Establishing a Common Framework for Strategic Communications in Ecosystem-Based Management and the Natural Sciences

Abstract

There is a need for a generalized framework and guidance for developing strategic communication efforts for interdisciplinary practitioners of ecosystembased management to ensure engagement and communication efforts focus on effective science-society dialogue. Too often, however, developing and implementing communication strategies is viewed as separate from the research and not undertaken until the research is complete. Developing a strategic communication plan involves outlining and articulating a project’s goals and objectives, identifying communication goals, defining messages, audiences, and vehicles, characterizing the different types of communication flow paths (both internal and external), and developing clear metrics that will allow for evaluating the success of the communication plan. A strategic communication matrix provides an organizational and operational structure for implementing a strategic communication plan. Here, we offer specific guidance tailored to scientists, stakeholders, and decision makers for developing strategic communication efforts. This tailored framework is then examined through a case study application in the field of ecosystem-based management.