Post on 13-May-2015
description
By
Faith Nguthi (PhD)
ISAAA AFRICENTER
3rd -4th July 2012,
Kigali
Rwanda,
Developing a Communication
Strategy
What is a communication strategy
A communication strategy outlines a process
of communicating and sharing information to
target audiences and stakeholders
Why?
What?
Who?
When?
Where?
How?
of relaying information
It provides…..
a structure for identifying events (e.g., issues,
problems, and actions) that require outreach;
considers potential messages and audiences;
Develops vehicles to deliver information.
Effective communication
Must reflect a two-way dialogue,
Listen (what does our audience want?),
Design and deliver audience-informed
strategies,
Feedback to assess impact.
When to use…..
When events or issues are complex or potentially
sensitive,
Helps you to organize information and identify the
concerns that may arise from such issues.
Avoid potential misunderstandings about difficult
issues.
When time is of the essence. Ensures rapid
information exchange during emergencies.
Early analysis of participants and their roles so that
expectations and communication needs can be
identified and fulfilled throughout an event or project.
But……….
While the private sector invests trillions of dollars every year on communication
The public and non-profit sectors perceive it as an optional or fringe activity, and certainly not central to the work (e.g. the research) itself.
Communications are typically out-sourced or developed by junior personnel
Little idea of the organization’s objectives.
Minimum budgets
Why?
Ask yourself: What is the issue to which my project is
responding? or What is the action that my project is taking that
warrants development of a strategy?
What is your communication goal?
providing information,
increasing awareness,
encouraging action,
building consensus,
changing behavior,
promoting community participation,
resolving conflict,
asking for a response, or something else?
What
Identify and define all messages.
Might involve a brainstorming session where all possible message ideas are listed.
Rank message priority.
Focus on two to three key messages and rank them by importance, timeliness, or other factors
What?
Message:
What is our message?
Do we have one message
for multiple audiences or
Multiple messages
for multiple audiences?
Who? Audience
Who is our audience?
How do they perceive the innovation/technology?
What questions do they have about the
innovation/technology?
Know what your audience care about - what they
want to know, not what they need to know!
By answering the potential audience questions, you
will improve the effectiveness of the message and
increase the efficiency of the delivery mechanism to
be developed.
When & where
Channels: What channels will we use to disseminate
our message?
Special events
Community interviews
Community visits
Focus groups
Media, news releases, press conferences
Public meetings
Public or private schools
Workshops
How?
Essential Elements
Basket of tools: What kinds of
communications “products” best capture and
deliver our messages?
Resources: What kind of budget do we have
for this? What communications skills and
hardware do we have?
Tools &vehicles
What kinds of communications “products” best capture and deliver our messages?
Brochures
Exhibits
Internet
Mailing information
Presentations
Public notices
Telephone
Translations of documents into second languages
Newsprint, radio, videos
Social media
Feedback
Successful?
What will have changed?
Did we use the right tools?
Was the budget enough?
Were we on time?
Did we have any influence?
Feedback
Creating an Impact Log. This is qualitative
and non-systematic informal record compiled
in-house
stakeholder feedback (e.g. an email extolling
the virtues of our policy brief);
a list of media references indicating the reach
of our communications products (e.g. direct
reference or citation in newspaper articles,
Internet, TV); speeches citing our work,
Feedback contd.
Formal Survey - with a purposefully selected
sample of people
Will provide information to help improve our
communications strategy.
Key-Informant Interviews to gather more in-
depth information from stakeholders with
insight into our communications.
Focus group discussions
Mobilizing Resources for the
Communication Strategy
Communication is often an expensive
venture.
With increased competition for scarce grant
resources, think of new, diverse, and multiple
funding streams
Multiple sources of funding increase your
independence and flexibility to implement
programs
Tips
A communication strategy should….
Thorough, but not too elaborate.
Not replace process of actually communicating with clients.
Flexible enough to allow for changing messages.
Consulted often to remind of goals, messages, and audiences.
Define most important ideas to communicate.
Document successes and shortcomings for improvement.
Work with press particularly at milestone events
Revised if it is not producing results
Mixed messages from multiple experts
Information released late
Not countering rumors and myths in real-time
Public power struggles and confusion
5 communication failures that kill
operational success
Seven “attitudinal sins”
1. Wait-and-see attitude.
2. Belittling attitude
3. “Everything under control” attitude
4. “We know best” attitude
5. “You have to believe me”
6. “Freedom works best,”
7. “Discredit the critics”. Walter von Wartburg
http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/
agcomdb/archive/2000/2000_6.html#seven
Remember….
Communications is a two-way process
The better we listen to our audience, the better we will be able to answer their needs
and the more our messages will be believed, liked, and ultimately acted upon.