I’m starting a summer school course, part of my Gonzaga master’s degree program. It’s focused on strategic corporate communications.

Since I lead one of the largest corporate communication teams in the Northwest, I’m probably qualified to share a few insights with my colleagues on what it means to be strategic. But, you know what? I’m ready to shut my mouth, and listen. Here’s why: They have TEXT BOOKS on this stuff. 

Now imagine my surprise to learn after years of hearing “strategic” and “integrated” and “plan” all thrown into the same sentences as carelessly as my son organizes his bedroom that people have written books on how to pull it all together.

Seriously, most of the people in this business, whether they wear “social media guru” as a shiny new lapel pin or they just stumbled out of the nearest closed up newsroom, are clueless about real strategy that is based on research, that has a clear objective, that has integrated strategies and tactics and that has a series of measurable results.

A few years ago I lectured on this for more than a hour at a WSDOT communications training session. Many of our staff did not know about communication plans, why we write them and what they do for us.

Hopefully this class will renew my focus on strategic corporate communications as learned practice. That’s why I’m going to sit down and close my mouth. I have a lot of learning a head of me.