Exercise: What is Strategic Communication?

We modify and adjust aspects of our communication in order to be understood or achieve outcomes. That’s happening all the time- whether we plan those modifications or not. To become purposeful or strategic in how you communicate or present, you can begin by observing how you modify your body, vocal tone, positioning, gesture, and when you communicate in different situations or with different people.

You can also observe how you move in space as you connect with people, when and where you choose to avoid interaction, influence an outcome, or to draw attention to yourself. 

There are an infinite number of combinations of fundamental skills. No one combination is correct, incorrect, preferred, or prohibited. You’re going to build a pattern that fits your body, your personality, and your objectives that won’t look exactly like the patterns employed by someone else.

But to begin with, we are going to try on some generic patterns to get a feel for what works. This is about developing an awareness of your current communication patterns by comparing them against a baseline and by describing them with a purpose-designed vocabulary.

Reflect upon the various types of interactions you encounter in your day,  the circumstances that contribute to those interactions, and the outcomes you envision for them. 

Under what circumstances would you seek to communicate differently? What kind of outside influences cause you to change the communicative choices you make in response? Are you adaptive? Or reactive?