MCM733: Communication Theory!

Today we had our first introductory class in MCM733: Communication Theory. It went very well!

We worked through the following questions: “What is communications theory? and why is it useful to public relations practitioners?”

I focused on the idea that theory provide vision, language and strategy.

When you use communication theory, you stand on the shoulders of deep thinkers and the accumulated research and case studies of hundreds of graduate students, practitioners and theorists. You can build a vision for your campaign based on their experiences and insights.

Language lends credibility, and having a solid grasp of the terminology and descriptive language of theory makes you sounds smarter, more organized and more grounded when doing presentations to other professionals whose fields have established terminology and practices, like marketing, finance, etc.

Strategy is build based on a solid understanding of an organization’s context and culture, as well as its financials and relationships. What communication theory provides the practitioner with is a framework, a set of concepts and processes that have been tested in labs, case studies and philosophical inquiry. A good understanding of a theoretical model can translate into intelligent strategy that is expressed in a coherent way.

Here are the slides for the rest of the week:

I look forward to the rest of the week!

Join the Conversation

1 Comment

  1. Thank you for this, Alex. I’m looking forward to the rest of this week, too!
    Heather

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply to Heather Magotiaux Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *