Community
Capacity Building
Program
The Communications Planning
Process
Agenda
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Icebreaker
Welcome & Overview
Agenda Review
Why Communicate
Communication Strategies
Types of Media
What to Communicate
Target Audience
Communication/Delivery Options
Establish a Communications Plan
Monitor and Evaluate Plan
Parking Lot
Discussion/Evaluation
Communications Planning
• Why communicate as an organization?
• Communication strategies
• Media
• What to communicate
• Target audience
• Communication/delivery methods
• Communications plan
• Monitor and evaluate plan
Why we communicate? - Exercise 1
• Discuss various reasons for your
organization to communicate
Why we communicate?
• Funding requirement
• Legislative requirements
• Due-Diligence (bylaws)
• Change behaviors/attitudes
• Build community support
• Raise awareness
• Exchange information
Why we communicate?
• Crisis/risk management
• Build capacity
• Advocacy
• Improve volunteer and staff morale
• Recognize accomplishments and
achievements
Communications Planning - Exercise 2
• Identify various terms used by your
organization to describe the communication
activities
• What comprises public relations, marketing
and advertising?
Communications Strategies
• Marketing
• Overall plan to promote organization
• Advertising
• Bring product to customer’s attention
• Public Relations
• Ongoing activities for public image
• Promotion
• Ongoing activities to create familiarity
Communications Planning - Exercise 3
Which media or distribution channels are used by
your organization to communicate?
Media
• Newspapers
• Radio
• Television
• Magazines
• Industry/Community Publications
• Other
Social Media
• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• MySpace
• YouTube
• Etc.
Extremely useful tools for interaction
with a specific audience
Social Media
• Facebook – more “personal” – best
for two-way interaction, photos,
responding to comments
• Twitter – shorter, broader messages –
best for frequent bursts of information
• Many social media accounts can be
linked so that simultaneous posting is
possible
• Popular platform for account linking:
HootSuite
Social Media
• See additional resource for in-depth
social media analysis
Communications Planning
Exercise 4
What does your organization communicate?
What to communicate
• Good news
• Best practices
• Mission/mandate
• Progress reports/achievement
• New initiatives
• Changes
• Policy and opinions
• Basic information and facts
• Events
• Research
Target Audience
• Internal
• Staff
• Volunteers
• Committees
Target Audience
• External
• Funding sources
• Governments
• Business/foundations
• Partners
• Governments
• College/schools
• Service clubs/volunteer organizations
• Elected officials
• Others
• Media
• Public
Tools to Reach Target Audience
• Social media
-Presents effective method to reach specific groups
based on interests/wants/needs/connections
• Facebook
- Offers targeted ads based on search patterns and
“likes” of individual users
Communications Planning
Exercise 5
• Who is your target audience?
• Use small group discussion to identify
the various target audience(s) for the
case studies
Communication/Delivery Methods
• Branding
• News release
• Public service announcement (PSA)
• Brochure
• Display/backdrop
• Speeches/presentations
Communication/Delivery Methods
• Newsletters and circulars
• General correspondence
• Technology
• Minutes
• Reports
• Sponsorships
• Consultations
Communications Planning
Exercise 6
• Write a public service announcement
• Each participant to write their own public service
announcement
• Identify which media you will use
Communications Planning
Exercise 7
• Developing a communications plan
• Identify the communication methods that you
would use to reach the target audience
identified in Exercise 5.
• Record your responses on flipchart and report
back to large group
Communications Planning
• Strategies and methods
• Regular news releases
• Regular speaking engagements
• Submit articles to publications
• Distribute annual report
• Use website wisely
• Arrange interviews with local media
Communications Planning
• Appoint official spokesperson
• Ensures consistency and credibility
• Provides consistent message and image
• Provide person guidance and training
Communications Planning
• Budget
• Develop budget for advertising
• Develop budget for other initiatives
• Presentations
• Printing
• Special events
Communications Planning
• Interview Skills
• Be prepared
• Avoid “off the record” comments
• Be eloquent
• Be courteous
• Tell the truth or don’t deny bad news
• Ask for clarification
• Be clear, brief and don’t chatter
Communications Planning
Exercise 8
• Handling Media Interviews
• Discuss media interviews
• Role play a media interview
Monitor and Evaluate
• Implement continuous evaluation
• Determine some evaluation strategies
or benchmarks, such as:
• Brochure distribution
• Website hits
• Telephone inquiries
• Types of inquiries
• Media coverage
• Attendance at events
• Prepare annual report
STRATEGY & PLANNING
RELATIONSHIP
BUILDING
ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS &
MANAGEMENT
CO-OPERATIVE
DEVELOPMENT
Strategic Planning
Community
Development
Organizational Governance
Basics of a
Co-operative
Proposal Writing
Public Participation
Board Orientation
Co-operatives and
the Community
Development
Process I
Project Management
Alternative Dispute
Resolution
Meeting Management
Co-operative and
the Community
Development
Process II
Opportunity
Identification
Group Dynamics
Leadership and Motivation
Opportunity
Management
Interpersonal
Communications
Communications
Planning
Legal Issues
Conclusion and Evaluation
•
•
•
•
•
•
Review objectives
Review any additional expectations
Review Parking Lot
Point out Certificates of Participation
Complete evaluation
Thank you!
Community Capacity Building Program
www.intrd.gov.nl.ca/intrd/regionaldev/capacitybuilding.html