If you are in the midst of a crisis and thinking about communications, you’re too late. When you are trying to dodge the “stuff” that’s already flying, it is not a good time to consider how to be proactive in positioning your church in a positive light! Strategic communications involves more than preaching and fliers. It is a holistic strategy that considers who your core stakeholders and audiences are, what message resonates with them, and how you can take advantage of modern technology to dialogue with them. This four-session course offers a strategic and theological consideration of communications, as well as practical standards, tools, and resources for church leaders to implement a strategic communications plan.
Learning objectives:
- Identify common missteps and how to avoid them.
- Understand how successful strategic communications builds from the values/vision/mission of a congregation or ministry.
- Understand the three elements of strategic communications for an organization such as a congregation or ministry.
- Know the building blocks of a communication plan.
- Understand how crisis communications sits within a comprehensive communication strategy.
Helen Osman, president of Greater Wings, LLC, has 30+ years of experience in mentoring mission-focused organizations to integrate public awareness, catechetical expectations, and advocacy priorities. Osman has worked in communications for faith-based organizations since 1984, shortly after she moved to Central Texas with her husband, John. They returned to Austin in November 2015 after an eight-year hiatus in Washington, DC, where she coordinated communications for the US Catholic bishops and shepherded visits to the US for Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 and Pope Francis in 2015. She serves as a consultor to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communications, is president of the international board for SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communications, and is a member of the board for the American Bible Society. She and John are parents to four children, four remarkable in-laws and 13 above average grandchildren.
