A Different Balance of Communications

Author Richard Docwra writes this brief article as a critique of "many organisations that are seeking change on key social and global issues..." because they "...are not using their communications with the public as effectively as they could be to achieve their aims."

As an example, he lists four types of requests that might come to a single individual from a charity, all with the intent of fund raising. He suggests that focusing on fund raising and not promoting the messages of change in which groups are actively engaged is not as strategic as:

• building communication strategies focusing on the individual member of the public that might receive them - not on the existing practices or structures of the sending organisations;
• moving towards a more integrated communications mix -one that is integrated with the organisation’s overall aims and strategy; and
• including in an integrated mix: greater substance; empathy for recipients and an effort to educate them; and sufficient allocation for areas such as changing the attitudes and behaviour of individuals, and educating people for the longer term.