From clear communication, to advocates and champions

Simon Butt-Bethlendy CIPR Accredited Practitioner

Consonant Communications20 March 2015 | Senate House, UCL

The aims – to cover

• the value of good communication

• terms – communication vs advocacy

• some theory translated into practice

• audiences, channels and messages

• stakeholder engagement for open access

• barriers, challenges and ways to tackle them

• allies and networks of influence

• eliciting help from central university

communication and marketing teams

Why communicate?

• Promotes knowledge-sharing and

collaboration

• Forms, develops and strengthens

interrelationships

• Effective communication essential for

successful organisations

• Identifies common, shared purpose in

diverse, complex environments

• Reduces misunderstanding, encouraging

attitudes and actions in line with strategic

objectives

Some definitions

Communication – Sending and receiving / imparting and

exchanging information and meaning (perhaps to create or

develop relationships).

Advocacy – assuming a position of ‘standing for’ a

particular set of principles, a position or a set of actions.

Actively seeking to persuade others.

Varied modes of communication and advocacy support and enrich one

another. Third-party endorsement and advocacy builds a coalition of support

for your cause which can improve acceptance and initiate changes to attitudes

and behaviours.

Theory and practice

One-way versus two-way (asymmetrical/symmetrical) communications.

Grunig and Hunt (1984) ‘Four Models of Public Relations’

Theory and practice

• Systems theory – a useful critical framework to help communicators

understand an organisation and its publics.

– appreciating interlinked parts

– open vs. closed systems

– input | throughput | output | feedback

• Stakeholder theory – Welch & Jackson (2007)

• Strategy and tactics – audiences and channels

Theory and practice

• Systems theory – a useful critical framework to help communicators

understand an organisation and its publics.

– appreciating interlinked parts

– open vs. closed systems

– input | throughput | output | feedback

• Stakeholder theory – Welch & Jackson (2007)

• Engagement – MacLeod & Clarke (2009) Engage For Success

• Strategy and tactics – audiences and channels

Audiences, channels, messages

Stakeholder engagement

• Audiences are a

communicator’s first concern

• Map open access

stakeholders and identifying

their needs

• Craft messages that speak to

stakeholders’ needs wherever

possible

• Choose and manage

appropriate communication

channels

• Gather feedback and

communicate changes and

improvements made.

Overcoming barriers and challenges

• Problems reaching target stakeholders

• Lack of awareness, opting out, avoidance

• Resistance to change, hostility, dissident voices

• Regular, clear, compelling communication for awareness-raising

• Share ownership of the issue with managers and supervisors

• Collect persuasive case studies and share success stories

Networks of influence

• This group is one! Jisc OA Pathfinder Project is creating links

• Work within and among existing networks

• Form new groups if necessary

• Avoid forming new committees

Your communications team

• Most universities have talented communication teams willing to help

• Assert the priority of OA and its links to university core strategy and

objectives

• Co-create materials and messages

• Provide good information

QUESTIONS?

Simon Butt-Bethlendy (Associate)

Principal Consultant, Consonant Communications

simon@consonantcomms.com

@GlobalHE @REFimpact