To#learn#more#about##TABridge,#the#Transparency#and#Accountability#Ini:a:ve#and#this#presenta:on,#see:##h=p://tech.transparency@ini:a:ve.org/successful@communica:ons@and@advocacy/#

What#are#you#trying#to#accomplish,#not#just#in#your#communica:ons#or#online#work,#but#in#your#overall#mission?#This#should#drive#your#online#and#offline#outreach.#

How#will#the#world#be#different#if#your#mission#and#your#overall#strategy#succeed?#This#will#guide#your#outreach#choices#and#the#channels#you#choose#to#reach#your#audience(s).#

Who#is#your#audience?#

Who#is#your#audience?#

Who#is#your#audience?#

What#tone#is#best#suited#to#your#audience?#Different#audiences#are#most#comfortable#with#different#styles#of#communica:ng.#

What#tone#is#best#suited#to#your#audience?#Different#audiences#are#most#comfortable#with#different#styles#of#communica:ng.#

Some#audiences#need#a#more#detailed,#academic,#formal#informa:on#presenta:on.#

Some#audiences#need#a#more#detailed,#academic,#formal#informa:on#presenta:on.#Some#prefer#greater#simplicity.#

For#each#audience#you#seek#to#persuade,#consider#the#best#message#and#emphasis.#Different#messages#require#different#tools#of#delivery.#

No#ma=er#what#your#message,#it#can#and#should#be#told#in#a#story.#Preferably,#a#story#that’s#about#not#just#an#issue#or#an#idea#…#

…#but#about#people,#and#how#the#issue#affects#those#people’s#lives.#

Some:mes,#informa:on#is#most#persuasive.#In#this#example#from#YourBudgIT.com,#details#of#Nigeria’s#na:onal#budget#are#presented#as#simple#but#informa:on@rich#charts.#

Some:mes#a#picture#is#worth#1,000#words.#This#picture#shows#the#effects#of#mountaintop#removal,#a#mining#process#with#serious#environmental#costs.#

No#ma=er#what#sort#of#story#you#tell#…#

…#it#means#more#if#the#story#has#a#hero.#The#hero#can#be#a#person,#a#group,#an#organiza:on#or#a#whole#country.#

Some#people#receive#and#share#informa:on#through#their#phones.#

Some#people#prefer#newspapers#and#more#tradi:onal#media#sources.#

Some#messages#move#most#efficiently#person#to#person#and#face#to#face.#

Some#people,#especially#leaders#and#decision@makers,#are#best#persuaded#in#one@on@one#conversa:ons#with#someone#they#trust.##This#doesn’t#mean#technology#is#not#vital#to#convincing#leaders#to#make#changes.#The#key#fact,#or#figure,#or#story#that#persuades#a#decision@maker#may#come#from#a#digital#source—like#a#web#video—even#if#it#reaches#that#decision@maker#through#someone#who#viewed#it#or#printed#it#using#the#web.#

We#want#to#trust#our#leaders#and#ins:tu:ons.#No#ma=er#how#many#people#get#their#news#from#social#media#or#their#phones,#“top#down”#informa:on#is#s:ll#important#…#

…#but#technology#is#changing#the#role#and#power#of#the#audience.#We#are#no#longer#only#passive#viewers.#

We#are#sharers#of#informa:on.#Some:mes#we#trust#our#neighbors#more#than#our#leaders#to#tell#us#what’s#important#and#what’s#real.#

In#more#tradi:onal#advocacy#communica:ons,#an#ins:tu:on#sends#one#monolithic#message#outward#to#many#viewers#and#listeners.#

In#the#world#of#social#media#and#“peer@to@peer”#informa:on@sharing,#an#ins:tu:on#may#be#the#origin#of#the#message,#but#people#can#use#social#tools#to#share#and#redistribute#the#original#message#on#their#own#terms.###People#are#no#longer#only#informa:on#consumers,#they#are#informa:on#sources.#Ins:tu:ons#can#now#provide#not#only#a#one@size@fits@all#message,#but#also#the#tools#and#the#encouragement#that#enable#people#to#take#the#original#message#and#make#it#their#own,#and#spread#the#word#themselves#to#the#people#who#trust#them.#

When#an#organiza:on#collects#and#disseminates#stories#from#real#people,#informa:on#becomes#twice#as#persuasive#because#it#is#authen:c.##In#this#example#from#The#New#York#Times,#stories#from#witnesses#and#vic:ms#of#Japan’s#Fukushima#nuclear#incident#are#told#in#their#own#voices,#along#with#details,#photos#and#links#that#help#make#each#report,#and#the#overall#story,#more#comprehensible#and#more#human#to#news#readers.#

So,#an#effec:ve#advocacy#communica:ons#strategy#tailors#its#tools#and#approaches#to#the#habits#of#the#people#it#seeks#to#persuade.##

So,#an#effec:ve#advocacy#communica:ons#strategy#tailors#its#tools#and#approaches#to#the#habits#of#the#people#it#seeks#to#persuade.#

When#combined,#strategy,#goals,#audience#preferences#and#the#tools#suited#to#the#situa:on#can#be#seen#as#a#“shopping#list”#of#the#items#you#need#to#deliver#the#message#that#you#want#to#get#heard.#

As#you#develop#new#tools#for#public#advocacy,#be#aware#that#these#new#ac:vi:es#require#ongoing#a=en:on,#to#keep#a#flow#of#content#coming#for#publica:on.#

A#blog,#or#a#Twi=er#account,#needs#regular#feeding.#

Otherwise,#your#new#channel#becomes#“an#empty#disco”#…#that#lonely#spot#with#loud#music#and#no#one#dancing.#

You#may#need#to#add#a#digital#specialist—or#at#least#another#good#writer—to#your#team,#in#order#to#keep#the#flow#of#content#going.###Try#to#find#someone#who#will#be#around#for#more#than#a#few#months.#(Not#someone#who#will#set#up#your#Facebook#page#then#leave#suddenly#to#do#graduate#study#in#another#country.)#

It’s#important#to#share#stories#of#both#success#and#failure#in#online#advocacy.#Remember#to#ask#ques:ons#to#learn#what#your#next—or#first—step#should#be.#No#ques:on#is#too#simple.###If#you#have#stories#of#lessons#learned,#we#want#to#help#you#tell#them.#Please#consider#par:cipa:ng#in#the##TABridge#blog#at#tech.transparency@ini:a:ve.org.#