IABC Masterclass - Plan for Impact: Strategic Communication Planning From Business Need to Measurable Results

Live Meeting Dates and Times

• Sep 23, 2026 09:00 - 10:45 AM CT
• Sep 30, 2026 09:00 - 10:45 AM CT

Every communication plan should answer four questions: What business need are we addressing? Where can communication make the greatest contribution? What needs to change in what people know, think, feel or do? How will we know it worked?

Plan for Impact is a practical 3.5-hour masterclass built around the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence’s proven eight-step strategic communication planning process.

You will learn how to translate a business need into a clear communication opportunity and intended outcomes, develop meaningful SMART objectives, define your measurement approach, analyse audiences, develop messages and tactics and plan how results will be evaluated. You will also explore how return on investment can be calculated and how measurement findings can provide valuable business insight.

The process can be applied to any communication strategy, initiative or campaign and provides a strong foundation for developing an IABC Gold Quill entry. Your facilitator, Sia Papageorgiou, is an IABC Fellow who has used this process to develop work recognised with 16 IABC Gold Quill Awards of Excellence, including two Best of the Best honours.

You will leave with an end-to-end planning process you can apply immediately to your own work.

Who should attend

This masterclass is designed for communication professionals who contribute to, plan, lead or advise on communication strategies, initiatives and campaigns. It will be particularly valuable for professionals who want to strengthen their strategic planning discipline, develop better objectives, conduct more useful audience analysis and demonstrate the results of their work with greater credibility.

Masterclass outline

The masterclass introduces the CSCE eight-step strategic communication planning process through four connected areas:

1. Connect communication to the business need

• Clarify the underlying organisational need, issue or opportunity.
• Identify where communication can make the greatest contribution.
• Define the intended changes in what people know, think, feel or do.

2. Define success and how it will be measured

• Develop meaningful, outcome-focused SMART objectives.
• Establish relevant measures, baselines, targets and methods.
• Distinguish between outputs, outcomes and organisational impact.

3. Use audience insight to shape communication

• Identify, prioritise and segment relevant audiences.
• Examine audience needs, motivations, barriers and preferences.
• Use audience insights to guide messages, tactics and channel choices.

4. Evaluate value and generate business insight

• Plan how results will be assessed against the agreed objectives.
• Explore how return on investment can be calculated.
• Turn measurement findings into insight that supports better business and communication decisions.