What is Strategic and Corporate Communication?

“I’ve never heard of that.”

“So… what do you do with that?”

“I understand all of those words individually, but I have no idea what that means”

“Wow. That’s a mouthful.”

These are the types of responses I get when I tell someone that I majored in Strategic and Corporate Communication (SCC). To be completely honest, even I didn’t know what this degree meant when I signed up for it. Other students had told me that SCC is like a business degree without the math. To me, it looked like a regular communication degree without a required public speaking course. 

After completing this degree, it frustrates me that the SCC program is so misunderstood, even among its own students. There are so many facets to this degree that it can be difficult to describe in one sentence, but I’m going to try anyway. Simply put, Strategic and Corporate Communication is an interdisciplinary degree that is a culmination of communication, business, marketing, and public relations. That definition is still a bit daunting, so I am going to break down this degree word by word to illustrate the work and value of an SCC major.

Strategic

A major part of SCC is recognizing that every part of your message should be deliberate. In SCC 100, we learn the 10 Steps method of planning, which guides the communicator through the creation and implementation of a message. We memorize the steps and show how they are vital for an effective campaign. Then in SCC 200, we learn the 4 Stages method, disregarding the 10 Steps. To me this felt like throwing away our foundation, but I realize now that there is no one right way to plan and that we as communicators need to be adaptable to choose whichever planning method best fits our needs.

We also recognize and emphasize the importance of research and data collection. Being a strategic communicator means we have to not only research our topic, but be good consumers of said research. Your research is meaningless if it isn’t relevant and credible. SCC students know how to analyze a study’s author, source, and date to determine whether or not it should be used. We also value our own data collection, so I have learned how to design useful surveys and how to analyze qualitative and quantitative data.

Corporate

SCC students learn within the context of an organization. We aren’t just communicating for communication’s sake, but rather to reach an organizational goal. This could mean a for-profit business, a non-profit group, or any other organization you can think of. I learned about various organizational structures and how to analyze an organization’s culture in order to adapt my messages accordingly.

I have also learned many professional skills within the SCC program that have prepared me for my career. I now know how to deliver effective presentations and design meaningful campaigns. I have also improved upon my time and project management skills while expanding my professional network.

Communication

I would be remiss if I did not discuss the human element of this program. One of the main components of SCC is audience analysis. We have to understand who we are tailoring our messages to in order to make them as effective as possible. 

  ‘Strategic’ and ‘Corporate’ are both analytical words that seem to lack empathy. The communication aspect of SCC is where I developed skills to not only be a good worker, but also a good person. My classes required constant teamwork, in which I had to learn how to adjust to multiple roles and tasks. In one class, I was a project manager, setting schedules and keeping track of deadlines. In another, I was a member of the research team, designing surveys and running focus groups. Switching back and forth between roles has made me a more flexible person who is willing to try something new.

Overall, I am proud of the work I’ve done and the skills I’ve developed as an SCC major. Strategic and Corporate Communication is not a simple topic, but can apply to any field I choose to go into.