Strategic Communication I:

Policy Goal, Audiences, & Objectives

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Key Elements of Strategic Communication
8
7 Evaluate

6 Implement

5 Pretest

4 Formats

3 Messages
2 Objectives

1 Audiences

Goals

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What Is Your Policy Goal?
What is it that you ultimately want to happen?

Policy Goal:
Kenya passes new Adolescent Reproductive Health and
Development Policy that is more responsive to the sexual
and reproductive (SRH) needs of youth.

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Policy Goal vs. Program Goal

Policy Goal Program Goal

• Changes in policies and • Changes in behaviors and

resource allocations indicators

• Example: • Example:
Double the budget line for Decrease the number of
family planning within the births to adolescents by
next 5 years. 20% by the year 2017.

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Identify Audiences
Who can bring the actions
needed to reality?

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Segment Your Audiences

 Primary: Who can directly affect policy on

your issue?
 Secondary:
 Who can influence those policymakers?

 Who can stop being an obstacle?

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Who Are Possible Audiences?

 Political leaders  News media

 Govt. officials  Donors
 Program managers  Religious leaders
 Private sector  Professional
assoc.
 Educators
 Women’s groups
 Business/civic
leaders
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Map Audience Influence
Decisionmaker

Advisors & Opinion Leaders

Government Advocacy and Public & Information Beliefs, Ideology,

Departments Lobby Groups Constituents & Media Regime

© Overseas Development Institute 2004 (this reprint 2007), used with permission.

© 2015 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Know Your Audience
 What do they know/how interested are they
in your topic?
 To whom do they listen?

 How do they get information?

 What drives or motivates them?

 What constraints might they face?

 Are there commitments for which they are

accountable?
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What Are Your Communication Objectives?

 Think about what you can achieve via

strategic communication that would help
achieve your policy goal?
o Connect to the Multiple Streams Model

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Communication Objectives Link to the Model

© 2015 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Communication Objective:

Policy
Policy Attention
Attention
Community
Learning Focusing
Focusing
Strengthening

Objective: Share evidence with national leaders

about why adolescent reproductive health is important
to help achieve Kenya Vision 2030 development goals.

Expected Outcome: Policymakers will

understand why investments in and policies for youth
are necessary to achieve their goals and what
actions they can take.
© 2015 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org
Communication Objective:

Policy
Policy Attention
Community
Learning Focusing
Strengthening

Objective: Share findings of adolescent RH policy

landscape assessment with a network of NGOs and
CSOs working with and for youth in Kenya.

Expected Outcome: Consensus among

stakeholders about the gaps in the current policy and
changes need in a new policy.
© 2015 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org
Communication Objective:

Attention
Policy
Policy Attention
Attention
Focusing Community
Learning Focusing
Focusing
Strengthening

Objective: Help journalists to understand the

barriers that youth face in accessing FP services
through training and study tours.

Expected Outcome: Increased quality and

quantity of media coverage about youth barriers.

© 2015 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Strategic Communication I Worksheet (SC2A)

© 2015 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Learn More
 J.T. Bertrand and D.L. Kincaid, “Evaluating Information-Education-Communication (IEC)
Programs for Family Planning and Reproductive Health,” Final Report of the IEC Working
Group, Carolina Population Center, October 1996.
 L. Carlile, “Making Communication Count: A Strategic Communications Framework,” IIED,
June 2011.
 “Communicating Population and Family Planning Information to Policymakers,” OPTIONS
Policy Paper Series #4, May 1994.
 “Making Research Findings Actionable,” USAID and Measure Evaluation, December 2009.
 AFP Advocacy Portfolio, “Develop a Strategy,” AFP SMART: A Guide to Quick Wins—Build
Consensus, Focus Efforts, Achieve Change,” 2013.
 PATH, “Stronger Health Advocates, Greater Health Impacts: A Workbook for Policy
Advocacy Strategy Development,” 2014.
 Daniel Start and Ingie Hovland, “Tools for Policy Impact: A Handbook for Researchers,”
Overseas Development Institute, October 2004.

© 2015 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org