Stages in an Advocacy Campaign Identifying Channels of Communication Identifying Resources

1. Stages in an Advocacy Campaign Identifying Channels of Communication Identifying Resources Developing an Implementation Plan

2. Today’s Training Objectives • identify and demonstrate effective communication skills and approaches • understand types and identify appropriate resources to support advocacy initiatives • be able to develop an implementation plan for an advocacy campaign

3. Channels of Communication In the last training we looked at developing a message for your advocacy campaign This session explores how you select the appropriate channel(s) of communication for this/these message(s).

4. Channels of Communication • Listening is an underrated skill! Most people believe that they get what they want through talking. Many successful people, however, spend more time listening than talking. When they talk, they often ask questions to learn more.

5. Channels of Communication • To increase the likelihood of success in advocacy, NGOs have a responsibility to communicate with stakeholders as effectively as possible. They must transmit their messages in a way that ensures that listeners understand the intent of the message. Similarly, they must be able to interpret messages in the way the speaker intends them to be interpreted.

6. Channels of Communication • Face to Face meetings • Executive briefing packet • Briefs/White Papers/Fact Sheets • Public debates • Press Release • Press Conference • Posters/flyers in public places • Radio/television • Internet

7. What are your experiences with strategic communications in your NGO?

8. Identifying resources

9. Types of resources for a CSO • Money • Your people • Human Resources • Partners • Information and knowledge • Relationships • Reputation • Time

10. Identifying Resources • The resources a CSO has available for advocacy work will be a mix of financial, human capacity and common or shared knowledge. • Examining each of the elements in turn will enable you to identify any gaps that need filling before you can begin advocacy

11. Money • What money do you have available for this advocacy project? • Where is money coming from: your organisation, partners, other funders? • Are there likely to be cash flow problems, or difficulties getting authorization to spend?

12. Money cont… • Roughly how much do you think you will need to implement the activities you are considering? • Is your budget realistic, and based on actual costs or quotes?

13. People • Who will be available to work on the different aspects of the project? their skills and experience • Do the key people have the right skills and experience? If not, can you train them or get other people involved?

14. Other human resources • Do you have access to other people who can help? • Do you have volunteers to distribute leaflets, campaign supporters to write letters, community members to attend meetings?

15. Partners • What could potential partners deliver?

16. Information and Knowledge • Have you been able to do the sufficient amount of research and analysis on the issue, on your objectives and solutions, and to identify your targets?

17. Relationships • What relationships do you, your staff, volunteers and partners have which you will be able to use? • These may be among target audiences, influentials or in practical areas such as materials design or the media

18. Reputation • do you or your partners have a strong reputation among the target audiences, with the public or the media? • If not, have you developed strategies and tactics to get around this?

19. Time • Do you have enough time to implement your project effectively? • Are there particular deadlines that you have to meet? • Are there external events that you wish to use, such as elections, national or local political meetings, government planning cycles or international summits?

20. Exercise: Developing a Resource Strategy

21. Developing an Implementation Plan

22. Developing an Implementation Plan • this is a plan that is action-oriented • it should be developed with input from and the consensus of the entire membership in order to create a sense of shared ownership and commitment.

23. Implementation Plans should include: • Details activities • Resources • Timeframe • Responsible person(s)

24. Reviewing the Advocacy Process

25. What are the key points and considerations for each step? • What did you learn about this phase of the advocacy process that you didn’t know before?

26. Developing and Implementation Plan During these trainings you have… • identified one advocacy issue for action; • set the advocacy goal—a long-term change that you hope to contribute to; • set specific advocacy objectives that will contribute to achievement of the goal;

27. assessed the support and opposition and identified primary and secondary target audiences for each objective; • developed and practiced delivering advocacy messages to key members of their target audience; • reviewed data collection and analysis techniques to support their advocacy messages; and • developed a preliminary resources strategy.

28. BREAK

29. Handout I. Advocacy Implementation Plan Advocacy Implementation Plan

30. Murakoze