Developing a Communications Plan for Public Outreach

Wendy Madsen

Legislative Information Officer

Wyoming Legislative Service Office

Why do you need to develop a

communications plan?

“Luck is where preparation meets

opportunity”

- Seneca, Roman philosopher

Communications Plan Template

You can use this template to create your own communications plan

Focus on the elements of the plan throughout the workshop

Use template to help focus outreach

Delete gray capitalized “help” text*** MARK FOR DELETION***

Template provides click boxes in brackets [text] for you to complete

Components of a Communications Plan

SWOT Analysis

Audience Identification

Goals and Objectives

Communications Tools and Strategies

Key Messages

Branding and Identity

Crisis Communications

Plan Measurement and Timeline

Provides an overview of your plan

Limit to one page

Helps you focus on overall priorities

Section 1 Executive Summary

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

Section 2 SWOT Analysis

Passion for the institution

Strong print media ties

Understanding of new technology

What are your communications strengths?

SWOT AnalysisExamples of Strengths

Limited staff

Limited financial resources

Weak media ties

What are your communications weaknesses?

SWOT AnalysisExamples of Weaknesses

Public believes that more should be done to teach young people about representative democracy

Constituents in my district have expressed interest in being more involved in their government

There is a renewed interest in covering legislative proceedings by broadcast media

What are your communications opportunities?

SWOT AnalysisExamples of Opportunities

Other organizations are overshadowing our messages and we are not being heard

Turnover of members is reducing the organization’s institutional memory

Print media has reduced the amount of government coverage in its newspapers

What are your communications threats?

SWOT AnalysisExamples of Threats

Who are you trying to reach with your communications?

Section 3 Audience Identification

Primary AudienceExamples

Youth ages 13 to 18

National print media

Local business leaders

Identify three audiences that you will target with directed communications efforts

Secondary AudienceExamples

Educational institutions and teachers

Local print media

Local civic leaders

Identify three audiences that will benefit from targeted activities to your primary audiences

Other StakeholderExamples

Political party leadership

Parliamentary leadership

Parliamentary staff

Who needs to support your plan for you to implement your communications objectives?

Section 4 Goals and Objectives

What do you want to accomplish through your

communications plan?

Quebec National Assembly Communication Objectives The Assembly wants to increase the percentage

of citizens who are familiar with its mission

The Assembly wants to help people better understand the work and role of members

The Assembly wants to promote increased citizen participation in its parliamentary proceedings and activities

Develop three communications objectives that you would like to accomplish this year

Section 5 Strategies and Tools

What specific strategies will you use to achieve your goals?

What tasks do you need to complete as part of your strategies?

What tools are available to help you meet your goals?

SMART Goals and Strategies

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Timely

Instead of: Do better at communicating with media

Try: Conduct two briefings for reporters each month

Instead of: Meet with my constituents

Try: Hold 10 town meetings throughout district in 2008

Instead of: Get 100 percent of voters to click on Web site

Try: Increase Web site hits by 10 percent in 2008

Instead of: Use all methods of technology to communicate

Try: Develop and promote blog to inform constituents

Instead of: Produce annual report for constituents

Try: Distribute annual report one month after adjourning

Examples of Communications Tools

Direct mail

Flyers/posters

Brochures

Annual reports

Speaking engagements

Community meetings

Focus groups

Newsletters

News releases

News conferences

Newspaper columns

Mass E-mail updates

Web sites

Blogs

Podcasts/webcasts

Text message blasts

Communications Tools

Develop strategies and tools to meet your goals and objectives outlined in Section 4

Remember your audience when you think about what tools to use.

Does your audience have the technology to use your preferred tools?

Low-tech communications tools can be just as effective, if not more effective, than high-tech tools!

Section 6 Key Messages

What messages do you want to communicate?

Why do you need key messages?

- Gerard Braud, media trainer

“Someone is going to edit

what you say. It might as well be

you.”

What is a key message? Clearly and concisely tells who you are,

what you do, and why they should care

Helps organize your thoughts and avoid rambling

Helps you stay “on message” and remember your supporting points

Answers questions you wish you had been asked

Should be no longer than two sentences

Key MessageExamples

Imagine a university that changes people’s lives for the better

Every day in coastal Louisiana, 33 football fields of land disappear

NCSL is the forum for America’s ideas

Develop no more than three key messages for each topic that you want to include in your plan

How to Use Key Messages

Repeat your key messages in all of your communications (print, broadcast, online)

Control the direction of conversation by bridging back to your key messages

When at a loss for words, go back to your key messages … they are your safe harbor

Section 7 Branding and Identity

Does the public know who you are?

Do they instantly recognize information you provide?

What image do you convey to the public and is it what you want?

Section 7 Branding and Identity

Just do it.

The Uncola.

It takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.

Don’t leave home without it.

Section 7 Branding and Identity

Official logo of the Wyoming Legislature

Used in all print and online resources

Includes font and color standards

Section 8 Crisis Communications

When a crisis happens, how do you plan to restore public confidence?

Can you ensure that the public receives timely and accurate

information in a crisis?

A Crisis Can Come in All Shapes and Sizes

A crisis is defined as an emergency or situation that

can affect the integrity, reputation, public confidence of

(the institution, party, member) and/or that has the potential to

disrupt the normal course of business.

A Crisis Can Come in All Shapes and Sizes

What qualifies as a crisis?

Can you provide some examples?

Crisis Communications

Create a crisis planning team

Identify potential crises and develop action plans

Periodically practice, evaluate and revise the plan

Develop a couple of crisis scenarios and an action plan to go along with each scenario

It’s Called a Crisis for a Reason

Can be picked up by anyone in your organization and used in a crisis in case you are not available

Has detailed information, including all possible phone numbers, contact lists, and easy-to-follow procedures

Is available offsite, even on a separate server, and it should also be available in paper form

Structure your action plan so that it:

Section 9 Plan Measurement

“What gets measured gets done” - Tom Peters

“One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results” - Milton Friedman

“Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted” - Albert Einstein

Examples of Plan Measurement Tools

Internal surveys

Online surveys

Web hits

Newspaper clippings

Number of news releases

How do you plan to measure whether or not you are achieving your communications goals?

Section 10 Plan Timeline

“Goals are dreams with deadlines” 

- Diana Scharf Hunt

“In the field of observation,

chance favors only the prepared mind”

- Louis Pasteur

Why plan?

Thank you for this opportunity

to share ideasWendy Madsen

Legislative Information Officer

Wyoming Legislative Service Office

213 State Capitol

Cheyenne, WY, USA 82002

E-mail: wmadse@state.wy.us

Telephone: (307) 777-7881