Over the recent years, the changes within government operations and citizen engagement has led to a rise in expectations for better government communications. Governments nowadays are more hard-pressed to establish good and effective communication strategies to stakeholders so as to not waste time and resources.
Because of this, communication strategies that have been in place for years may not be as useful now as they were before. Government organisations should innovate when it comes to their communication strategies, as sticking to old practices may bring more issues than solutions.
Results Map® has listed out 8 best actions governments can do to improve their communications.
1. Streamline communications
Advancements in technology have led to a global spread of free-flowing information. While this can be beneficial to those who wish to receive news in a timely manner, it can also be detrimental for governments and private sector organizations who are trying to get the right message out.
With the digital world akin to a crowded and noisy marketplace, organisations must establish an effective communications strategy that has a strong identity and message. This will not only ensure that a single voice represents the organisation, but it will also prevent any misinformation caused by other unreliable sources.
2. Make communications audience-focused
Audience-focused communications are said to be one of the best communications practices. Tailoring one’s message and channel towards the needs of the audience members and not the organisation can greatly improve the relationship between the two.
In relation to government, citizen-centric communications can help citizens to easily access specified information based on their needs rather than having to go through different government websites.
3. Have agile comms teams
Structures within government organisations have changed in the last few years. The pandemic alone has brought about the need for governments to have their own social media teams to effectively use social media platforms in distributing information.
Because of these rapid changes in the media and communications landscape, as well as the changing expectations of audiences, it has become a necessity for comms teams to have employees and a system that is highly responsive and flexible. For a comms team to stay on top of everything, they should have a high degree of empowerment, strong communication, and rapid information flow within their culture.
4. Establish a digital and open communication
The UK Government was able to create a groundbreaking strategic communications planning work that designed their communications tactics and approaches around the internet as the core channel, rather than as an afterthought. By posting a news release online and developing a communications approach across the internet, the UK Government brought in a new kind of communications practice that was more in line with society.
Aside from distributing information digitally, open communication is also beneficial for governments. The Government of Canada adopted the idea of being “open by default”, in which information will be made publicly available in the interest of transparency. This adoption not only effectively streamlines information to stakeholders, but also establishes a sense of trust based on the given information.
5. Focus on dialogue and engagement
Organisations are now shifting away from the traditional “tell and sell” model, and are now becoming more active and participatory in engaging with their audiences. You can see this with private companies on their social media platforms, which would engage with their customers in a personal and conversational manner.
This participatory and inclusive approach of communication fosters meaningful two-way communication and engagement. While private organisations have been innovative with this new practice, governments are now recognizing that new approaches to dialogue, engagement and openness are necessary in order to establish trust.
6. Utilise storytelling
Content strategy is an important component when it comes to strategic communications and marketing in public sector institutions. For organisations to establish engagement with their audience, they must identify its priority themes and narratives that can be relayed to the audience through storytelling.
Organisations must be deliberate in the narrative they want to give to their stakeholders, and this will require a judicious focus on being economical with words and ideas. They must create meaning in their ideas by using various elements of information and forming it into a coherent story for citizens to internalise. Storytelling has been identified as a leading trend in government communications.
7. Have a results-based approach
One of the best supports of modern government operations is results-based communications management. Communications management based on metrics has greatly aided in the delivery of information as it allows teams to adjust their strategies based on what works with the audience.
This approach requires active and strategic methods of establishing principles and communicating measurable goals, sharing success stories and lessons and creating systems and processes for identifying, tracking and reporting on metrics.
7 best actions to improve government communications
Government communications have come a long way in the last few decades. With multiple societal factors influencing how people digest and process information, governments should utilise and adapt to new strategies in order to effectively communicate with their audience.
Source: Results Map®. Content has been edited for style and length.
Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.
