Identification of strategic communication competencies for county Extension educators: A Delphi study

The purpose of this study was to identify strategic communication competencies for county Extension educators nationally as perceived by a panel of experts. The objective of the study was to obtain consensus regarding strategic communication competency statements for county Extension educators in the United States. The researcher used a modified Delphi Technique to identify the competency items essential for county Extension educators to perform strategic communication functions. A purposive sample of twenty professionals familiar with Extension and communication served on the panel of experts. The researcher collected data from May 6, 2005 to July 24, 2005. During three rounds of quantitative questionnaires, a panel of experts indicated its level of agreement on 69 competency items regarding whether it is desirable for county Extension educators to demonstrate those competencies over the next five to ten years. The panel of experts indicated their levels of agreement for each competency item based on a six-point Likert-type scale where: 1 = strongly disagree; 2 = moderately disagree; 3 = somewhat disagree; 4 = somewhat agree; 5 = moderately agree; and 6 = strongly agree. Round I yielded consensus on 18 competency statements. Members of the panel of experts added 17 additional competencies to the questionnaire. Round II yielded consensus on 27 additional competency statements. Round III yielded consensus on ten additional competency statements. Overall, fifty-five competency items achieved consensus. Fourteen competency items failed to achieve consensus. Two areas of implications for Extension stemmed from this study relating to professional development and organizational structure. Conclusions from the study indicated that there are four strategic communication competency areas including: research, strategy, tactics, and evaluation. The panel of experts agreed that county Extension educators should demonstrate nine strategic communication research competencies including: the ability to systematically segment community members of clients into need-based demand-driven Extension groups; the ability to analyze political issues that affect Extension communication at the local level; and the ability to assess external factors such as political, social, and economic trends that might affect county Extension organizations. The panel of experts agreed that county Extension educators should demonstrate 18 strategic communication strategy competencies including: the ability to set communication task management goals; the ability to relate the organization's mission into its communication plan; and the ability to target special publics with specialized messages. The panel of experts agreed that county Extension educators should demonstrate 21 strategic communication tactical competencies including: knowledge of communication experts in the Extension organization who can assist with the communication aspect; knowledge of how to work with local media agents; and the ability to display professional interpersonal communication skills. The panel of experts agreed that county Extension educators should demonstrate seven strategic communication evaluation competencies including: the ability to determine shifts in public opinion about the Extension organization; the ability to measure communication impact at the cognitive level; and the ability to evaluate behavioral communication outcomes. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...