Public Communication and Policy Advocacy Training Course

Participants can identify affected groups and derive communication implications from policy analysis.

• Problem trees separating symptoms, causes, affected groups and policy consequences
• Theory of Change chains connecting inputs, outputs, outcomes and assumptions
• Stakeholder Salience Model assessing power, legitimacy, urgency and relationships
• Audience segmentation using needs, barriers, trusted sources and influence
• Equity analysis identifying disproportionate impacts and excluded voices
• Message implications drawn from policy evidence and service-user experience

Participants can build a governed communication strategy tied to policy decisions and resources.

• OASIS framework defining objectives, audiences, strategy, implementation and scoring
• SMART communication objectives tied to observable audience responses
• Prioritisation matrices comparing reach, influence, feasibility, cost and risk
• Communication strategies aligned with policy milestones and decision windows
• Governance structures assigning accountable owners, approvers and escalation routes
• Integrated workplans scheduling products, channels, resources and dependencies

Participants can develop clear, evidence-based messages for varied public and professional audiences.

• Message houses linking policy proposition, proof points and supporting detail
• Framing choices tested against values, lived experience and likely objections
• Plain-language drafting using active voice, concrete verbs and defined terms
• Message discipline for spokespeople facing hostile or misleading questions
• Evidence translation separating findings, interpretation, uncertainty and recommendation
• Accessibility requirements for readable, inclusive and multilingual public information

Participants can select channels and prepare media materials that support policy objectives.

• PESO model coordinating paid, earned, shared and owned communication
• Channel selection based on audience habits, trust, accessibility and urgency
• Editorial calendars matching content formats to policy and campaign phases
• Media briefings structured around news value, evidence and quotable messages
• Press releases, fact sheets and spokesperson lines built from message architecture
• Social media protocols governing moderation, corrections, escalation and records

Participants can design consultations that set realistic participation promises and document policy influence.

• IAP2 Spectrum matching participation promises to decision authority and feedback
• Consultation design defining affected groups, questions, methods and decision influence
• Deliberative forums balancing representative recruitment, accessible evidence and facilitated discussion
• Feedback loops showing participants how input shaped final decisions
• Community partner protocols covering consent, safeguarding and reimbursement
• Consultation reports distinguishing majority views, minority concerns and policy responses

Participants can plan ethical advocacy that targets decision points and manages coalition relationships.

• Advocacy theories of change identifying decision-makers, intermediaries and pressure points
• Power-interest grids prioritising allies, opponents, persuadables and gatekeepers
• Coalition charters setting shared goals, roles, decision rules and data safeguards
• Legislative calendars and committee processes timed for targeted policy interventions
• Briefing notes presenting asks, options, fiscal implications and evidence
• Ethical lobbying boundaries, disclosure duties and conflicts-of-interest controls

Participants can prepare proportionate responses to emerging concerns, misinformation and public risk.

• Issue management scans detecting emerging concerns, misinformation and organised opposition
• Risk communication principles addressing hazard, outrage, uncertainty and action
• Scenario plans defining triggers, holding statements, approvals and response roles
• Rumour control methods correcting false claims without amplifying them
• Spokesperson preparation using bridging, flagging and concise answer structures
• After-action reviews converting incidents into revised protocols and messages

Participants can measure communication performance and report findings that inform management decisions.

• Logic models connecting communication activities to outputs, outcomes and impacts
• AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework selecting inputs, outputs, outtakes and outcomes
• Baseline measures, targets and comparison points for credible performance assessment
• Dashboard metrics separating reach, engagement, comprehension, trust and behaviour
• Qualitative feedback coding to explain patterns behind quantitative results
• Evaluation reports linking findings to budget, channel and message decisions

Participants can assemble a practical communication and advocacy plan for immediate workplace use.

• Communication and advocacy plan assembled around a live policy priority
• Sequencing decisions, consultations, media moments and stakeholder engagement activities
• RACI matrix confirming ownership, approval rights and delivery accountability
• Budget assumptions, procurement needs and internal capacity documented clearly
• Pre-mortem review identifying failure modes, safeguards and contingency actions
• 90-day implementation plan with milestones, indicators and review meetings