advocacy training webinar middle east teams 2

Influencing, Advocacy and Campaigning - MENa TeamsRichard English Webinar 2 22nd Oct 2015

What we will cover in two webinarsWednesday 21st 11.00 – 13.00• Oxfam’s approach on

influencing, advocacy and campaigning

• How Change happens

• Advocacy and campaigns planning process

• Power analysis and Theories of Change

• Working in partnership and with others

Thursday 22nd 09.00 – 11.00• Personal approaches to

influencing

• Lobbying and policy dialogue and engagement

• Messaging and media strategies

• Managing risks

Influencing and Lobby Skills

Power Framework 1

• Power Over Others: having power over takes power away from others and using it to dominate and prevent others from gaining it

• Power With Others: finding common ground among different interests – based on mutual support, solidarity and collective strength

• Power To Make a Difference: is unique opportunity of every person to shape his or her life and the life of others. If based on mutual support can lead to power with. Each individual has the power to make a difference.

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5 Distinct bases of power

Coercive Power

Legitimate Power

Reward Power

Referent Power

Expert Power

the person has the authority to proscribe behaviour

identification and attraction to the person

the person can mediate punishment

the person mediates rewards

the person possesses unique and rare knowledge/ skill

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Individual power

- Charisma- Reputation- Credibility- Empathy

- Expertise- Information- Tradition

- Family- Community

- Workplace

Knowledge

Personality

Others’ support

Individual Reflection:

How can you be more strategic in your use of your power bases to influence for positive change?

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Power strategies in use

• Form alliances and coalitions

• Present a persuasive viewpoint or argument

• Deal directly with key decision makers

• Use data/information to convince others

• Focus on needs of the audience or target group

• Use contacts for information

• Deal with others socially• Be persistent• Trade favours• Use threats• Give guarantees

PLAN

ESTABLISH CONTACT AND RELATIONSHIP

DIAGNOSE SITUATION

CREATE POSITIVE PARTNERSHIP APPROACH

WORK COOPERATIVELY

OVERCOME CONCERNS/ RESISTANCE

CONTINUE OR CLOSE

PROCESS OF

INFLUENCING

Effective lobbying – different needs• Sharing information:

• Need to keep each other up-to-date on relevant issues

• Offering something of value: • Involves building relationships of trust so government officials

are willing to use expertise and advice of organisation in policy making

• Using soft power:• Making representations on need for policy change – issue are

resolved through influencing or negotiation backed by submissions and outside influencers

Top Tips for lobbyists 1Opportunity to learn what your target actually thinksBuilds and maintains relationships

Confirm timings and agenda in advance Don’t be late Be absolutely clear on key messages and your key asks and

what you want the key decision-maker to do Who else will attend – talk to them informally in advance What’s the composition of your delegation – the more formal the

less useful Pre-meeting with colleagues or allies and agree on what to focus

and don’t air differences in public Dress for the occasion Agree who will lead and have a note-taker Know your stuff but engage in genuine dialogue Debrief Follow-up

Building the relationships

• Don’t forget to cultivate the officials who have influence • Face-to-face and telephone contact beats everything

else• Share information – help them in their work• Lobby is not a one –off event it’s a strategy• Lobby relationships are for life – who knows where your

lobby target will end up• Value all your contacts and keep them updated…

Top Tips for lobbyists 2• Know your targets – what makes them tick• Give them credit where its due• Research their potential arguments and have your counter-

arguments prepared• Use reasoned and evidence-based argument• Ask questions, make suggestions and build trust• Listen and respect views even if you disagree• Look for common ground and provide solutions not obstacles –

look for win-win solutions• Know when to stop• Be assertive but not aggressive• Be clear on your bottom-lines• If you’re not going to get what you need then know when to

retire and fight again another day

A word on negotiation • Plan ahead – Are there win/wins? Clear bottom-lines?

Concessions? Are the conditions right to negotiate? Can you anticipate what they will say’? rehearse, document, develop answers to likely

responses before hand

• Negotiate in good faith; seek common ground or shared interests; communicate what you want well; withdraw if things are not going well

• Close the meeting with a summary or positions and next steps;

Research for Advocacy and influencingScheduled for Monday 2nd November

Key Messages

What is a key message A message is a concise and persuasive statement about your advocacy objective that captures:

• What you want to achieve – e.g. sanitation for all

• Why you want to achieve it – e.g. positive consequences of action - better health and better environments; or negative consequences of no action - people continue to die unnecessarily

• How you propose to achieve it – e.g. by getting government to give sanitation priority in the budget

• What action you want the audience to take – e.g. writing to their political representatives

Messages should encapsulate everything you need to say – they are not the same as slogans or sound bites. A good basic message can be tailored to fit specific audiences.

KEY MESSAGE HAS TO BE…

• Clear, and concise (ideally you should be able to communicate it in less than one minute)

• Present clear and credible solutions

• Inspiring, shows possibilities for change.

• Action oriented. Aim to craft messages that will convince people to act, and just communicate what you want to say.

• May change over time to reflect changed attitudes or circumstances.

Helpful: checklist of targets likely arguments/excuses and how to counter them.

Are women visible in our messages? • Do your messages reflect the different needs of both men and

women?• Did you identify messages that “appeal” to both men and

women?• Do your messages and approaches further marginalize

women? Do you promote gender equality through “positive” images, case studies, and representation?

• Did you identify different approaches that are suitable for men? women?

• Are the channels and medium of messages accessible to men and women?

TAILOR YOUR MESSAGE• Consider your audience(s) and tailor your message accordingly -

what is likely to make them listen and engage. • Tap into the audience’s priorities, values and concerns:

o What will motivate them to act?o What attitudes will prevent them from acting? o Connect to their value systems and political views. o What do they want / need to know? What kind of information

attracts them?

• Often, your messages may need to emphasise different elements to make them relevant for particular groups.

Example

Key message: Reducing smoking-related illness makes health care more affordable for everyone.

Tailored messages:

• For an audience of doctors: Passive smoking is an expensive public health hazard that requires responsive public health laws and regulations.

• For an audience of policy makers: Smoking bans in public places achieve clear health benefits at reasonable or low costs and are politically popular.

Support Messages

• Key messages must be backed with some form of evidence—otherwise, there is a danger they will be seen only as assertions.

• The evidence can be in the form of facts and figures, testimonials, expert opinions, case studies, agreements, independent reports or favourable international comparisons.

• If you cannot support a key message with evidence, assess whether the message is the right one for your issue, or do further research to provide more evidence.

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Tell a Story • Stories “show” your reader or listener rather than “telling” them. They help position

you as an expert and build trust among your audience.• Stories are memorable and touch readers/listeners in a personal way.• Stories help you focus your message to avoid communicating too much

unnecessary information.• Stories help you bring independent pieces of information together into a coherent

message.• Keep stories short and relevant to your audience, and make them about a single

person or group of people. And don’t forget to deliver an underlying message that ties back to your mission and goals.

Remember!• “Storyless” narratives rely on dry data and program descriptions without ever

bringing the content to life. The result is a lost audience. Instead … tell a great story!

• The best stories have a beginning, a middle and an end. They establish heroes and villains, create conflict and use an emotional hook.

EXERCISE

Scenario:

• You walk in to a lift going to the top floor of a building. Standing next to you is one of your target audiences for your advocacy – a community leader, decision-maker, journalist etc.

• You have 2mins to share your key message.

Media Advocacy

What and Why?

• What? The strategic use of mass media (TV, radio, newspapers) to advance a social or public policy goal.

• Why? • Inform and influence public opinion: delivers your message to a large

number of people • Attracts supporters to your cause.• Getting your issue on the policymakers agenda• Profile and credibility with policymakers = improved access to them• Pressure for change

Media Strategy

• What’s your message? Strong and clear messaging. • Who do you want to reach (targets)? • Which media will reach them?• What media tool will you use?

• Presentation – story, creative, newsy, timing

• How will you time your media effort to complement your other activities and link with external opportunities?

• Risks • Spokespersons

Which Media?

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ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES WHAT’S WANTED WHAT’S NOT WANTED

TV •quick ▪ combines visuals and sound ▪ large reach ▪ expensive and not accessible by all

work to tight guidelines

availability for interviews ▪ good visuals ▪ controversy ▪ local interest ▪ international interest

technical issues ▪ events that have already happened ▪ “man gives speech” stories

RADIO ▪ portable ▪ capable of rapid reaction•broadcast immediately ▪ widely accessible and affordable ▪ local languages ▪ message can be repeated many times

•sound only ▪ stories usually very short ▪ works to very tight deadlines ▪ FM stations cover small areas so costs can be high

availability for interviews ▪ controversy ▪ local interest ▪ strong sound bites

▪ visuals ▪ dry long-winded interviews ▪ complex data ▪ and statistics ▪ events that have already happened

PRINT •reaches a broader audience ▪ accessible and affordable ▪ in-depth coverage with more details ▪ dedicates more time to a story ▪ willing to follow a story over time

•not as immediate as visuals or TV or radio ▪ no sound or moving pictures ▪ daily news - stories often decided morning before publication, deadlines afternoon

•a strong angle ▪ local interest ▪ human stories ▪ background information ▪ quotations ▪ facts & figures ▪ photographs ▪ colours

▪ too many technical terms ▪ no local or national angle ▪ stories already reported on TV or radio

Media Tool box• News release• Media advisory (news events/conferences)• Fact sheet• Background Briefing note • Photo and cutline• Media field visits or to the scene/event• Opinion pieces• Reactives• Letters to Editor• Media stunts• Celebrities and Influencers

OPINION PIECE

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MEDIA STUNTS/ PHOTO NEWS

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MAKE USE OF CELEBRITIES/INFLUENCERS

HOOKS

Link your story with news opportunities like:• current events • high level meetings• a speech • anniversary• days when certain produce is traditionally consumed

– these are often known as ‘hooks’.

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• One thing is to highlight is digital as a powerful channel to disseminate our messages/asks and the importance of supporter journeys....moving away from ad hoc engagement (i.e. asking people something only when we need them), to continuous genuine engagement where we care about what our supporters think.

Managing Risks

Managing Risks

Risk management is about making informed judgments quickly, effectively and continuously about the opportunities and risks in advocacy and campaigning. If managed effectively it will increase opportunity, result in less failure and be more cost-effective as we strive to deliver impact in our work.

Types of Risks

Identify Assess Manage Monitor1. At campaign planning stage or at significant points in the campaign identify the main risks alongside the main opportunities

Level of risk: What could happen

Probability - High, Medium, Low

Impact – High, Medium, Low

Weight - opportunities vs. risks

Green:If opportunities outweigh risks which are not seen

as significant proceed to run the risk but continue to monitor

Amber: If more balanced – amber – proceed with caution

– more rigorous mitigation and monitoring required

Red:If risks far outweigh opportunities decide to avoid

the risk by not proceeding with particular opportunities or activities

Decide on how to manage and mitigate major risks identified:

e.g. Prevent – action to limit the probability of the risk arisingReduce – action to decrease negative consequences of risk identifiedShare – the risk with another organisation (either by doing a campaign unbranded)

Review risk register on a regular basis

2. Identify main stakeholders impacted or affected by risk areas (informed by campaign power analysis)

Likely responses of key stakeholders Incorporate into process above

Review stakeholders and position on regular basis in line with reviewing power analysis

Do a Risk Assessment

advocacy training webinar middle east teams 2

Government & Nonprofit