By Jennifer Miller, Rockford Gray Partner
One of the challenges government agencies face is explaining to taxpayers what they do and why it matters.
When Rockford Gray recently worked with an agency that is part of a system saving American taxpayers billions of dollars a year, its employees pushed back on media training. They took a negative view of the news media and didn’t see the benefit of talking to reporters, until we asked them, “If you don’t tell your story, who will?”
Many government agencies are learning the answer to that question the hard way.
The less the American people understand about your work, what you do, why you do it and how it affects them, the easier it is for your organization to be disregarded and overlooked. You need to tell your story.
As government agencies work to anticipate and manage their changing missions and shrinking workforce, many government relations strategists are debating how best to address their audiences, engage stakeholders and develop strategic messaging.
It’s true public affairs planning is challenged by uncertain operations. We find it helps to focus on the fundamentals.
Your strategic communication plan can be helpful in telling your story, in simple language, to convey the value you bring to the American taxpayer. That’s your story. Don’t get bogged down in policy communication, there is an audience for that, but everyone likes a good story. So tell it.
Step One: Identifying Key Stakeholders
Whether you are developing a government relations strategy or creating communication for the public sector, we suggest focusing first on the audience your agency is trying to influence. We suggest going beyond identifying key stakeholders, rather identify the specific groups or individuals among whom you are trying to move the needle. Who – if influenced by you – can make a difference?
When explaining this in person, we often diagram a simple bell-curve.
On the left are audiences who will not likely be converted to your point of view. On the right are true believers, folks who already support you and will advocate for you. Either way, we believe it is best to identify those in the middle – those who are persuadable or influence-able. Target them.
If you are targeting your stakeholders, engaging in stakeholder engagement, consider focusing on the stakeholders who are neutral and can be motivated to become more engaged advocates for your mission or cause, or benefit from it.
Step Two: Message Development Process
With your true audience(s) identified, begin the message development process. We suggest there are three key components of a message.
- Direct your message to a targeted audience (we did this in step one).
- Ensure your message conveys a benefit or is relevant to the audience. Use simple, direct language. This is not your flowery mission statement; in fact, it’s not about you at all. The best messages are about your audiences, what matters to them or what moves them to act. Articulate what you do for your audience.
- And finally, include your name or brand. This helps to identity your organization with the message. This identity-connecting step is part of a relationship building strategy. It connects your good name with language that is relevant and meaningful to your audiences.
The most useful messages are high-level. We say the more values-based and higher-level message you have, the more you can use it. But the message alone is not enough, it will sound like empty words. Flesh out messages with proof points, statements of fact, anecdotes, data or stories that make the message true. If your message is that you work to ensure the nation’s rivers are clean, then tell me a story about a river your work conserved. Be specific and tell the story.
Keep in mind government agencies have certain obligations and compliance considerations. You will want to adhere to your agency’s rules and guidelines.
Step Three: Timeline Planning
With your audience and message defined, it’s time to use that message. Repeatedly. Consider local media, industry trades and your owned media platforms. Breaking through the noise takes long-term, repeated effort. We call it beating the drum.
Set ambitious goals and timelines that keep you constantly pushing out your message, telling your story, on platforms reaching your targeted audience. This will take time, but success metrics should show the needle moving in online platforms, federal funding, employee satisfaction, or recruitment efforts.
In the case of the agency we mentioned, it provided oversight, investigated high-level officials accused of abusing their power or position for personal gain, and audited data ensuring the US military received everything taxpayers paid for to help the warfighter protect the homeland.
Simply put, they protected our military members, our homeland and made sure taxpayers received their monies’ worth. It is a complex job with a simple message. In the end, one of the most media-opposed employees became a convert – he crafted and shared messages designed to tell the organization’s story while speaking on panels. The message became an internal morale boost. Employees gained a new sense of pride not just in the work they did, but in their ability to talk about it.
Want to learn more, contact Gil Rudawsky or Jennifer Miller: https://rockfordgray.com/contact-us/
About the author: Jennifer Miller is a seasoned media trainer and public speaking coach with over 15 years of journalism experience, including seven at CBS News. Known for her disarming style and tough questions, she reported on major events like the Olympics, 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina. Her firsthand understanding of how reporters think makes her an exceptional crisis management counselor. At Rockford Gray, she coaches clients on media, presentation, and crisis response. Jennifer holds a master’s in Organizational Leadership from the University of Denver and a journalism degree from the University of Minnesota. She is certified in crisis communication and DEI in the Workplace and is a sought-after speaker.