conference reviews |
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Strategic Communications in Countries Emerging from Violent Conflict
This conference was held over two days at the Cumberland Hotel in London. It was conducted under the Chatham House Rule system. The event was hosted by a consortium of organizations: Albany Associates and Post-Conflict People, sponsored and supported by Bell Pottinger Sans Frontieres and Portland. The event attracted a number of well known names in the sphere of strategic communications, such as; Alastair Campbell the former Spokesman for former Prime Minister Tony Blair, Nik Gowing from the BBC and Jamie Shea formerly the Spokesman for NATO. There was a multi-national host of other names from an equally diverse number of organizations and work tasks. In spite of the diversity, a number of common and discernible points could be drawn out from the speakers. These can be broken down into a number of agreed upon themes (agreed upon by the speakers). Communication: is first and foremost a two way process. There is a need to listen as well as to tell. Need to know who it is that you are addressing and what kind of language (technical language that is) that they use in order to have a chance at having an impact. When getting your message across in an overseas environment let the local media do it so that the audience is more receptive. There needs to be a coherent and credible message sent to the intended audience. That strategic communications should not be used to try and make up for poor or non-existent policy, instead they should complement good policy. There was also a stated need that a periodic need exists to bring in outside help and expertise when working on information projects. This allows for a genuine increase in the depth of knowledge when it is needed. Performance of the West: within the context of the Global war On Terrorism is poor. The opposition is in general far better adapted in strategic communications. There is a need to communicate with a unified message, which is not happening at present due to varied political interests at the national level of politics in the members of the international coalition. At times the West is reluctant to admit and own up to mistakes it makes (such as the airstrike on civilians issue), which plays into the hands of the insurgents. One of the practical problems that was identified was a lack of personnel that were conversant with political and ideological communications. Supporting Communication: a good communication strategy supports the overall plan and objectives of the organization concerned. Even if a good communication strategy is devised it must be supported by adequate resources and finance, otherwise it shall ultimately fail. Additionally, the strategic communications should enjoy political support as well. In the event of a coalition, the various partners must agree upon a common message narrative and approach. If not, confused and confusing signals are sent out, which at times may even prove to be contradictory. Nature of Communication: has changed markedly recently with the advent of 24/7 news and the rise of the ‘Citizen Journalist’ that has challenged both the political establishment and the mass media themselves. There is a very short window in order to get the message across, if this is missed and the enemy gets the message in first, they may be able to dictate the news agenda. An example of this being the Taliban communication strategy in 2001, when they gave briefings that were hours ahead of the American response. Media have had to adjust to, for instance the CNN iReport which publishes verified Citizen Journalist reports. At the date of the conference some 4500 such reports were received by them concerning the situation in Iran. As such information has the power to challenge the political status quo. When Things Go Wrong: there is a tendency to only bring in PR people and make a communication strategy when things go wrong. However, by this point in time it may already be too late. Communication strategy needs to be an integral part of the process from the very beginning. In a coalition setting it was noted by one of the speakers that there is a tendency for individual countries to claim the success stories as their own and to blame the coalition for the failures. This has the effect of eroding the credibility of the coalition in the contributing countries by politicians seek short-term domestic political gains. Know Your Opposition: a number of the speakers raised the issue of knowing the mass media and audience, a few also emphasized the need to know your enemy and what they were doing or may do in the information sphere. In this way to be better prepared to meet their message narratives and to meet their challenge through anticipation of the moves they shall make. Need to be able to also deconstruct their ‘brand’ and therefore create a counter. In all the conference was well organized and very interesting. The subject was topical, which was complemented by a good presentation and organization. Lunch times that were organized within the framework of the conference also provided an informal setting for speakers and attendees to mix and talk further on the subject too. The only ‘complaint’, as such, was the quick pace of the proceedings and the amount of information given fatigued the listener somewhat. ______________________ to top
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