“people who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses or the...

“People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses or the problems of modern society.” - Vince Lombardi, 1959-1967 Green Bay Packers coach

{Strategic Communication}

Communicating for ChangeA workshop for the Healthy Communities Initiative

Vera BothnerTami Bradley

October 2, 2013

{Strategic Communication}

Today’s focus:

1. Audience2. Message3. Media

“With public sentiment nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed.” - Abraham Lincoln, 1858

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Want Influence? Eliminate your blind spots*

*Spitfire Strategies

1. The Fast and Furious2. Ready, Fire, Aim3. The Upsiders4. The Over Estimators5. The Narrow Field of Dreamers6. The Gut Reactors7. No GPS Crew

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Want Influence? Eliminate your blind spots*

*Spitfire Strategies

1 2 3 4

A clear sense of the decisions that need to be made

An understanding of who makes the necessary decisions

An informed hypothesis about how the decisions will get made

An understanding of how the organization can influence the decision-making process and a game plan for making that happen

Community Change Framework

Environment that Supports Community

Health Policies

Community Mobilization

Community Education

Advocacy with

Organizational Decision Makers

Educating Government Policymakers

Why is communication important for public policy and CCF?

• Audience centered• Builds relationships• Action oriented

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AUDIENCE

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Target audience• Who are you trying to reach?– Legislators– City council– County commissioners– School board– Media– General public

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Know your audience• Who do you want to reach?• What do they believe? What are they doing now?• What’s keeping them from believing or doing what you want

them to?

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Listen“One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears--by listening to them.” -Dean Rusk

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• Target audience– What do we know?

• Demographics• Interests• What do they know about our policy/issue?

– What do we need to know?• Are they open to our policy?• Who do they listen to? Follow?• What will get them interested in supporting our policy?

Listen

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How to listen• Quantitative

– Email– Mail – Phone

• Qualitative– Focus groups– 1:1 conversations (in person, phone)– Intercept interviews

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How to listen - online

• SurveyMonkey• Twitter: Follow and monitor• Facebook: Likes, Friends, Events• LinkedIn: Business network • Blogs: Monitor • Websites: Getting to know organization

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MESSAGE

“The pure and simple truth is rare pure and never simple.” – Oscar Wilde

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Action– Vote– Testify– Organize– Tell their neighbors– Change a business policy– Modify language

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Develop Messages – Guidelines

Positive languagePlain English LengthSound bite rule – 27-9-3 Stories + visuals + anecdotesRule of ThreeBridgingQuotable

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Bridging LanguageUses transitions to bring you back to your key messages:

What’s important to remember . . . Let me just add . . . That reminds me . . .Let me give you some information about . . . But the facts are . . .Here’s another way to look at that . . .

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Message Development Worksheet

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What I want to communicate MOST is:

1. Message• Story • Example

2. Message• Story• Example

3. Message• Story• Example

“Forget the bullet points. Tell a story.”

Andy Goodman

Getting your message out:Working with the media

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• Sell ideas, vision, mission• Change attitudes• Low-cost means for message• Position your organization as a leader

“If you don’t exist in the media, for all practical purposes, you

don’t exist.” Communications Consortium Media Center

Why work with the media?

To achieve objectives:

Media have a job to do – and so do you• Internal structures and bosses • Timeframes• Inside the reporter’s mind

Types of Media• Broadcast• Print• Small markets• Larger markets

Know your media

How the media work

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When to work with the media• News Tip

• News Release

• News Conference

• Guest Editorials

• Other

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Prepare - Before the Interview

Get to know the reportersGet together background information

• Be preparedDevelop a media policyAsk questions:

• What information interested in?• Focus of story?• Who else talking to?• Deadline?

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Respond – During the interview (10 points):

1. Exercise your rights2. Keep it short, simple and to the point 3. Be prepared to be interrupted4. Keep your focus5. Use positive language

- I don’t believe … Here’s what I believe- It won’t work … Let me make a suggestion about how it might work

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Respond: During the interview

5. If you don’t know, say so, then find out6. Do not speculate on other issues7. Utilize the silence8. Never say “no comment”9. Phone interview - notes

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Respond: During the interview

10. TV Interview:

• Wear solid colors, gray, off white or pastel shirts or blouses• Have demeanor appropriate to subject

Smile and be friendly if good news Compassionate and serious if not

• Lean forward slightly in your chair• Keep eyes on interviewer – not on camera

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MEDIAhttp://www.kwch.com/news/news-adk-kwch-video-zoos-elephant-exhibit-needs-new-money-to-move-forward-20130909,0,4853289.premiumvideo

Sedgwick County Zoo volunteer chair makes the chase for more funding.

http://www.kwch.com/news/kwch-news-am-zoos-elephant-exhibit-needs-new-money-to-move-forward-20130909,0,2028727.story

http://www.ksn.com/2013/07/16/poll-shows-kansans-love-clean-indoor-air/

Statewide poll shows support for clean indoor air law

Final thoughts:

Choose your battles carefullyThe interview is not over until the reporter leaves Invite the reporter to call with questions Not typical to see the story before it is printed or aired

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“Never miss a good chance to shut up.”

Will Rogers

Community Change Framework

Environment that Supports Community

Health Policies

Community Mobilization

Community Education

Advocacy with

Organizational Decision Makers

Educating Government Policymakers

{Strategic Communication }

Environment that

Supports Community

Health Policies

Community Mobilization

AUDIENCE:- Community members- Organizations- Champions

MESSAGE:- Shared goals- Leverage- Coalition building- Funding- Training/Supporting

MEDIA:- Meetings- Phone calls- Email

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Environment that

Supports Community

Health Policies

Community Education

AUDIENCE:- “Public” – targeted

segments

MESSAGE:- Beliefs- Behaviors

MEDIA:- News media- Social media- Events

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Environment that

Supports Community

Health Policies

Educating Government Policymakers

AUDIENCE:- Elected officials – city,

county, state, federal- Key staff

MESSAGE:- Targeted information- Brief- Goal is “education”- Also, build on other messages

- Shared goals- Leverage- Coalition building- Funding- Training/Supporting

MEDIA:- News media- One-on-one meetings

- “Legislative Days” - Reports, briefs,

summaries, PowerPoints

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Environment that

Supports Community

Health Policies

Advocacy with Organizational

Decision Makers

AUDIENCE:- Coalition members- Organizations

- Businesses- Nonprofits

MESSAGE:- Shared goals- Part of the team- Make the case

MEDIA:- Meetings- Phone calls- Email- Toolkits/fact sheets

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Policy Goal

1

Community Education

Advocacy with Organizational

Decision Makers

Government Policymaker Education

Community Mobilization

Target audience?Message?How?

Target audience?Message?How?

Target audience?Message?How?

Target audience?Message?How?

COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

{Marketing and Public Relations}

Build Your Own Plan

Goal #1: By ____, ______________(policy goal)

Target audience

Messages

How?

Community Mobilization

{Marketing and Public Relations}

Build Your Own Plan

Community Education

Goal #1: By ____, ______________(policy goal)

Target audience

Messages

How?

{Marketing and Public Relations}

Build Your Own Plan

Educating Government Policymakers

Goal #1: By ____, ______________(policy goal)

Target audience

Messages

How?

{Marketing and Public Relations}

Build Your Own Plan

Advocacy with Organizational

Decision Makers

Goal #1: By ____, ______________(policy goal)

Target audience

Messages

How?

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Report out