The Saying and the Doing: When Communication is Strategic

Strategic communication involves more or less skillful attempts to advance organizational goals. Although such communication does not always have the effects planned or hoped for, its particular focus foregrounds the communicative intentions of senders. In this chapter, we discuss what strategic communication is and what it potentially does. In the first part of the chapter, we revisit two classical models of communication focused on controlling and transmitting messages. While these models have been rightfully criticized, they capture central dimensions of any strategic communication effort. Specifically, we show how Lasswell's classical formula can be expanded to encompass the complexity of senders, contexts, messages, and recipients. In the second part of the chapter, we examine what communication is "doing". Proceeding form a performative perspective on communication, we discuss issues of representation, aspiration, and hypocrisy, focusing on what these dimensions can accomplish when strategic communication inspires or provokes stakeholders to expect follow-up action.