TOPIC 2.7: Productive Communication
When engaging stakeholders in change, clear and valid thinking, as well as productive communication, demand an acknowledgment of our assumptions and our reference systems as well as transparency in the processes we use.
Reflect on the communication skills covered in GSZ632 Managing Self and Others. Whenever we plan to engage stakeholders or to facilitate planning or change processes, we need to develop a communication plan. Depending on what we are trying to achieve we can access two main types of communication:
- Non-media communication: telemarketing, exhibitions, fairs, open door events. A wide audience cannot be reached by means of non -media communication.
- Media communication – electronic media (television, radio, video, internet, twitter, Facebook), booklets, newspapers etc. Large audiences can be reached in a short period of time.
The choice of media may also be related to the ways in which data is going to be managed throughout the participation process. Not only is the communication strategy about pushing out key messages, it is also about capturing, storing and retrieving key messages (data in multiple forms) from the participatory process in a transparent way. This also implies thinking about how to receive as well as send messages: effective communication is almost always two-way.
Below is a seven-step approach to preparing a communication plan:
| 1 | Determine your goals | Start by defining the goals of the communication campaign/strategy. Goals can be:
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| 2 | Identify target audience | Each goal should address at least one relevant target audience. Knowing well your audience(s) in advance will help you select appropriate messages and better ways to deliver them. |
| 3 | Determine resources | Envisage necessary resources – human resources/time, material/financial resources, technological expertise and technological means available. |
| 4 | Identify key messages | Key messages are concepts you want your audience to remember from your communication campaign. These messages should be carefully selected and woven through all your communication materials and activities. |
| 5 | Determine channels of communication | Choose one or more different ways of communication in priority order – electronic and non-electronic.
Consider channels of communication for a) sending the message(s) and channels for b) receiving feedback or other data from the participation process i.e. consider 2-way channels of communication. |
| 6 | Budget | Evaluate the needed amounts to realise your communication plan and prepare a budget. An extra 10% of the final estimate should be included in order to anticipate unforeseen/unplanned changes and obstacles in the development of the plan. |
| 7 | Evaluation (Impact assessment) | Each communication activity should be evaluated to measure how much it contributed to the pre-defined goals. Information can be gathered by tracking visits to your intranet or internet site and receiving mail with compliments or complaints or direct feedback when in direct contact with your audience. |
Module 3 will expand on strength-based collaborative and communication processes.
10 min
The health messaging during the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021 required unprecedented levels of co-operation between government agencies and between levels of government. Reflect on how well government engaged with citizens and communities in managing the crisis.
Recommended
20 min
Revisit your rich picture of stakeholders and their interactions within the system (or value network) you were analysing in Module 1.
- Identify the diverse communication channels used by stakeholders through the system to create and maintain their alliances and conflicts.
- How may Artificial intelligence transform some of these relationships?