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.

Thank you…

www.isaaa.org