Global public relations superstar John Armato focuses on understanding goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics, their roles, differences, and how to recognize one when you see it and write one when you need it. What is a strategic plan, and how do you bring it to life?
In 1996, new to the international PR firm FleishmanHillard, and nearly a decade into his career, John Armato realized that if someone asked him to, he wouldn’t be able to look them in the eye and provide an unhesitating definition of “goal,” “objective,” “strategy,” and “tactic.” (Can you?)
So, he went on a quest, reading, observing, and interviewing others. Now, nearly two decades later, John has delivered “Anatomy of a Plan” across the country and internationally for countless colleagues and clients and they have called it “… the single best presentation on plan writing that I’ve seen in my career” and “… far and away the clearest, most valuable training on strategic plan development that I had ever attended.”
The session has attracted diverse audiences outside of the agency as well, including sales teams at Pinterest, government affairs specialists at AbbVie Pharmaceuticals, advertising students at the University of Oregon, members of the Society for Marketing Professional Services, the Agricultural Relations Council, the communications staff at Washington State University, and countless others.
While AOAP was born in a communications context, the principles are universal and relevant to anyone making a plan to make something happen.
AOAP focuses primarily on understanding goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics, their roles, differences, and how to recognize one when you see it and write one when you need it. In addition, the session will cover:
What a strategic plan is (and isn’t)
How to adopt a plan-writing frame of mind
The importance of delivering?a point of view?
Testing for Line-of-Sight
Tips and tricks learned in the trenches
John calls AOAP “the presentation I wish someone had given me, and the one that experience has.”
John Armato
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND SENIOR PARTNER, CREATIVE STRATEGIST
John Armato is an “aha” hunter, seeking to understand what actually matters in any given communications opportunity. With his mantra of “Don’t just market, communicate; don’t just communicate, behave,” John helps corporate, nonprofit, and association clients identify they truest things they can say and the smartest things they can do to move and motivate audiences.
John joined FleishmanHillard in his hometown of Kansas City then moved to New York as co-chair of the firm’s global Brand Marketing practice. There he led the development of the “Marketplace Mandates,” which have been featured by Forbes. Now based in Sacramento, John focuses on narrative development and message delivery, presentation coaching, unique writing projects, mission-critical meeting facilitation, and professional development programs on strategic planning and creativity.
Many clients have used John’s North Star Narrative process, a Socratic approach to unearthing authentic brand narratives that some have called “transformative.” He has coached hundreds of spokespeople for opportunities ranging from townhall meetings to “Good Morning America.” He is a go-to writer for unique or demanding projects, which have ranged from white papers to brand manifestos, tag lines to corporate histories, C-suite speeches, and op-eds to even songs and coloring books.