cultural factors will affect this attempt at communication?
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Business Communication
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3. Communication Strategy
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
Communication Strategy
As you formulate communication strategy, you should also consider:
Your communication objectives. What do you want from this interaction?
Your communication style. How will you approach your subject and your audience?
Your credibility. What does your audience think of you, and how will that affect their response?
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Business Communication
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4. Communication Objectives
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
Communication Objectives
Defining your objectives will make you more efficient and effective as a communicator.
General Objective: “Improve corporate cash flow.”
Action Objective: “Reduce accounts receivable aging to 30 days or less.”
Communication Objective: “As a direct result of this letter/phone call/personal contact, this client will be motivated to pay the account.”
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Business Communication
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5. Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame Management Development Program
Communication Style
Your choice of communication style will depend on two key factors:
Audience Involvement: Will this audience be more passive or more active as we communicate?
Content Control: How much control will we need over the content of this communication.
Four choices emerge for you to select from:
 Tell  Sell
 Consult  Join
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Business Communication
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6. Choosing an Appropriate Style
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
Choosing an Appropriate Style
Low
Content
Control
High
Low High
Audience Involvement
Business Communication
Page 6

7. Choosing an Appropriate Style
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
Choosing an Appropriate Style
Low
Content
Control
High
Low High
Audience Involvement
Business Communication
Page 7

8. Choosing an Appropriate Style
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
Choosing an Appropriate Style
Low
Content
Control
High
Low High
Audience Involvement
Business Communication
Page 8

9. Choosing an Appropriate Style
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
Choosing an Appropriate Style
Low
Content
Control
High
Low High
Audience Involvement
Business Communication
Page 9

10. Choosing an Appropriate Style
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
Choosing an Appropriate Style
Low
Content
Control
High
Tell
Low High
Audience Involvement
Business Communication
Page 10

11. Choosing an Appropriate Style
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
Choosing an Appropriate Style
Low
Content
Control
High
Sell
Tell
Low High
Audience Involvement
Business Communication
Page 11

12. Choosing an Appropriate Style
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
Choosing an Appropriate Style
Low
Content
Control
High
Consult
Sell
Tell
Low High
Audience Involvement
Business Communication
Page 12

13. Choosing an Appropriate Style
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
Choosing an Appropriate Style
Low
Content
Control
High
Join
Consult
Sell
Tell
Low High
Audience Involvement
Business Communication
Page 13

14. Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame Management Development Program
The Tell / Sell Styles
Feature lower audience involvement and higher content control.
Use the tell style to inform and the sell style to persuade.
In these situations:
you have already sufficient information,
you don’t need to hear other’s opinions or ideas,
you need or want to control message content yourself.
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Business Communication
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15. The Consult / Join Styles
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
The Consult / Join Styles
Feature higher audience involvement and lower content control
Use the consult style to gather information or learn from the audience. Use the join style to collaborate with members of the audience.
In these situations:
you do not have sufficient information,
you need to hear other’s opinions, ideas, or input,
you want to involve your audience in content.
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Business Communication
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16. Communication Credibility
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
Communication Credibility
Five factors will generally affect your credibility:
Rank
Goodwill
Expertise
Image
Shared Values
Begin by emphasizing your initial credibility and work to increase your acquired credibility with the audience.
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Business Communication
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17. Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame Management Development Program
Audience Strategy
Involves answering four sets of questions:
Who are they?
What do they know?
What do they feel?
How can you motivate them?
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Business Communication
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18. Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame Management Development Program
Who Are They?
Primary Audience: who will receive your written or spoken message directly?
Secondary Audience: consider any hidden audiences who will receive your message indirectly.
Gatekeepers: Is there someone you need to route your message through who might filter or block it?
Opinion Leaders: Who has significant influence over members of the audience?
Key Decision-Makers: Who has power to influence the outcome of the communication?
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Business Communication
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19. Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame Management Development Program
What Do They Know?
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
How much background information do they need?
How much new information do they need?
What are their expectations and preferences?
Style Preferences (formal or informal, direct or indirect)?
Channel Preferences (paper, , face-to-face, group or individual)?
Length and Format Preferences (how should this message appear to your audience)?
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Business Communication
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20. Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame Management Development Program
How Do They Feel?
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
What’s their level of interest in your message?
What’s their probable bias: positive, negative, or neutral?
How difficult is your desired outcome for them? Will this be relatively easy for them to buy into, or somewhat difficult?
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Business Communication
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21. How Can You Motivate Them?
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
How Can You Motivate Them?
Shared Values and Common Ground: Begin with views and values you hold in common, then move to areas where disagreement is more likely.
Goodwill and Reciprocity: This is a form of bargaining. You gain a concession by granting a favor.
Rank and Reward/Punishment: Though inappropriate for most audiences, the removal of privileges or threats to do so may motivate the response you want.
Message Structure: Arrangement of your message may help through inoculation techniques, segmented actions (“foot in the door”), or two-sided arguments.
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Business Communication
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22. Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame Management Development Program
Message Strategy
Consider emphasis and organization.
Using the direct approach.
“The committee recommends this policy for three reasons: it will be cheaper, faster, and longer lasting.”
Using the indirect approach.
“Because it will be cheaper, faster, and longer lasting, the committee recommends this policy.”
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Business Communication
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23. Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame Management Development Program
The Direct Approach
Advantages of the direct approach:
Improves comprehension.
It’s audience-centered.
It saves time.
Why don’t more people use the direct approach?
Habit
Suspense
Academic Training
Effort Involved
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Business Communication
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24. Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame Management Development Program
The Direct Approach
When should you consider using a direct communication approach to your audience?
All non-sensitive messages with no emotional overtones.
Sensitive messages if the audience’s bias is positive.
Sensitive messages if the audience is results-oriented.
Sensitive messages if your credibility is particularly high.
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Business Communication
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25. Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame Management Development Program
The Indirect Approach
When should you consider using an indirect communication approach to your audience?
Because this approach takes longer and does not take advantage of an audience’s initial attentiveness at the beginning of a message, use it only when:
Sensitive message with emotional overtones and
Your audience’s bias is negative and
Your audience is analysis-oriented and
Your credibility is low.
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Business Communication
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26. Channel Choice Strategy
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
Channel Choice Strategy
Writing or Speaking?
Writing produces a permanent record, can be used to convey great detail, is often much more precise, and can be used for careful wording.
Speaking produces a richer context, including non-verbal cues, less rigidity, less permanence, no permanent record, and may be quicker.
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Business Communication
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27. Channel Choice Strategy
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
Channel Choice Strategy
Formal or Informal?
Formal channels may be needed for legal negotiations, tend to be precise, controlled, logical, focused, organized, conclusive, decisive, and action-oriented.
Informal channels may be better when you need to gather new ideas; tend to be fast, interactive, uninhibited, innovative, creative, open, candid, communal, and flexible.
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Business Communication
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28. Channel Choice Strategy
Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame
Management Development Program
Channel Choice Strategy
Individual or Group?
Individual channels help build individual relationships, gain individual responses, may be more secure or private. Example: telephone, voice mail, personal memos, letters, fax, or .
Group channels help build group relationships or identity, gain group responses (including consensus), avoid excluding people, make sure all audience members receive the message at the same time. Example: group meetings, electronic bulletin boards, news groups, videoconferences, conference calls, memos, fax, or .
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Business Communication
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29. Bayer Corporation/Notre Dame Management Development Program
Cultural Strategy
Not all cultures react to senders, messages, or channels in the same way. It’s best to consider your audience’s probable reaction from a cultural point of view.
Time
Power Distance
Communication Style
Non-verbal Mannerisms
Language
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Business Communication
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