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Communication is at the heart of what makes us human. Without it, we become disconnected—isolated at worst and lackluster at best. It’s how we move from living in our own heads to living in community with others. Living harmoniously within our communities requires effective communication. In other words, there must always be a purpose to what we say and how we say it, and we want our message to be received and understood as intended.

Though a seemingly straightforward concept, effective communication is not easy to achieve. Every form of communication involves a sender and a receiver, and breakdowns can occur on either end. Complicating things further, people come from different backgrounds, bringing their own life experiences and understanding of the world into the conversation, affecting everything from communication style to interpretation. Even the most unambiguous and digestible message, to the giver, may be perceived as utter gibberish by the receiver.

If effective communication were simple, there would be far fewer problems in the world. Relationships would flourish, governments would operate more efficiently, workplaces would be balanced and productive. Unfortunately, that’s usually not the case. Couples fight, political promises fall flat, employee expectations remain unclear or unmet.

Cue the communications professionals. At Miller Ink, our primary goal is getting communication right. After years of experience and practice, we’ve identified three essential pillars of any effective strategic communications program. Objective, Audience, Message.

The objective is what you hope to achieve. Saying you want good PR is not an objective. Instead, the objective is what the PR is meant to accomplish. It must be a clear, specific and measurable goal.

Consider the following situation: a nonprofit organization hires your public relations team. Why? The obvious answer is PR. But the objective must be more specifically and thoughtfully defined—if not, the team will wander aimlessly, unsure where their work should begin or end. Does the organization want to be seen as a leading voice in its space? Does it want to change the minds of a hostile audience? Expand national awareness of its services?

Think of the objective as a roadmap that will guide every decision and detail of your strategy. Once that’s clear, it’s time to decide who your efforts need to reach. A strong objective is necessary for successful communication, but without a deep understanding of the people who will ultimately make or break your campaign, your efforts will fall flat.

In the world of PR, communication should extend a hand out to the intended audience, inviting them into your world and showing them why you are worthy of their attention, respect, resources, action, or any other form of investment. Try to inhabit their minds and understand:

• What moves them
• What motivates them
• What they like and dislike
• What turns them off

Furthermore, you have to learn everything you can about them: where they live, their age, values, priorities, where they have donated previously. Understanding your audience is the key to communicating with them meaningfully and effectively.

If your objective is to increase funding for a project, your audience is likely prospective donors. But even within that category, there are important differences.

For example, a message targeting prospective donors over 65 might focus on legacy and improving the world for their children and grandchildren. With this in mind, you want to target media that this audience engages with and aim for media coverage in print or traditional media outlets.

However, suppose your target audience is donors in their 30s. In that case, you might emphasize empowerment and being part of real-time change for themselves and their children. Here, coverage in newsletters or new-age media outlets will likely be more effective.

With your objectives and audience in focus, it’s time to shape your message. The message is the “what” and the “why,” the idea you want your audience to walk away with. Communication does not exist without a message, and effective communication does not exist without a clear, concise, and compelling one.

When competing for your audience’s limited time and resources, why should they support your organization over others? They need a compelling reason, so the goal is to tailor your message to what matters most to them. If you don’t know who you are trying to reach, your message may be overlooked by the very people who can help you accomplish your goals.

There are endless ways to express any single idea, so choose wisely. The most subtle shifts in phrasing can mean the difference between a message that resonates with your audience and one that turns your audience away.

The three pillars of an effective communications strategy–objective, audience, and message–work together to create a cohesive and impactful campaign. The objective determines what the audience and message should be, the audience fulfills the objective, and the message meets the audience where they’re at.

Once you’ve deciphered those three elements, your work has just begun. Your team will now know which direction to take and how to measure its progress and success.