ORGANIZATIONAL AND STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS - ToT Booklet

ORGANIZATIONAL AND

STRATEGIC

COMMUNICATIONS

_______________________

HOW NGOs CAN BENEFIT

By Rut Gomez Sobrino

This Project is funded by

The European Union

This Project is implemented by

Internews Europe

PEDAGOGICAL TOOLKIT FOR NGOs

ORGANIZATIONAL AND STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS RUT GOMEZ SOBRINO

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This Project is funded by the European Union

This Project is implemented by Internews Europe

The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission

© This booklet has been produced for Internews Europe in the framework of the Iraqi Media Junction Project in order to

serve as pedagogical guide of the Advanced Communication Training of Trainers activity conducted in Erbil between

June-July 2011 by Rut Gomez Sobrino and Jun Matsushita

Rut Gómez Sobrino is a journalist and communications professional with

experience in radio, written and online press, audiovisual production and

corporate communications. Her work in development issues for more than a

decade has taken her to several countries, such as Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Syria,

Lebanon, Kenya, Chad, India and Cuba among others. There, she has worked for

both local and regional NGOs and international organizations. Between 2007 and

2010 she has been devoted to UNESCO C4D and ICT4D projects such as the IPDC

and the UNESCO Audiovisual E-Platform. Since 2010, she acts as a

Communications Specialist consultant for UN Women and other UN entities such as

UNDP. As a trainer she has led capacity building initiatives for civil society

organizations and the UN in several countries, facilitating programmes of different

nature –workshops, seminars, courses and conferences- to varied audiences such

as media professionals, youth groups, entrepreneurs, NGOs and UN staff.


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CONTENTS

Background ……………………………………………………………………………………... 5

UNIT 1. FUNDAMENTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS ……………………. 6

1.1. What is communications?

1.2. Processes and tools applied to communications

UNIT 2. COMMUNICATIONS IN THE FRAMEWORK OF CSOs ………………………………10

2.1. What are CSOs?

2.2. Benefits to CSOs in the application of communications processes

UNIT 3. BUILDING UP A COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY …………………………………. 13

3.1. Communication actions, plans and strategies. For what?

3.2. Components of a Communications Strategy

3.3. Types of media campaigns

3.4. Measuring the effectiveness of the Communications Strategy

UNIT 4. MEDIA, BOTH A CHANNEL FOR DISSEMINATION AND A STAKEHOLDER ………. 21

4.1. Media, a strategic partner for organizations

4.2. Tools and strategies to reach the media: types of releases and approaches. When are

where to use the right one

4.3. Media positioning of organizations

UNIT 5. NETWORKING AND ADVOCACY …………………………………………………… 29

5.1. Differences between networking and advocacy

5.2. The relevance of networking. Efficient networking practices

5.3. Channels and products

UNIT 6. NEW MEDIA ……………………………………………………………………………… 34

6.1. What is new media?


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6.2. Trends, tools and products

6.3. The Social Media revolution

UNIT 7. REVIEW OF CASE STUDIES …………………………………………………………….. 36

7.1. DFID in Kenya

7.2. Fighting illiteracy with radio in South Sudan

7.3. Communicating Sustainability

7.4. Women2Drive initiative

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCES …………………………….…………………… 40


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Background

Communications is usually referred as the lifeblood of organizations as it provides tools to improve

coordination and outreach while helping to capitalize efforts and to strengthen external supports.

As we are living in both the era of civil society and of communication and information processes,

we need to establish mechanisms to allow civil society organizations, mainly the NGO community,

to approach communications in an efficient manner so that it can benefit from it.

Traditionally conceived only as a way to publicize organizations, communications has been often

underestimated and its potential under measured. Internally, strategic communications has

proved to increase cohesion, team building and effectiveness. Externally, it has shown to be a

useful dissemination instrument and a way to strengthen links with the social capital of

organizations. All these are amplified with the appearance of new media tools, such as digital

audiovisual productions, virtual networks, such as the so-called communities of practices, social

media, e-learning procedures, and e-governance initiatives among others.

In sum, communications should be nowadays perceived as a working tool that provides solutions

to a variety of issues that all organizations, particularly those of civil society nature, face, ranking

from internal planning to external support. This booklet tries to help civil society organizations to

approach and to use strategic communication in an effective manner so that they can amplify

their impact and gain a facilitating tool that help them to perform their work.


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UNIT 1. FUNDAMENTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

1.1. What is Communications?

"Communication focuses on how people use messages to generate meanings within

and across various contexts, cultures, channels, and media. The field of communication

promotes the effective and ethical practice of human communication"

US Department of Education

There are several definitions for communications, as many as the uses and approaches of the

concept itself. Communications is the way we interact with our environment. Therefore, it is in all

stages of our life and also in all fields of what we daily do. We learn how to communicate since

we are babies, when we learn how to get the attention of our mother and when we understand,

while we grow, how to ask for things and how to take the attention of others. As we become

adults, we understand that communications is a way to make things done, to get what we want,

to interact with our audience.

In order to be efficient in our communications we need to think about what we want to get out of

the communications exercise. Do I want to look professional? Do I want the others to take me

seriously? Do I want the others to think that I am a nice person? What do I want to get?

Following this argument, it becomes clear that Communications has a lot to do with self-reflection.

We need to reflect before communicating about our objectives. So at the end, Communications

is the way we interact, how we express what we want, how we establish relations with our

environment.

When talking about the other‟s perceptions, we should refer to the first impression that we provoke

in others. Both concepts should be taken into consideration when we study what to

communicate, how to communicate and to whom.

In order to be efficient in our communications exercises or actions, the 4 C‟s model is a highly

recommended strategy. These 4 Cs apply for being CONCISE, CONCRETE, CLEAR and CREATIVE.

CONCISE

CREATIVE CLEAR

CONCRETE

EFFECTIVE

COMMUNICATIONS


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With reference to civil society organizations and development issues, communications is present in

the presentation of proposals, in the internal coordination of teams and working groups, in the

relations with partners and stakeholders and in the dissemination of results.

Wrongly perceived as the only exercise of disseminating information, communications has shown

to be a powerful for organizations. Internally, it can provide coordination, capitalization of efforts,

flexibility. Externally, communications provides tools to strengthen ties with the social capital of

organizations, fostering social involvement and increasing awareness and facilitating public

dialogue. Communications is intimately related to social change by giving voices to the non-

heard.

Communications increases internal empowerment of organizations and outreach but at the same

time helps organizations to know more about their environment and therefore to be more efficient

and effective.

Key Functions of Organizational Communication The literature on communication generally acknowledges that the basic function of communication is to affect

receiver knowledge or behavior by informing, directing, regulating, socializing, and persuading. Neher (1997)

identifies the primary functions of organizational communication as:

♦ Compliance-gaining

♦ Leading, motivating, and influencing

♦ Sense-making

♦ Problem-solving and decision-making

♦ Conflict management, negotiating, and bargaining.

Neher (1997) and Rogers and Rogers (1976) emphasize the social and organizational functions of organizational

communication as a whole rather than focusing on the functions of specific communication exchanges. Thus they

combine the functions of informing, directing, and regulating into the broader category of behavioral compliance.

They also give greater emphasis to the role of communication in managing threats to organizational order and control,

identifying problem solving and conflict management, negotiation, and bargaining as key functions of

organizational communication.

Myers and Myers (1982) combine similar functions into a higher level common function and provide a particularly

succinct and clear version of the functions of organizational communication. They see communication as having three

primary functions:

• Coordination and regulation of production activities – This function of communication has changed the most over

time. In traditional bureaucratic views of the organization, prescription – clearly communicating behavioral

expectations and the behavioral consequences associated with complying or not complying with these expectations—

and monitoring are considered to be the basis of organizational order and control. This function of organizational

communication was seen as involving fairly proceduralized, rule-oriented, one-way, top-down communication. Tasks

in many organizations have become more complex, less routine and repetitive, tightly coupled, and interactive

(Perrow 1986) and, as such, the traditional bureaucratic view of organizational communication is no longer sufficient.

Production activities of this nature require dynamic, reciprocal, lateral communications between production workers

and nonroutinized, two-way, vertical communications between production workers and managers. Communication as

a means of coordination and regulation becomes more important, complex, and difficult.


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• Socialization – The socialization function of communication is stressed in the human relations perspective of

organizations (see Chapter 1) which asserts that capturing the hearts and minds of organizational members is

necessary to effectively coordinate organizational action in the pursuit of collective organizational goals.

Communication directed at socializing organizational members focuses on articulating and reinforcing organizational

values and aligning individual goals with organizational goals. It is directed at establishing an appropriate

organizational culture and climate. This form of communication cannot be one-way or top-down. It must occur

reciprocally between organizational leaders and organizational members.

• Innovation – The organizational communication literature is increasingly addressing the importance of

communication in promoting innovation as well as control and coordination. Communication to promote innovation is

associated with strong communication within and beyond the organization. This approach focuses on the functional

goals of organizational communication, rather than on the near-term outcomes of particular acts of communication,

such as to make a decision, to persuade, or to resolve a conflict. The more specific functions of specific acts of

communication or sets of communication exchange (decision-making, informing, persuading, negotiating,

problem-solving) are subsumed into each of the three higher-level functional objectives.

This approach focuses on the functional goals of organizational communication, rather than on the near-term

outcomes of particular acts of communication, such as to make a decision, to persuade, or to resolve a conflict. The

more specific functions of specific acts of communication or sets of communication exchange (decision-making,

informing, persuading, negotiating, problem-solving) are subsumed into each of the three higher-level functional

objectives.

Source: ‘Organizational Communications’, by Kathryn A. Baker

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/doe/benchmark/ch13.pdf

1.2. Processes and tools applied to Communications

Communications is a two way process because it implies self-reflection – a discussion with

ourselves- and empathy with the others. Self-reflectBIBLIion involves three necessary steps:

- Thinking about what we want to get, where our organization is staying and to where we want

to move

- Defining objectives once we know what we want

- Think about how we are going to reach those objectives

In the process of applying Communications, we should think about our target audience, defining

and analyzing it. Once we know our audience, how it works and how it operates, we can find

strategies to address and to approach it.

After defining our audience and our goals, we need to build the messages to be delivered to

them. Messages should be adapted to our audience, for instance to its language and to the level

of education. Messages should be also adapted to the channel we use and also should be in line

with our goals.

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/doe/benchmark/ch13.pdf


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Source-Message-Channel-Receiver (Berlo, 1960)

SOURCE MESSAGE CHANNEL RECEIVER

COMMUNICATION SKILLS ELEMENTS SEEING COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS ATTITUDES STRUCTURE HEARING ATTITUDES KNOWLEDGE CONTENT TOUCHING KNOWLEDGE SOCIAL SYSTEMS TREATMENT SMELLING SOCIAL SYSTEMS CULTURE CODE TASTING CULTURE

General concepts:

– Communication is a two-way process composed of transmitters and receivers

– Communication is multidimensional and needs to consider motives, personal characteristics,

and contexts

– Communication involves information transfer

– The channel used to communicate influences what information can be conveyed and how


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UNIT 2. COMMUNICATIONS IN THE FRAMEWORK OF CSOs

2.1. What are CSOs?

Civil society organizations are groups of civil society nature that play a role in social, economic

and political development. This general and wide definition includes a variety of structures such as

educational institutions, media, private sector companies and NGOs. There is a major component

when talking about civil society organizations: their non-governmental nature. Additionally, there

is a differential mark: the non-for-profit profile. This definitely establishes a difference within the

wide definition of civil society organizations.

This particularity makes nonprofit organizations to face challenges such as, among others, raising

funds, gaining social support, strengthening their relations with key stakeholders and disseminate

information about their vision, mission and lines of action. This particular idiosyncrasy also

emphasizes the relevance of applying communications approaches that can help to overcome

these challenges.

Communications have two dimensions that should be included in the Strategy we develop for an

organization:

- Internal approach, that provides

1. Team consistency

2. Sense of ownership involvement of staff

3. Exchange of information

4. Improve of internal processes

- External approach, that includes

1. Definition of goals

2. Definition of audiences

3. Definition of messages

Internal and external communications, always together

Clearly, the stature of communications must change: if organizations want to broadcast their difference, if they want to influence decisions, they must learn how to integrate communications from top to bottom internally, externally and across all their activities. Instead of supporting the production of random products tied to specific outputs (e.g. a paper summarizing research findings), organizations need to see communications as a vehicle that is not only helpful or required but essential to achieving core goals.

Source: http://web.idrc.ca/uploads/user-S/1226604865112265957811Chapter_6%5B1%5D.pdf

http://web.idrc.ca/uploads/user-S/1226604865112265957811Chapter_6%5B1%5D.pdf


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2.2. Benefits to CSOs in the application of communications processes

The success of any organization is not only rooted in its ability to position its vision, mission and

values but also in conveying these to its previously defined internal and external target audiences.

The application of communications approaches can facilitate the dissemination of these core

components of organizations. Moreover, the application of communications to the work of CSOs

and particularly NGOs can highly amplify the impact of their activities and capitalize their efforts.

Finally, Communications can provide tools to internal coordination to facilitate daily activities.

In sum, Communications can provide to organizations:

● Better internal coordination and capitalization of resources of both financial and human nature

● Better visibility and outreach resulting in

● Higher external support and therefore future sustainability of the organization

In the process to define communications approaches that can serve to improve the work of our

organization, we should differentiate between:

Communications actions and activities: punctual initiatives to support our organization

such as for instance a press conference

Communications plans: developed to cover a particular project of an organization. It is

normally encompassed by varied communications activities

Communications strategies: have a more integral approach and serves to cover a variety

of projects and programmes within a certain organization. It is normally integrated by

various communications plans

Why and how communicate?

We learn different things by using a range of communication activities, or by strategically

choosing the communication activity that will give us most information in return. For example, by

putting documents on the web, and tracking which of them are downloaded or picked up by

other websites, it is possible to get a sense of which topics spark an interest in which networks. By

hosting workshops or public meetings, it is possible to get a sense of which research is regarded as

credible, and which is not. By asking for feedback as part of our communication activities, it is

possible to get a sense of the needs and frustrations of the target audience, and therefore of how

we might increase the impact of our knowledge.

Let us look at another example – again from the agricultural sector in Africa. In their article

„Promoting Research-Policy Dialogues‟, Mortimore and Tiffen9 suggest that if you already know

who your target audience is, then the best way to ensure that they regard your research findings

as credible and useful is to engage in two-way communication with them. The dryland

development projects described in the article had to engage with many different target groups,


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including scientists, national level policymakers, donors, NGO staff and the beneficiaries

themselves. Each of these groups has different communication needs. They access information in

different ways, they have different perceptions of credibility, and they are used to seeing research

results in different formats and at different times.

Therefore, the more we are able to engage with each group in a meaningful process of

communication, the more likely we are to learn how to maximise the uptake and impact of our

research.

Source: Hovland, Ingie, Succesful Communications. A Toolkit for Researchers and Civil Society Organizations. Overseas

Development Institute, October 2005


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UNIT 3. BUILDING UP A COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY

3.1. Communications actions, plans and strategies. For what?

The strategic communications plan is an implementation strategy to help the organization

achieving its programmatic goals. It complements the organization‟s strategic plan and builds on

the mission, vision, program goals and objectives, and business plan of the organization. The

communications planning process sets measurable goals for reaching, informing, and motivating

the audiences that are essential to the organization‟s mission.

The aim of Strategic Communications is to integrate all the organization‟s work. A

Communications Strategy will help the organization to deploy resources more effectively and

strategically by highlighting synergies and shared opportunities. The creation and adoption of

Strategic Communications reveals progress for any organization.

Previous steps

When deciding about the shape of the Communications Strategy we should reflect about our

organization. The SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) Analysis is the

recommended tool to start with.

3.2. Components of the Communications Strategy

The design of a Communications Strategy is close to the preparation of a project and therefore

has a structure that would help the implementers to use it as a road map. The following structure is


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only a guide and other fields can be added. However, any Communications Strategy should

include the following:

1. Objectives

2. Audiences

3. Messages

4. Actions and activities

5. Human and economic resources

6. Timing and workplan

7. Monitoring and evaluation processes

- Objectives

They constitute the basis of a communications strategy. They are based on the strengths and

weaknesses previously described through mechanisms such as the SWOT analysis and consultation

to internal staff and external stakeholders. They should not be conceived as an end but a means

to reach the goals of the organization. The proposed strategy should incorporate communications

solutions that overcome the weaknesses and reinforce the strengths of the organization.

- Audiences

Audiences should be carefully identified. They depend on the environment in which the

Communications Strategy is going to be implemented, on the circumstances, capacities of the

organization. The following table gives an idea of possible audiences.


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- Messages

Strategic targeting and consistency should be the approaches to define the messages to

integrate the Communications Strategy. To maximize the impact of the Communications Strategy

different messages should be built up to be disseminated among the different audiences. Since

communications is about storytelling it is recommended to use interesting narrative, human

interest stories and supporting documents such as briefings and reports.

- Actions and activities

This is the core center of the Communications Strategy and it is composed by the activities

designed to reach the already defined goals. Again, audiences should be taken into

consideration when designing the actions/activities to integrate the Communications Strategy.

- Human and economic resources

Defining the roles of the team in charge of the implementation of the Communications Strategy

as well as the economic resources to cover it, are key to a successful implementation of the

Communications Strategy.

- Timing and work plan

Once the previous are settled, a detailed matrix to plan the activities in a concrete period of time

should be designed. This should be considered the main mechanism for the successful

implementation of the Strategy.

- Monitoring and evaluation processes

It is important to establish mechanisms to monitor and assess the effectiveness of the

Communications Strategy. This would include both internal and external audiences. The

monitoring and evaluation should have a learning approach so that changes can be added on

progress.

The Essential Elements of the Communications Strategy

1. Review: How have we been communicating in the past? How effective has that been?

How do our audiences perceive us?

2. Objective: What do we want our communications to achieve? Are our objectives

SMART?

3. Audience: Who is our audience? Do we have a primary and a secondary audience?


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What information do they need to act upon our message?

4. Message: What is our message? Do we have one message for multiple audiences or

multiple messages for multiple audiences?

5. Basket: What kinds of communications “products” best capture and deliver our

messages?

6. Channels: What channels will we use to promote and disseminate our products?

7. Resources: What kind of budget do we have for this? Will this change in the future?

What communications skills and hardware do we have?

8. Timing: What is our timeline? Would a staged strategy be the most appropriate?

What special events or opportunities might arise? Does the work (or future work) of

like-minded organizations or ministries, etc., present opportunities?

9. Brand: Are all of our communications products “on brand”? How can we ensure that we are

broadcasting the right message?

Source: http://web.idrc.ca/uploads/user-S/1226604865112265957811Chapter_6%5B1%5D.pdf

While drawing up your strategy, you should involve your team, and on a smaller scale, the entire

organization. Feed the communications strategy into the organizational strategy to ensure

maximum alignment and efficiency.

SEVEN STEPS OF THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS

Step One: Preparing to Plan: Essential Building Blocks. Effective strategic communications plans depend on an

organization‟s willingness to ask the tough questions, to consider the possibilities of bold actions, to be disciplined about

the allocation of resources, to be diligent in the pursuit of community partnerships and donor support, and to be

persistent in the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the plan. Before engaging in strategic communications

planning, the nonprofit organization should set clear goals for the planning process; should determine roles and

responsibilities for the chief executive officer, senior staff, and board; and should decide whether outside allies should

also be included in the process. The formation of a communications action team (CAT) will facilitate the planning

process and ensure that the planning does not get bogged down.

Step Two: Foundation of the Plan: The Situation Analysis. The strategic communications plan supports the work of the

organization. It must reflect the mission, goals, objectives, and strategies that the organization has established for

fulfilling its vision. For that reason, the strategic plan needs to reflect the environment surrounding the organization,

including an analysis of the internal and external forces affecting the organization. The internal analysis examines the

organization‟s operations and identifies its strengths and weaknesses. The external analysis examines the outside forces

that influence every organization and seeks to identify immediate opportunities and threats.

Step Three: Focusing the Plan: Target Audiences. Successful communications plans put the information needs and

preferences of the audience first. This step asks the question „„Whom do we need to succeed?‟‟ Nonprofit organizations

need to focus their communications efforts and resources on those who are already engaged in work that matches the

organization‟s mission, those who already care about the issue, and those who can be easily prepared to become

involved in the issue.

Step Four: Fostering Audience Support: Communications Objectives. Communications objectives define what is

expected of each target audience and speaks to the question „„What do we want them to do?‟‟ Successful

communications objectives are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Appropriate, Realistic, and Time-bound. Without these

five elements, communications objectives are only wishes and the strategic plan is but a dream of what could be.

http://web.idrc.ca/uploads/user-S/1226604865112265957811Chapter_6%5B1%5D.pdf


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Step Five: Promoting the Nonprofit Organization: Issue Frames and Message Development. Message development is

the component of strategic communications planning that ensures that the target audiences are motivated to take the

actions that will support the organization‟s mission. Effective, persuasive messages must inform, motivate and involve

audiences. Messages must be mission driven, audience focused, and action oriented.

Step Six: Advancing the Plan: Vehicles and Dissemination Strategies. An effective communications plan relies on

coordinated dissemination strategies that utilize all five forms of communication: face-to-face, print, audio, video, and

electronic communications. The plan must reinforce the mission, values, and messages in several different formats for

maximum impact on each target audience.

Step Seven: Ensuring that the Plan Succeeds: Measurement and Evaluation.

Knowing the success measures for the communications plan ensures that staff, board, volunteers, and others remain

focused on what needs to be done and why. Clear impact measures, established at the beginning of the planning

process, make it easier to ascertain what is working, what needs to be changed, and what can safely be abandoned.

After these steps have been completed, the worksheets are transferred into a written plan that includes:

- An executive summary or overview of the plan

- The organization‟s mission and value statements

- The communications objectives

- Clear communications strategies and dissemination plans for each priority audience

- Key messages

- Main products and services to be developed

- A budget

- An implementation plan (with timeline)

- Clear benchmarks for evaluating success

Source: Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Organizations: Seven Steps to Creating a Succesful Plan, Sally J.

Patterson, Janel M. Radtke, February 2009

3.3. Types of media campaigns


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Source: http://www.mediaevaluationproject.org/HFRP.pdf

3.4. Measuring the effectiveness of the Communications Strategy

Monitoring and evaluation of Communications Strategy should be contemplated as a continuous

process that follows learning approaches. Instructions to conduct monitoring, follow up and

evaluation of the Communications Strategy should be described within the work plan of the

Strategy.

WHY EVALUATE COMMUNICATIONS?

Evaluation improves the effectiveness of your communications Developing a smart communication plan is an essential first step. But without a thoughtful evaluation strategy, you have no way of knowing if your plan is working or whether you need to make adjustments. Knowing the effect of your communication activities and fine-tuning those areas that need improvement will help you reach the outcomes you seek.

Evaluation can help you effectively engage with your audience


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How do you identify and connect with your audiences and ensure that your messages are resonating with them? Evaluation is key. Baseline research conducted at the beginning will help you understand your audiences’ priorities and values. Throughout implementation, evaluation can help you find ways to gather feedback from your audiences and learn how they are responding to your messages.

Situations change – strategies and tactics may need to change as well In working to generate social change, you will inevitably face unexpected events, opportunities and threats that affect your work. Evaluation helps you collect valuable information at these critical moments so that you can make tactical and strategic adjustments. It can also help you determine whether your changes are putting you back on the path to success.

Evaluation helps you allocate resources wisely All foundations and nonprofits work with limited human and financial resources. Evaluation can help determine whether your communication investments could be redistributed more effectively to achieve the desired results. Source: http://comnetwork.org/resources/downloads/AreWeThereYet.pdf

To start the evaluation exercise it is recommended to pose some evaluation questions such as:

Where the objectives previously settled reached?

Were the target audiences approached?

Did the target audience respond in the expected way?

Where the designed activities implemented?

What went wrong and why? How this can be solved?

After the evaluation questions it is recommended to fix the indicators that would be used in the

exercise. Indicators should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and available in a timely

manner (SMART). They are tools to assess if the expected objectives of the Communications

Strategy are being achieved.

Some types of indicators we might use are the following:

* Output indicators that measure the activities of the Strategy. An example can be the number

of press conferences held

* Results indicators that measure the immediate effects of the Strategy and provide information

on the added value of the Strategy. An example can be the positive articles about the

organization resulting from the press conferences held

http://comnetwork.org/resources/downloads/AreWeThereYet.pdf


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* Impact indicators measure the extent to which a programme has achieved its strategy

objectives and refer to the benefits of the Strategy beyond its immediate effects. An example can

be the increase of media professionals with knowledge and interest about the work of our

organization.

Apart from these common indicators, there are other additional indicators, the so-called baseline

indicators that are used in the SWOT analysis. They are composed of the following:

* Objective related baseline indicators that are linked to the wider objectives of the Strategy and

are used to develop the SWOT analysis. Baseline indicators reflect the situation at the beginning of

the programming period and therefore the estimation of the impact should reflect the change

over time that can be attributed to the Strategy

* Context related baseline indicators that provide information on relevant aspects of the

contextual trends that are likely to have an influence on the performance of the Strategy.

Therefore, they serve to identify strengths and weaknesses and to analyze the impact achieved

In both the monitoring and the evaluation exercises, quantification is an essential component so

all indicators should include quantitative and qualitative analysis.

Types of evaluation:

Source: http://www.mediaevaluationproject.org/HFRP.pdf


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UNIT 4. MEDIA, BOTH A CHANNEL FOR DISSEMINATION AND A

STAKEHOLDER

4.1. Media, a strategic partner for organizations

Today‟s complex communications environment means managing multiple stakeholders that can

reinforce the impact of organizations. This trend has become a core requirement for most

communication campaigns.

“Tell me and I will forget, show me and I might

remember, involve me and I will understand”

This Chinese proverb reflects the importance of alliances and partnerships in general and

particularly in the work of NGOs. Involving a partner in the activities of a concrete organization

constitutes a strategic methodology to increase the impact of that activity and to reinforce the

relation with that partner.

Among the multiple stakeholders, media appears as a key one. Media has been traditionally

perceived as a tool to disseminate the work of organizations and as a channel to connect with

the rest of the society as well as a strategy to add visibility to activities, projects of any type of

organizations.

But successful experiences implemented in the field of international development have shown

that media can be more than this: a key partner in amplifying the impact of

programmes/projects. Then, the traditional role of serving as catalyst by adding visibility would be

enriched by taking a more active position and therefore becoming a key agent of development.

The argument of converting media professionals in active agents of development processes is

defended by those supporting the relevance of media in democratic transitions through its

capacity to open dialogue. It is also supported by those who believe that media professionals are

not only platforms for disseminating information but professionals with strong knowledge about

society, politics and a sense of acting as, for instance, mediators.

In addition, media can be:

An advocacy tool by creating an environment of political pressure,

A public education tool by diminishing popular misconceptions,

An active partner in mobilizing society through social awareness initiatives


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In sum, it is highly recommended to involve media professionals in the activities of our organizations since

we can reach benefits as the expressed below:

● Get a higher impact of implemented projects

● Improve the dissemination of the work of organizations

● Gain external support from key stakeholders such as donors

Let‟s review some major ways to involve media:

● Consultative approach: in which media become a tool to conduct consultative processes to

particular audiences

● Assessment approach: in which media becomes an advisor in the communication component

of your project or in your communications strategy

● Participation approach: in which media is a participant in your activities

● Capacity building approach: in which media becomes a facilitator of a capacity building

activity. An example of this approach can be a workshop of NGOs conducted by media

professionals

When approaching media professionals it is important to consider the following:

- Respect the work and deadlines of journalists: media professionals are normally overloaded

with releases and notes from many organizations. Interesting and consistent stories,

documented with detailed data and figures are normally welcomed by journalists. It can

happen that media professionals do not have the time to attend events so good stories

sent from organizations are appreciated.

- Understand the nature of the work of journalists who are not obliged to know and to

understand the work of organizations. Therefore, simple wording and clear explanations

about projects, programmes, and activities would be needed.

- Prepare a list of media contacts and establish good relations with them


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Source: “NGO Media Outreach: Using the Media as an Advocacy Tool”, Produced by the Coalition for the International

Criminal Court, September 2003found at: http://www.amicc.org/docs/NGO-media_training.pdf

http://www.amicc.org/docs/NGO-media_training.pdf


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4.2. Tools and strategies to reach the media: types of releases and approaches. When and

where to use the right one

There are multiple types of interactions that can be developed with media. Creativity is the only

limit here. The following table summarizes the main types of interaction when talking about media

relations:

Media briefings / Media breakfasts: sessions in which the

organization exchanges information about its activities with

selected and previously identified media professionals from

different media outlets. This is a good opportunity to build trust

with media professionals and a very cost-effective practice for

dissemination and visibility of the organization. A key issue is to

build a consistent and interesting agenda for the guests to join

this type of session. The inclusion of top personalities of the

organization and of other partner and supporting institutions

would be a good input. A briefing session/media breakfast can

take around 1 hour.

Press conferences: this type of interaction is normally held with

occasion of a formal announcement or in the framework of a

bigger event such as a Congress or a Summit. It is a tool to

structure media relations so that media requests are organized in

an efficient manner. The agenda of the press conference should

have a defined agenda with key speakers that should prepare

their interventions in advance. A press conference normally

takes between 30 minutes and 1 hour.

Punctual declarations to press: If the event does not have an

appropriate structure to hold a press conference, an improvised

encounter with media should take place. That encounter

normally takes place at the beginning of the event and should

be as well prepared in advance. These improvised declarations

should not take more than 10 to 15 minutes.

Media trainings: most organizations are disappointed when

media disseminate the wrong message or when media

professionals following their activities do not have a clear

knowledge about the field of work. This is particularly common in

the framework of NGOs. Training and informative sessions about

the work of NGOs in general and concrete fields in particular

(gender equality, rural development, children education…) will

help us to disseminate our message among specialized media

professionals.


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Media field visits meaning organized trips of media professionals

to projects to disseminate the field work of organizations.

Types of material to send to media:

● Briefing

● Report

● Announcement –Note

● Invitation

● Press release

The press release

The central components that every press release must include are:

o Your organization‟s name and logo

o Contact information of experts for further information

o The date

o A headline that reflects the main message

o A sub-headline that adds a second, forward-looking theme

o A lead paragraph that explains the problem and gives key information

o A background paragraph that gives the context to the problem

o At least one quote from an expert on the subject

o A suggested solution and a call for action

Source: http://www.amicc.org/docs/NGO-media_training.pdf



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Source: http://www.amicc.org/docs/NGO-media_training.pdf



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4.3. Media positioning of organizations

Media constitutes a major channel when articulating the outreach agenda. The

considerations and the attention that a concrete organization receives from the media

community in a concrete environment is normally referred as the positioning of that particular

institution in the media landscape or its media positioning.

The nature of the media relations that organizations develop is intimately related to their

media positioning. Therefore, an organization having continuous media briefings, media

breakfasts and field visits of journalists among other activities, would have more possibilities to

have a consistent media positioning.

Apart from the coverage that media professionals can provide, organizations can also work

on their own media positioning. New media tools offer a relevant platform in this sense. The

following are some products that NGOs can use to improve their media positioning:

ICT-based materials (newsletters, websites, online

questionnaires…)

Paper-based materials such as brochures, leaflets and

promotional/informative publications in general


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Citizen journalism-based products such as a radio/TV

programme conducted by the NGO or a

magazine/newspaper


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UNIT 5. NETWORKING AND ADVOCACY

5.1. Differences between networking and advocacy

“Networking is the exchange of information or services among

individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically, the cultivation of

productive relationships for employment or business”

“Advocacy is the act of pleading or arguing in favor of

something, such as a cause, idea, or policy; active support”

Networking is a practice that we follow both as human beings and as organizations. In the

framework of organizations, it is based on the principle of adding relevance to the work of entities

through cooperation and working together with others. Networking is intimately related to

partnerships establishment and both practices share common potentials.

There are three basic principles to be discussed in the context of networking practices:

a. Equity between the partners that contributes to build trust among them

b. Transparency in the information shared by partners

c. Mutual benefit meaning that networking is a win-win practice in which everybody obtain

benefits

In the practical exercise of Networking –from the organizational point of view- questions such as

“who can be my partner”, “for what reason I want to involve this or that partner” or “how can I

establish a relation with that partner” will help organizations to improve its power to networking.

Together with networking practices, advocacy appears as the process to influencing those with a

role in decision making affecting the well being of society, normally from the political frameworks.

Advocacy is intimately related to networking and communications processes since it involves:

- Delivering of messages to influence thoughts and actions from leaders and politicians

- Promoting dialogue among interested parties –for instance between NGOs and local

governments

- Creating coalitions to reinforce pressure to political leaders

Following the above, advocacy is about campaigning, lobbying and changing attitudes through

the inclusion of new thinking and new actions that can benefit particular groups.


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Why Engage in Advocacy, anyway?

Advocacy work will;

- Assist partners and local communities to have a deeper understanding of what policy analysis, networking

and lobbying entail

- Help partners and local leaders develop strategic capacities and new competencies as analysts, reform

advocates, animators, catalysts and change agents

- Train partners to develop tools and sharpen skills in social mobilization, political strategy and trend analysis.

- Equip partners with skills and capabilities in mobilizing voluntary energy to catalyze system and policy

change,

- Monitor policy formulation and implementation and engage effectively in networking and solidarity

building

- Influence policy change and get commitment to action from those in authority

Stages in Planning for Advocacy:

When planning for advocacy work, the following stages are crucial:

1 Building Identity: agreeing on objectives, core mandate, constituency, values and guiding principles. It is

about formation of a committee, network, coalition, organization, alliance etc.

2 Mobilization & Mapping: of resources, actors, institutions, allies, targets and analysis of stakeholder

environment including their positions. Analysis of stakeholder environment and risk assessment. Gathering

policy and political information. What are the key political debates, who is who in the debate? Which issues

or people have caused conflict in the past? How these solved?

3 Developing a shared vision or common understanding: building strategic relationships, sensitization,

education to change attitudes, create expectations and form perspectives

4 Definition and elaboration of the policy problem: identification of policy theme, analysis of the policy

environment, understanding the problem, taking positions or options. How does the policy affect you and

the poor?

5. Identification of goals and objects; around which the activities will revolve, including self

reflection/analysis of strengths and weaknesses – SWOT analysis

6. Campaign strategy: rollout plan and methodology design

7. M & E: firming up a monitoring and evaluation framework;


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Source: Policy and Advocacy for CSOs, found at: http://www.ancefa.org/IMG/pdf/POLICY_ADVOCACY_FOR_CSOs.pdf

5.2. The relevance of networking. Efficient networking practices

Networking brings many benefits that we try to summarize in the following:

i) It can constitute a reinforcement and capacity building tool as organization can enrich

with the experiences of the others

ii) It can enhance the social capital of the organization therefore guaranteeing its

sustainability

iii) It helps to disseminate information to new audiences and therefore adds visibility to

organizations

It is important to note that:

● Importance of networking as a life skill

● Need to focus in our social capital

● Devote adequate time and energy

● Reach out and stay in touch

● Contribute to others but do not keep scores

● Develop and implement your action plan NOW

http://www.ancefa.org/IMG/pdf/POLICY_ADVOCACY_FOR_CSOs.pdf


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The power of networks and its classification

Networks are a powerful mechanism for:

• Sharing information and knowledge

• Promoting communication

• Acting as effective catalysts for building up relationships and commitment among the public,

private and civil stakeholders

• Promoting coordination at the local, national, regional and international levels

• Building trusting relationships

• Serving as mutual learning and capacity building mechanisms

• Bringing multiple stakeholders together

• Activating the interface between knowledge and action

Informal and Formal Networks Informal Networks: (a) Communities of Practice develop when organisations/people come together voluntarily. These networks are defined by KNOWLEDGE and EXPERIENCE, not by specific tasks to be completed in a specific amount of time. Very little administration is involved, and people participate because they have a real need. To know what others are doing. (b) Social Networks are Maps of personal, friendly or business relationships consisting of informal, individual relations between professionals or friends. There is no deliberately defined purpose, and they grow organically, and are not actively planned or managed. Social networks play an important part in managing daily private and working lives. They can be recreational, informative (book clubs), helpful in times of need. (in smaller communities, people rally in times of death) Formal Networks: These can be defined as interrelated groups of several independent institutions or organizations, established for a specific need or according to a specific design. Members share a set of common activities, and they meet regularly. Sometimes they have legal arrangement, and they usually require a subscription. This is based on common needs of members, and a goal of achieving change in their own contexts. Formal Networks also from around political agendas of countries and regions. In development cooperation, formal networks consist of NGOs, government organizations, development agencies, and other regional and national or international organizations. Source: http://www.intrac.org/data/files/resources/628/INTRAC-Networking-and-Relationship-Building-for-CSOs-Tookit.pdf


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5.3. Channels and products

When creating a Communications Strategy for a concrete organization we should be able to

differentiate between channels and products in order to use the right ones and having the

maximum impact. To give some examples, let‟s analyze the following table:

Channel Product

Internet / Electronic

Website

Newsletter

Email

Online forum

Radio

Radio programme

Radio debate

Radio interview

Paper

Brochure

Leaflet

Magazine

Oral

Conference

Briefing session

Seminar


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UNIT 6. NEW MEDIA

6.1. What is New Media?

“New media is the result of the application of new

technologies (digital/satellite/cable) to traditional media”

Although it is normally related to tools to promote social networking and citizenship participation,

New Media is more than this. Website functionalities, productivity applications, email marketing

and outsourcing are some of the uses of New Media that help organizations to better perform

their daily work.

Functionalities such as Intranet and products such as mobile films reflect the high relevance and

the complex dimension of New Media as the way we have started to communicate in the XXI

century.

There is certain confusion between New Media, Internet, Social Networking and ICTs. These four

concepts constitute different fields of work, so let‟s try to add some clarification.

While New Media represents the configuration of communications in the era of information

societies, ICTs differ from the previous as it counts for the combination of information technologies

with communications. ICTs are normally applied to all aspects of daily life. Some recurrent

examples are the following:

- Health / medicine: screening systems

- Education: open education and e-learning systems

- E-governance applications

- Geographical positioning devices such as the GPS

New Media is often related to Internet although they are not the same. New Media can result as

well from the combination of mobile and other technologies such as TDT (Terrestrial Digital

Television) to traditional mass media. Some examples would be mobile audiovisual productions

and audio books.

Finally, social networks constitute a new element in the way citizens communicate, express

themselves and speak openly. We will focus in this chapter later.

6.2. Trends, tools and products

New media is evolving more rapidly than the definitions trying to explain the concept and its

content. It is developing and growing so fast that creativity and usability have become the main


35




leading factors to add innovative tools and products. Some of the current trends in the field of

new media are the following:

- E-libraries of resources of different nature

- New devices such as tablets and mobile devices that are adding portability to

communications

- Interaction mechanisms with target audiences that promote a dialogue with the general

and the specialized public

- New e-products to target audiences: e-brochures, DVDs, clips

Online radio programmes, communities of practice and e-dialogues are some of the products

that new media promotes but there are plenty of them that can be of use to organizations. To

know more about new media tools: http://aids.gov/using-new-media/tools/

6.3. The Social Media Revolution

Together with the generalized use of Internet an innovative concept of public communication has

arisen: social media. I would differentiate between three different approaches of social media:

- Twitter, Facebook, Digg and MySpace are some of the social media tools that have

constituted a revolution in the traditional way citizens used to communicate

- On a second level, professional networks, such as Linked In, technical tools such as FlickR

and VIMEO are additional uses of new media that I would not consider social networks

since they have other implications.

- Finally, citizen journalism through blogging and telling-story-oriented sites such as Word Press

constitute a third group of social media

However, we can define common characteristics to these three approaches:

1. Social media is about user-generated content and citizen participation

2. It provides both personal and professional networking

3. It opens possibilities to engage and mobilize the general public, so possibilities to develop

common actions

4. It poses platforms for exchanging experience, knowledge and best practices

These characteristics can be of high benefit if applied to the framework of organizations. For

instance, organizations using social media applications can improve their relations with their

target audiences, can engage with other potential partners and stakeholders and know what

others are doing in their field of action.

http://aids.gov/using-new-media/tools/


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UNIT 7. REVIEW OF CASE STUDIES

A good example of the support that communications can give to programmatic activities in a

health project can be the one developed by DFID in Kenya:

As part of designing an HIV/AIDS activity in Kenya, a DFID design team needed to have a deeper

understanding of various issues and constraints related to the epidemic. Before moving to a large

log frame workshop the team decided to conduct focus group interviews with potential target

groups and service providers. Through the focus groups the team gained a much deeper

understanding of HIV/AIDS-related problems, constraints and opportunities. At the same time,

participants in the groups learned much about common problems they themselves were facing

and their possible solutions. Counseling and testing groups discovered they all faced a critical

issue about how to protect the confidentiality of HIV-positive clients. Through the discussion they

were able to exchange ideas of how to achieve this. Some had a policy focus and helped

understand where changes in government practice and legislation could help. These issues were

brought into the log frame workshop, where they were integrated in the design through an

activity output dealing with improved counseling and testing services.

Source: http://portals.wi.wur.nl/files/docs/ppme/Tools_handbook_final_web.pdf

Education is also a major field of action of many NGOs, development agencies and international

organizations. See below a good case study of the use of communications approaches to fight

illiteracy:

Fighting illiteracy with radio in South Sudan

It is rare to hear children reciting thei

r school lessons while helping with housework or playing at home. But thanks to an education initiative

called the Learning Village, the new habit might take root in Southern Sudan. The use of interactive radio

instruction programmes is one of the pillars of the Learning Village, a project of the Government of South

Sudan‟s (GoSS) Department of Alternative Education Systems in the Ministry of Education, Science and

Technology.

The Learning Village programme has been well received in all 59 participating schools of Yei River County in

Central Equatoria State. To help reverse South Sudan‟s poor quality of education and some the world‟s

lowest school attendance, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is supporting

the Education Development Centre (EDC) to use radio as a means of delivering high quality education to

children in Southern Sudan as well as the disputed regions of Abyei, Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan.

Targeting primary school children up to fourth grade, the Learning Village focuses on local language

literacy, English, mathematics and life skills. Solar-powered radio sets are used to play pre-recorded

programmes that are broadcasted on local radio stations. Digital MP3 players substitute radios in areas

without access to transmission signals.

http://www.goss-online.org/magnoliaPublic/en/ministries/Education-Science-and-Technology.html

http://www.goss-online.org/magnoliaPublic/en/ministries/Education-Science-and-Technology.html

http://www.edc.org/projects/dot-edu_southern_sudan_interactive_radio_instruction_ssiri_program


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Source; http://southsudaninfo.net/2011/03/fighting-illiteracy-with-radio-in-south-sudan/

Sustainability and environment is a relatively new field explored by most agencies and NGOs. A

good case study of communications actions in this field can be constituted by the approaches

used by UNEP worldwide:


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Source: Communicating Sustainability, UNEP. Found at: http://www.unep.fr/scp/

In the field of women rights, communications campaigns aimed at increasing social awareness

and advocacy have been of high success. A good example is the recent campaign

Women2Drive held in Saudi Arabia:


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Women2Drive campaign faced roadblock due to few risk takers

A Facebook campaign that urged Saudi women to drive in a bid to overturn a ban on female motorists was a failure,

according to local media. Traffic police say no one was arrested and there were no accidents reported on June 17.

“The traffic police did not expect women to drive on Friday and not one ticket was issued for women that day,” said a Makkah

province police source. “It was a normal day on the streets of Jeddah as the police did not see any women driving and we

did not respond to the online campaign whatsoever.”

The campaign urged women who drove on the day to upload videos of them driving.

A Saudi woman living in Riyadh uploaded a clip of her driving to the supermarket at 12.45 p.m. the same day. The video

showed that the woman was clearly nervous while driving, as she could not keep up with the conversation she was having

with the man behind the camera. “We just want to run our lives by ourselves. We don’t need to be driven around. We need to

go to work, shop and run errands without having to rely on drivers,” she said in the video.

The campaign was deemed a failure as hardly any women drove that day despite the amount of support for the initiative.

“There were only 40 women who drove in the Kingdom. We expected more,” said Bayan Essam, one of the women

supporting the cause.

“I believe the reason behind that is because only a few women know how to drive and there are even fewer who actually

have international driving licenses.”

Columnist at Al-Watan newspaper and professor of linguistics at the girls’ college of King Abdulaziz University, Amira

Kashgari, also drove her car in Jeddah.

“I took my daughter and made my driver sit in the back seat and drove around Jeddah to support the cause. It’s a matter of

delivering a message and upholding a principle. It’s not a matter of whether the campaign was a failure or not. It’s a matter of

showing people that we are able to deliver our message through action,” she said.

A group of young men told Arab News they were ready to report any women driving to the police. “We will take pictures of

them and give the police their number plates and the time and place where they drove,” said Hattan Abu Ras, one of the

men. “Those women are going against Shariah and the Supreme Council of Senior Religious Scholars, and we are going to

do anything to keep them off the streets.” The initiative is ludicrous according to Abdullah Al-Qahtani, a 32-year-old Saudi

who is against women driving.

“I see women are focusing on unimportant things like driving and not thinking about more important things like finding jobs,”

he said. “In the campaign by the Civil Service department last year, they said they had made available almost 11,000 jobs,

but the women who applied exceeded 13,000. I think this proves that we have bigger problems than women driving.”

Source: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article458534.ece


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BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCES

● Strategic Research and Political Communication for NGOs: Initiating Policy Change, The

Accenture Foundation, School of Communication Management and The Banyan, October 2009

● George F. Hayhoe, Connecting People with Technology: Issues in Professional Communication,

Baywood's Technical Communications Series, November 2008

● Aleksandr Goltsman, Development of effective communications Strategies for NGOs, 2010

● Chris Rose, How to Win Campaigns: 100 Steps to Success, 2005

● Barbara Rugendyke, NGOs as Advocates for Development in a Globalizing World, 2007

● Peter Willetts, Non-Governmental Organizations in World Politics: The Construction of Global

Governance, Global Institutions, 2011

● David Armstrong, Valeria Bello, Julie Gilson and Debora Spini, Civil Society and International

Governance: The Role of Non-State Actors in the EU, Africa, Asia and Middle East,

Routledge/GARNET series, 2010

● Wilson Laurie and Ogden Joseph, Strategic Communications Planning for Effective Public

Relations and Marketing, Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2008

● Sally J. Patterson and Janel M. Radtke, Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Organization:

Seven Steps to Creating a Successful Plan, Wiley, 2009

● Heather Graves and Roger Graves, A Strategic Guide to Effective Technical Communication,

Broadview Press 2007

● Organizational Communications, Communications for Governance and Accountability

Program, found at:

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTGOVACC/Resources/OrganizationalCommweb.pdf

● Zeljko Turkalj, Ivana Fosic, Organizational Communications as a Factor of Organizational

Behavior, Faculty of Economics, Croatia, found at:

http://www.efos.hr/repec/osi/journl/PDF/InterdisciplinaryManagementResearchV/IMR5a03.pdf

● Communicating Sustainability, How to produce effective public campaigns, UNEP, 2005

● Edith Asibey, Toni Parras and Justin van Fleet, Are We There Yet? A Communications Evaluation

Guide, The Communications Network, 2008

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTGOVACC/Resources/OrganizationalCommweb.pdf

http://www.efos.hr/repec/osi/journl/PDF/InterdisciplinaryManagementResearchV/IMR5a03.pdf

Documents

ORGANIZATIONAL AND STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS - ToT Booklet