Arts Program Communications Planning Chart

 STEP ONE: Program Decisions /  STEP TWO: Context
Goal: What are the key long-term goals of the arts program? / Internal Scan: What are the assets and challenges of this team that may impact our arts plan?
Decision Makers: Who makes our arts goals a reality? / External Scan: What is already happening in our school/district community that may impact our arts plan?
Measurements of Success: How will we know we have achieved our arts goals? / Defining Our Position: Do we need a communications plan that will fortify and amplify, frame or reframe the arts debate?
 STEP THREE: Strategic Choices
Decisions to Make / Our Decision / Reality Check
Audience Target: Who must we reach to achieve our arts goals? / Should not be general public or anything similar. Must be segmented. Should be the person/people who can most help us achieve our goals. Only when we figure out who this is, can we figure out how to reach them.
Values/Core Concerns: What existing beliefs can we tap into about our audience(s)? / What do they believe? Answer these two questions before choosing our audience(s): What do they believe that we can tap into? What do they believe that we have to overcome?
Approach: What is our overall strategy? / Do not go straight to tactics. Consider big strategic decisions first. These will dictate the tactics.
Message: What key points do we want to make with our target audience(s)? / Big difference between mission and message. Mission is what we are about. Message is about resonating with our audience(s) based on their beliefs and values. Avoid MEGO phrases (my eyes glaze over).
Messengers: Who has the best chance of resonating with our target audience(s)? / People listen to people, not institutions. This is about whom our audience can hear, who is credible to them. Sometimes we can have the right message but the wrong messenger delivering it. Result: fewer people listening to what we have to say.
 STEP FOUR: Communications Objectives /  STEP FIVE: Picking Our Tactics
How are we going to get our message to our audience using our chosen approach? / Given our goal, internal and external scans, target audience and message, how would we answer these questions:
  1. Who will the tactic reach (target audiences)?
  2. How does our tactic support our goals?
  3. What is the anticipated output?
  4. What is the anticipated outcome?

© 2006 Cultural Initiatives Silicon Valley. Adapted from The Spitfire Strategies Smart Chart 2.0 © 2005 Spitfire Strategies |