Effective Communication Starts With Knowing What Needs To Be Communicated and Why
Before deciding what to write, publish, announce, promote, or pitch, I start with the larger communications problem. What are you trying to accomplish? Who do you need to reach? What do they need to know, understand, or believe? What do they know already? And what is the most effective way to communicate it?
That’s where strategic communications begins.
I help organizations answer those questions and turn those answers into clear communications strategies, messages, and actions. Depending on the assignment, that may mean providing senior counsel, developing the strategy, shaping the messaging and positioning, recommending what should be done, or helping execute the work.
The objective is not communication for its own sake. The objective is communication designed to accomplish business goals.
Strategy Comes Before Execution
The right communications strategy determines the right communications tactic.
It’s all too easy to start with the deliverable. We need a press release. A thought-leadership program. A new message. A blog.
The first question should never be what to produce. Instead, the first question should always be what you’re trying to accomplish.
That answer determines everything that follows — which audiences matter, what they need to hear, what you want them to understand or believe, what messages are most likely to resonate, which communications channels make sense, and what should actually be done.
Sometimes the answer is obvious, but often it isn’t. The communications challenge may turn out to be something different from the one you started with, the audience may need to hear something different from what you originally thought they would, or the tactic you had in mind may not be the best way to accomplish your objective.
That’s why strategy comes before execution. The better the thinking is at the beginning, the more effective the communications will be that follow from it.
How I Help
Different communications challenges require different kinds of counsel and support.
I help organizations determine what needs to be communicated, who needs to hear it, and the most effective way to accomplish the objective. Depending on the assignment, I can develop the strategy, shape the messages, advise senior decision-makers, recommend what should be done, or help execute the work.
01
Communications Strategy
I develop communications strategies that align an organization’s business objectives with its target audiences and determine the messages, channels, and actions most likely to succeed.
02
Messaging & Positioning
Effective messaging and positioning begin with determining what an organization needs to say, how it should say it, and how to communicate its value clearly and credibly to the audiences who matter.
03
Thought Leadership Strategy
Strong thought leadership begins with identifying the ideas, expertise, and points of view worth developing and turning them into focused programs that support business and communications goals.
05
Content Strategy
A sound content strategy establishes what content should be created, who it is for, what purpose it should serve, how it should be used, when it should be published, and how the individual pieces should work together.
07
Corporate & Brand Communications
Clear, consistent corporate and brand communications explain who an organization is, what it does, what it stands for, and what its audiences need to know and understand.
04
AI & Editorial Strategy
An effective AI and editorial strategy determines how AI should fit into an organization’s communications objectives while preserving human judgment, editorial standards, accuracy, and credibility.
06
I provide strategic public relations counsel to help organizations determine the right communications approach to most effectively reach their important audiences and build their brands.
08
Agencies can draw on my senior strategic counsel, communications expertise, writing, and editorial judgment when additional leadership or specialized capability is needed.
How I Approach Strategic Communications
Strategic communications works best as a collaborative process between client and consultant.
The client brings knowledge of the organization, business priorities, stakeholders, and circumstances. I bring an experienced communications perspective, conduct the research and analysis independently, and develop findings and recommendations for the client to consider.
The process begins with a conversation. I ask questions, listen to how the client sees the situation, discuss what has already been considered or attempted, explore the available options, and identify practical or organizational constraints that need to be taken into account.
After that initial discussion, I work independently. Depending on the assignment, I may conduct research, review relevant information and existing communications, interview key stakeholders, examine how different audiences may view the situation, and consider the implications of the available options.
I then present my recommendations to the client. I explain what I have found and the thinking behind my recommendations, discuss their implications, and listen to the client’s perspective.
Based on that discussion, I refine the strategy and present final recommendations for the client’s approval. The approved strategy then provides a clear basis for the communications decisions and actions that follow.
Experience & Proof
Strategic counsel grounded in communications leadership and experience.
I’ve spent more than four decades working across journalism, writing, editorial leadership, public relations, strategic communications, and marketing.
I was a senior vice president in the consumer and technology practices at Edelman, where I advised global clients and startups and also served as the first Head of Edelman Editorial. I was also a senior vice president in the technology practice at Ruder Finn and later founded my own public relations agency.
Across those roles, my work has included communications strategy, messaging, public relations, thought leadership, content strategy, corporate communications, writing, and editorial counsel.
That combination of major agency leadership and independent counsel to organizations and creative agencies has given me firsthand experience with both the strategic and practical sides of communications.
It has taught me to look at communications from four distinct perspectives: the organization trying to accomplish an objective; the audiences it needs to reach; the people responsible for developing and approving the work; and the writers and communications professionals who ultimately have to execute it.
I understand the value of sound counsel, but I also understand that my recommendations must be clear, realistic, and capable of being carried through execution.
“Randy is smart, savvy, on top of his game at all times. An asset to any strategic growth plan.”
— Lori Zelenko, Founder, LSZ Communications
“Randy’s the consummate professional who takes the time to see projects through to their successful completion.”
— Bob Zeitlinger, CEO, B2Z Communications
Related Insight
Brand Authority Fades in AI — Here’s What Resilient Brands Do
When content becomes easier to produce, authority depends less on volume and more on what an organization has to say, how clearly it communicates, and whether audiences have reason to trust it.
Let’s Talk
Facing a communications challenge that requires experienced strategic counsel?
Whether you need a communications strategy, clearer messaging, or senior guidance on the right way forward, let’s talk about what you are trying to accomplish and what it will take to achieve it.