It’s a phrase I’ve heard throughout my career, but I’m not always sure people share a consistent understanding of what it means.
There’s a scene in Bridget Jones’s Diary where Daniel Cleaver dismissively refers to Bridget’s job as essentially “fannying about with press releases”. It’s a line that often comes to mind when I think about how some people still view communications.
It’s a throwaway comment in the film, but it reflects a perception that still surfaces surprisingly often. That communications is mainly about producing outputs such as press releases, social posts or campaign materials once decisions have already been made.
Sometimes the phrase is used to describe a large campaign or a complex piece of work. In other cases it simply refers to communications happening at a senior level, or it gets used interchangeably with marketing or content creation. But strategic communications isn’t simply a buzzword.
Strategy starts earlier
In many organisations, communications still arrives relatively late in the process, once decisions have already been made and the message needs to be sent out quickly. At that point the focus usually shifts to channels, wording and timing.
All of those things matter, of course, but when communications only enters the conversation at the end, it is mostly reactive. We are shaping how something is explained rather than helping shape the direction itself. Truly strategic communications needs to happen earlier.
Strategic communications starts by asking different questions
Who are we trying to influence?
What do they care about?
What do we want them to think, feel or do differently as a result of this work?
Those questions are often where communications adds the most value.
Across the charity, education and not-for-profit sectors in particular, organisations are often dealing with complex issues and multiple stakeholders. Communications plays a key role in helping make sense of that complexity and connecting strategy with the people the organisation ultimately serves.
Strategy is about alignment
Strategy is ultimately about alignment. It is about connecting communications with an organisation’s operational strategy and long-term priorities. In practice this might mean aligning communications activity with a five-year plan, supporting organisational priorities across different directorates, or helping ensure that what an organisation says publicly reflects what it is actually trying to achieve.
When communications is treated as a strategic function, it becomes part of the thinking that shapes decisions. It helps organisations consider how their work will be understood, where potential risks might sit, and how trust and credibility can be built over time. It also shifts the focus away from outputs alone.
Producing content, managing channels and delivering campaigns are all important parts of the job, but strategic communications is less about doing more activity and more about ensuring communications activity is aligned with the organisation’s wider goals.
In practice this might mean communications being involved earlier in programme or project planning, helping shape how initiatives will be understood by different audiences, or advising on potential reputational risks before decisions are finalised. Sometimes it simply means stepping back and asking whether a proposed campaign genuinely supports the organisation’s wider priorities.
That doesn’t mean communications professionals always need to be in the spotlight or leading every conversation. Often it simply means being involved early enough to ask the right questions and offer useful perspective.
Truly strategic communications isn’t just about the messages organisations send. It’s about helping ensure communications is aligned with what an organisation is actually trying to achieve. And when that alignment is in place, communications becomes far more than activity or outputs.
It becomes part of the thinking that shapes decisions, strengthens trust and ultimately helps organisations deliver their mission more effectively.