Strategic Organizational Communication: Client-centered Consulting Experience

Abstract

The article describes the experience of strategic communications consulting of first persons in a large and medium-sized commercial companies. The general consulting approach and specific authorial methods were described. Such methods help to guide the client’s attention through the key elements of the effective strategic communication. The principles and methods of managing externaland internal organizational communication were analyzed on the business case. Real practical tools, communicative matrices were presented. Specific part of the article were devoted to the description of preparation steps to effective strategic negotiations. The preparation stage for negotiations consists: collection and analysis of the necessary preliminary information on the negotiaton partner (status, biography, goals, interests, social circle, habits, personal characteristics), the scenario for the meeting (place, position, genre, proposals, expectations, the course of communication). The structure of the negotiations with the client were proposed: the expected results, the actual results, the reason for the inconsistency, possible lessons, a scaled adjustment. Thus, the advisory work on the maintenance of strategic communications always involves at least four stages: 1) collecting and analyzing information about the partner; 2) development of a communication plan with him; 3) preparation for specific negotiations; 4) an analysis of the progress and outcome of these negotiations. Typically, this sequence of steps is repeated as many times as necessary to achieve the desired result. The author argues that there is two levels of professional competence of the consultant: working with content of negotiations and working with the values, feelings and personal conditions.