Communications planning for national human rights

institutions

Richard Carverppt 6

COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING FOR NATIONAL

HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS

Who do we communicate with?

• The public

• Clients (people who file petitions)

• Government

• Parliament

• Judiciary

• Donors

Why does communication matter?

• That is how we get our message across• That is how we persuade people to

change• That is how the public know that we are

here• That is how we learn• That is how we are held accountable

What means do we use to communicate?

• Mass media

• Reports

• Public events

• Private meetings

• Letters

• Joint activities

We communicate the whole time - why is it necessary to make a plan?

• To make the best use of available resources

• To make sure we are all saying the same thing

• To communicate our messages the most effectively

What are the eight steps in communications planning?

• Define the purpose of communications• Analyse your strengths and weaknesses• Define your message• Define your audience• Develop a media strategy• Develop techniques of media relations• Create a timeline• Evaluate the impact

1. Defining the purpose

• Education

• Influence

• Change

2. Strengths and weaknesses

• External strengths (opportunities)

For example…• Favourable media• Good public reputation

• External weaknesses (threats)

For example…• Hostile media• Little public profile

• Internal strengths

For example…• Human and financial resources (including staff

with media experience)• Good communication skills

• Internal weaknesses

For example…• Few resources• Lack of skills and experience

This can be expressed in the form of a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats).

Like this…

3. Defining your message

• One message or many?

• Do they change over time?

• Are they different for different audiences?

4. Defining your audience

• The public• Clients (people who file petitions)• Government• Parliament• Judiciary• Donors

5. Developing a media strategy

• Based on analysis of strengths and weaknesses

• Depends on audiences: what media are most effective for reaching them?

• Depends (to an extent) on messages: how simple/complex are they? How varied?

• Reactive or proactive? Or a mixture?

6. Techniques of media relations

• Techniques are tactics - they are subordinate to strategy

• Most can be prepared in advance - proactive

• Need for specialist skills: media or communications officer, or department

Some examples of media techniques:

• Interviews

• Press conferences

• Press releases

• Advertisements

• Op-ed articles

7. Timing

• When do these things happen?

• Reactive or proactive (how far is it possible to plan in advance?)

• Must create a calendar of events

8. Evaluation

How can we tell if our communications strategy is effective?

Evaluation must be built in at the planning stage.

Monitoring media coverage

Tells us if the media have covered the NHRI, but not the public impact.

Public opinion surveys - difficult to design and probably too expensive

Qualitative indicators• focus groups• partners