Strategic Communications… and all the Ps

1. Strategic Communications… and all the Ps Vandana Mehra Water and Sanitation Program-South Asia 26 February 2009, Bhopal, India

2. Strategic Communications? But Why?

3. A strategic communication program for privatization, PSP and PPP serves two broad purposes • A powerful tool for reform and support for reforms. Can make the difference between a project's success and failure • it helps to avert failure by identifying current and potential sources of both support and opposition. • A systematic approach to communication helps to achieve a well-tailored PSP program, serving as a two-way check and feedback mechanism at every stage, from planning through execution

4. 2 Identify Causes 1 Effective Start 3 Clarify Symptoms Evaluate Options Local decision makers 6 Evaluate Performance 4 Select Solution(s) 5 FALSE START Implement Solution(s) Expert Assistance (e.g. consultants, professional associations) Public Participation (e.g. advisory committees, public hearings) Federal, state & local rules, regulations, customs

5. CASE:The Delhi Story

6. DJB was embarking on a PPP project in two operational zones in 2004-5 • 80% of the 16 million people living in the National Capital Territory of Delhi has access to piped water and 75% to sewers. • Total area 1,485 sq km. Density of population 9,340 per km • DJB serves a total of 1.5 million water connections and probably 1.3 million sewer connections • Total staff strength: 27,000 (or about 18 staff/1000 connections!) • 8 labour unions, now ‘activated’

7. So how did – and still do – consumers get their information and communication?

9. The Communication Challenge External: Outside the organization Key external stakeholders: Politicians/ NGOs/ Media/ Customers • External communication primarily focused on reaching the customer: near impossible to reach 14m customers with targeted communications. • Indirect communication, which is achieved through policymakers or opinion-builders. • Policymakers comprise of politicians at all levels, across party lines. • Opinion-builders comprise of media, resident associations, NGO’s,

10. What we have learnt till now • ‘Low-profile’ not to be confused with ‘silence’ or allowing others to manage your debate for you. • POLITICAL consensus fundamental for sustained reform. • MEDIA plays the most important role in opinion building: Crucial link between government and citizen • NGOs: most will be happy to see improvement in services but be prepared for the two-three who will go after your project, rationally or irrationally. Grossly exaggerated voices will be the loudest and heard the most

11. So how do staff get their information and communication?

12. “Delhi Jal Board ko videshi company ke haatho bechne ki saazish ko nakam karo!Akhri saas tak sangharsh”

13. The Communications Challenge Internal: Within the organization • Key internal stakeholders • Engineers/ Managers/ Revenue/ Finance/ Administration/ Labour • The Delhi reform process took its roots in early 2000, picked up in Feb 2004: Till January 2005, employees did not have any formal communication on the reform process or even on the vision of the Delhi Jal Board for 24/7 supply

14. The Communications Challenge • Formal communication pertaining to HR matters, emanates from the Administration and Personnel wing by issuing circulars only. • The absence of a dedicated communication team: presents an imposing challenge on the organization to present a unified and consistent set of messages.

15. Perceived concerns of employees • Job security • Disciplinary matters • Change in reporting hierarchy • Ideological issues of private sector • Fear of ‘foreigners’ • What's the big deal…we can do it ourselves!!!!

16. What we have learnt till now • Engagement should be early, transparent, and ongoing; unions should be at the table from the start. • Understand what workers want: gauging workers’ concerns, preferences, and requests. • Trust is the key to successful consultations.

17. Consultations with employees: never too little, always too late

18. DJB - or as most public sector- communicates Communicating in a non-strategic way means: • creating and disseminating a flood of messages that could be unrelated, disconnected, contradictory, unfocused, with no clear purpose or direction • no way to measure their effectiveness and results • spend a lot of time and money this way without ever knowing whether you are getting any return on your investment

19. Building Blocks of Communications Program 1 Communication needs assessment 3 Strategy Design 2 Planning and capacity -building 4 Program Implementation 5 Measuring impact of the program

20. Communications Needs Assessment • Evaluates political, social and cultural environment • Assesses position of key stakeholders • Identifies potential roadblocks for the proposed reform • Assesses Government’s capacity to engage in credible two way communications and training needs • Identifies partners and local communications professionals • Develops strategic guidelines for future communications plan

21. Components of Communication Strategies This involves: • framing the issues, • segmenting audiences based on their positions, • preparing appropriate messages to mobilize support and address the right concerns, • finding the most effective mix of channels to reach audiences, • creating communication capacity on the ground to implement the process, and • designing mechanisms for supervision and evaluation.

22. Steps in communication strategy- preparation • Identify communication objectives • Assess resources, both human and physical • Consider overall project implementation strategy • Identify communication nodes in the project implementation • List specific communication activities for each node • Mobilize resources

23. Steps in communication strategy- audience analysis • Identify audience at different nodes of communication • Segment audiences – Champions, supporters (active and passive), fence-sitters, opponents (active and passive), those who have direct stakes and those who don’t. • Try to understand what they know, what they don’t and what the counter-arguments are. • Try to find out what motivates resistance and how genuine the concerns are.

24. Steps in communication strategy- messages • Assess training needs to work on messages for different media • Arrange training if necessary. • Develop message packages • Field-test messages for their appropriateness vis-à-vis target audiences and the chosen media • Check on message support system • Decide on timing and frequency for delivering messages • Deliver messages

25. Steps in communication strategy- media selection • Identify the appropriate media to reach different segments of audience • Create a media mix to reach larger audience, reinforce messages and exploit the potential of different channels of communication – print, electronic, folk, internet, etc. • Decide on methods of communication, e.g., articles in newspapers, video, audio cassettes for rural people, TV panel discussion, seminar etc.

26. Steps in communication strategy- evaluation • Receive feedback on messages whether they are well-understood. • Receive feedback from targeted audience. • Monitor reactions from the opponents. • Monitor social mobilization • Assess further communication needs • Evaluate the whole communication program • Redesign or adjust the strategy

27. What does communication mean for you?Do you think communication helps in accelerating the reform process?Does your organization have a communication department? Or a media management department? What percentage of your budget is allocated for strategic communication activities?