When Stephanie Barsby Boisvert joined the Town of Stony Plain communications team, the first thing she did was ask everyone what they did and what they were proud of.
Eleven years later, the same curiosity is reflected in an award-winning Communications Master Plan (CMP) for the Town. Grounded in strategy and shaped by extensive engagement, the plan emerged from a simple question: What is working and what is needed next?
"I am constantly asking myself, What is the most important thing I need to be working on right this minute?'" says Barsby Boisvert, manager of corporate communications and a MA in Professional Communication student. "The Town is growing rapidly and there is a high demand for communications support. We work on over 300 projects in any given year."
Strategy grounded in listening
Barsby Boisvert spent 18 months on the CMP, gathering information and then distilling the ideas into themes and actionable recommendations. The result of that hard work is a comprehensive and adaptable plan that will guide the Town of Stony Plain for years to come. Her efforts have been recognized with an International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gold Quill Award of Merit.
"I have never worked on anything so intensely before. I was proud of it and wanted to share it," she says of the award.
While she authored the plan, it would not have been possible without her colleagues across the organization and communication professionals in other municipalities who shared insights and ideas. "It was definitely a team effort."
One plan inspires another
Developing the CMP also revealed an opportunity for her own growth. While the project affirmed her professional instincts, it inspired her to pursue graduate studies to better understand the theories and research underpinning the decisions she makes every day.
That journey from experience to deeper understanding is familiar to many mid-career professionals at Royal Roads University, says Dr. Jennifer Walinga, a professor in the School of Communication and Culture.
"Students have often been working in professional settings for many years, decades sometimes, and they have tremendous experience and expertise. The missing piece is the why,'" Walinga says. "Why has this worked for me? Why do I think this will work? Why do I do it this way? The gut instincts are usually grounded in theoretical principles, backed up by research."
During her master's program, Walgina says, Barsby Boisvert is finding the language, and the theoretical constructs and principles to explain and support her professional decisions.
Halfway through her MA in Professional Communication, Barsby Boisvert agrees.
"I learned so much doing the Communications Master Plan. I also learned a lot about what I didn't know in putting something like this together."
Capacity for the future
Balancing family, work, and graduate studies has reinforced the importance of managing capacity and setting priorities, she says. Whether she is helping her team manage hundreds of communications projects or planning for a growing community, it comes back to the same question: what matters the most right now?
"There are notes on it already that we need to change this, or update that," she says of the CMP.
For Barsby Boisvert, that is a sign of success. The plan was never meant to be static. Like the growing community it serves and her own commitment to professional growth, it was designed to evolve and adapt to what comes next.
Learn more about the MA in Professional Communication program.
