Strasbourg, 12 July 2010                                              CDLR-Bu(2010)21

Item 16 of the agenda

                                                                                                      

BUREAU OF THE

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON LOCAL AND REGIONAL DEMOCRACY

(CDLR)

COMMUNICATION RELATING TO THE CDLR

AND LOCAL AND REGIONAL DEMOCRACY

Secretariat Memorandum

prepared by the

Directorate General of Democracy and Political Affairs

Directorate of Democratic Institutions


This document is public. It will not be distributed at the meeting. Please bring this copy.

Ce document est public. Il ne sera pas distribué en réunion. Prière de vous munir de cet exemplaire.


Introduction

Communication has become an important part of the work of the CDLR.  The impetus for its importance derives from Minister Kiviniemi’s report on “How to enhance the work of the Council of Europe in the field of local and regional democracy?” and the declaration by European Ministers responsible for Local and Regional Government, meeting in Utrecht on 16 and 17 November 2009 for the 16th Session of their Conference, that “the work of the Council of Europe in the field of local and regional democracy deserves to be better known and an active communication policy should be developed in order to maximize its impact on member States and civil society” (Utrecht Declaration, II.A, 5.).

1.        Decisions of the 45th CDLR meeting on communication

Owing to lack of time (the CDLR having compressed its meeting to 1,5 days from the customary 3 days), the CDLR was unable to examine all the issues related to communication set out in document CDLR(2010)6. It agreed that ample time should be devoted to this important issue at its next meeting.

Meanwhile the CDLR agreed:

-      to appoint Mrs Greta Billing as the CDLR Rapporteur on Communication and Mr Paul Rowsell as co-rapporteur on behalf of the Bureau;

-      to adopt the checklist for Communication and to send it to the CDLR sub-committees for use when preparing their activities and to invite them to make any proposals for change they might deem desirable;

-      to take note and make use of the list of target groups and other aspects established by the informal brainstorming on 26 January 2010 and to instruct the CDLR sub-committees also to do so;

-      to instruct the Bureau to develop concrete proposals for the establishment of a communication network for consideration and adoption by the CDLR at its meeting in October 2010.

2.        Highlights of communication activities 2010

In follow-up to the Kiviniemi report, several activities were identified as good for communication exercises in 2010. 

Spring session of the Congress, 17-19 March

The Secretariat organised their first stand for a session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.  Demand for CDLR reports was strong, particularly for the recently published SWOT reports on Central Europe and Northern Europe and the report on the Impact of the Economic Downturn at Local Level.

Parliamentary Assembly session, 26-30 April

Following the success of the report on the Impact of the Economic Downturn at Local Level at the Congress spring session, a request was made to the Parliamentary Assembly for authorisation to distribute the report at their session in April, to coincide with the Assembly’s debates on the Economic Downturn.  Demand for the report was again strong.

“Ethics, transparency and good governance in the Balkans": regional conference, 3-4 June 2010, Budva, Montenegro  

The conference was organised by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Administration of Montenegro, the Council of Europe and the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, in co-operation with the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro.

In view of the short notice given of the Conference, there was only time to prepare a media advisory.  This was sent to various media offices in the region prior to the event.  The Directorate of Communication added a headline on the conference at the bottom of the Council of Europe home page.

Colloquy 24-25 June "The citizen at the heart of local innovation"

This colloquy was organised jointly with the Ville de Bordeaux and the University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour.  In view of the high profile of some of the participants, preparations with the Directorate of Communication to maximise communication opportunities began in January.  It was agreed that we should interview the high profile participants, where possible, and a cameraman to film the interviews was hired and paid for by the Directorate of Communication.  The interview questions focused on the Strategy for Innovation and Good Governance and its European Label Of Governance Excellence (ELOGE), and the Council of Europe’s role in facilitating international exchanges on local and regional democracy.

The main interview (with Alain Juppé, former French Prime Minister and currently Mayor of Bordeaux) was available for download on the website by the second day of the colloquy.  A follow-up news recounting Mr Juppé’s positive comments on the Council of Europe and the opportunities it provided was published immediately after the colloquy.

It is intended to send all interviews gathered during the colloquy to a professional editor to make a video that can be used at CDLR conferences and other events.

3.        Future communication projects

Report on the impact of the economic downturn at local level

Following its success at both the Congress and Parliamentary Assembly sessions (see above), it was envisaged to send the report  to key financial actors in member States.  An email was sent to CDLR members requesting contact details for the Minister responsible for local and regional finance and the governor of the central bank. However, the report will now be updated in view of the forthcoming review conference (see below). It might therefore seem more appropriate that the latest version, based on end-2009 data, be made available to this very specific and influential audience, in early 2011. The Directorate of Communication has expressed an interest in writing an article on the report, given the uniqueness of its information on member States, with a view to sending the article to daily national newspapers in the member States.


October Conference on the impact of the economic downturn

Work is underway to raise the profile of this event. The details of this have still to be finalised.

4.        Website

The Local and Regional Democracy website remains the main communication tool for the CDLR.  Discussions are underway to to reorganise its information, in line with proposals in document CDLR(2009)49 Addendum.  

5.        Publications of the CDLR

Two Structure and Operation Reports (Czech Republic and Ukraine) have undergone revision in 2010.  They will be sent to CDLR members for approval in due course.

In line with the new communication strategy to enhance the impact of our activities, work is being carried out on the format of the Structure and Operation reports to reduce the amount of Secretariat and member State time spent on this activity, and to strengthen the relevance of its content (see also in this connection point 6. below)

6.        TIMS (Trafficking Information Management System)

With regard to preparation and publication of the country reports, the Secretariat continued examining the possibility of setting up an electronic collaborative work system, which could enable (almost) real-time updating and horizontal comparison of structure and operation reports.

Two solutions were identified as possible:

i)        cloning the database at an approximate cost of 2000 – 3000 euros.

Drawback: annual maintenance of 40 000 euros. The high maintenance costs are owing to the number of servers required to operate the database.

ii)       taking part in a Council of Europe project to set up a similar database, which could be shared by several departments to bring the cost down (both production and annual maintenance costs). 

Drawback: the project only exists on paper at the moment.  We are the only department which has expressed an interest to date, and nothing is being done to find other takers. If the department were to pay for the entire project, this would entail costs of 80 000 euros upwards.  The project, if it goes forward, is unlikely to be operational for the next 2-3 years.

The Secretariat therefore has to conclude that there is no realistic prospect for moving to an e-enabled format of S&O in the next two years. It will, of course,  keep the CDLR informed of developments in the CoE.


In the meantime, simplification of the Structure and Operation reports format (see point 5 above) will be pursued as the current route for lessening the workload, and a proposal on this will be submitted to the CDLR at its October meeting.  The Secretariat will also ensure that the proposal ties in with the work in progress on the reference framework on systems of local and regional government (activity to be conducted by the LR-IC and LR-FS Committees – rapporteurs Messrs Krysztofiak and Van der Goot).

7.        Communication Network

Following the first rounds of consultations to discuss the Communication Strategy in 2009 and at the beginning of 2010, it was suggested that a Communication Network be set up (see document CDLR(2009)49 Addendum, To do List item 21).  At the March CDLR meeting, it was further suggested that the Network could be a sub-committee or that more time could be spent at the CDLR meeting on communication issues (CDLR(2010)6, Appendix IV). 

However, since the original discussions, budgetary constraints have made the feasibility of this network (even) less certain.  The Secretariat therefore is not in a position to propose any approach that would entail annual meetings of a network.

The Secretariat therefore proposes that each member State appoint a communication representative in the Ministry with whom the CDLR Secretariat member responsible for communication can liaise.  This person would have the  profile described in Appendix IV.  The person would assist with information requests – such as the recent request for email addresses for key financial actors.  This person would advise the Secretariat on how to approach communication in their country.  Contact with the Secretariat would be by telephone, email or web/video conference.

Action required

Bureau members are invited

1.       to take note of the information provided in the section on “highlights” above;

2.       to take note of the update of the To do list (Appendix I);

3.       To discuss and decide whether to set up a Communication Network (item 7 and Appendix IV);

4.       to continue actively contributing to the new communication policy in order to enhance the visibility of the Council of Europe’s work on local and regional democracy at national level.


APPENDIX I

“To do” list (non-exhaustive)

(modified version of the “To do” list in CDLR(2009)49 addendum)

“To do” list items are categorised as follows:

i)        “To do” list items for immediate action

ii)       Specific “to do” list items for 2010

iii)      Ongoing / long-term “to do” list items for regular review

iv)      “To do” list items for other bodies (CoE and other)

v)       “To do” list items where no further action is required

Action

Actor

Time line

Remarks

Former “To do” list no.

i)         “TO DO” LIST ITEMS FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION

1.

Appoint a Bureau member as rapporteur for Communication

CDLR

Done

1

2

Make proposals for, discuss and adopt a Core message. 

CDLR, Secretariat

CDLR 12-14 October 2010

See Appendix VI for examples
Use the core message as the starting and focal point for all activities on communication.


-

3

Adopt the Draft Checklist for Communication

CDLR

done

See Appendix III, part 1. The communication check list is to be used for drawing up the communication plan of action for new products or activities.

7

4

Adopt the (non-exhaustive) lists of
i) current target groups,
ii) current communication tools,
iii) current communication goals, and
iv) current methods for evaluating the communication process,
as identified at the Informal brainstorming on 26 January 2010

CDLR

The CDLR took note of the lists
1-2 March 2010

See Appendix III, part 2.  As with the Communication check list, this information will be used for drawing up communication plans of action for new products and activities.

4, 8

5

Discuss the possibility of a Network of Communication correspondents or alternative, and adopt the agreed solution

CDLR

5 July (decision by Bureau)

12-14 October (decision by CDLR)

The proposed network’s main task would be to make co-operation between the member States operational. Correspondents would identify partners and establish co-operation at national level. Part of their responsibility would be to ensure the follow up of the communication strategy in the member States.  See Appendix IV for the list of alternatives

21

6

Make visible
i) the results of the Ministerial Conference
ii) CDLR work

CDLR, Subcommittees, Secretariat, Congress

 ongoing (please see  item 2. Highlights (…) and 3. Future (…) above in the main text

i) Identify appropriate activities for appropriate committees;
ii) Identify appropriate follow-up in member states;
iii) draw up communication plans by reference to the Communication checklist
iv) Flag up important activities to make visible in 2010

22

7

CDLR Reports and Publications

CDLR, Secretariat

 ongoing (please see item 5. in the main text above)

Identify suitable topics for publication


-

8

Update CDLR basic tools for CDLR members

Secretariat

19 February 2010

Update the CDLR Handbook in time for CDLR spring meetings

5

ii)        SPECIFIC “TO DO” LIST ITEMS FOR 2010

9

Find LOREG a new host

Secretariat

Negotiations still underway; LOREG network members to be contacted in July

- CDLR activity on LOREG terminated;
- Negotiations in progress with Open Society Institute for them to take over hosting of LOREG

13

10

Design a CDLR logo

Secretariat

postponed

Logo to be designed in line with CoE graphic requirements and CoE brand image

10

11

Create a more user-friendly website

Secretariat

work underway

The CDLR Secretariat will modify the current site, to make it more accessible to outside users

16

iii)       ONGOING/LONG-TERM “TO DO” LIST ITEMS FOR REGULAR REVIEW

12

Contact with
i)Ministries responsible for Local and Regional
ii) Ministries of Foreign Affairs
iii) Ambassadors in Strasbourg

CDLR members, Secretariat

- CDLR members should communicate with these bodies regularly to raise the profile of CDLR activities.
- The CDLR Secretariat should lend its support and encouragement them in this area.

CDLR members to be encouraged by Bureau

5

13

Contact with other international organisations

CDLR members, Secretariat

Contact made with World Bank and OECD

Establish long-term partnerships to promote local and regional democracy from all its angles

12

14

Ongoing discussion of the Communication Strategy
-        by CDLR and its Subcommittees
-        with the Congress
-        by the DDI Secretariat
-        by other interested parties

CDLR, subcommittees, Secretariat, Bureau rapporteur

Communication discussed at the CDLR and the subcommittee meetings. Several Secretariat Meetings have been organised .

Brainstorming organised in January with Norway, Ukraine and some NGOs

i) Communication action plans for activities in progress.
ii) Evaluation of completed communication activities, suggestions for improvements;
iii) New communication methods
iv) Regular contact with the Directorate of Communication

3

15

Exchange best practices with other Steering Committees

Secretariat

Still to be done

Relevant Secretariat members to be contacted

20

16

Organise “road show desks” with promotional material for particular events and activities

CDLR members, Secretariat

Promotional material organised for Bordeaux colloquy. Work underway on a video for October;

Road show desk should be in keeping with CoE and CDLR brand image The more general concept of a “roadshow” still needs to be developed.

11

17

i) Computerisation of questionnaires and reports – TIMS

ii) improve the questionnaire format generally, and particularly that of Structure and Operation reports

Secretariat
Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs, Directorate of Information Technology

Ongoing – see item 6. of the main text (implementation not possible within next two years)

i) TIMS will facilitate work with questionnaires and report production. Proposals will be submitted to the CDLR in the course of 2010.

ii) Information requests in questionnaires to be more targeted.

17



-

18

Participate in work on DC Web Strategy document “Web Programme Board”

Secretariat, Directorate of Communication

Ongoing

CDLR Secretariat needs to make its needs known and participate in the preparation process

14

19

Follow developments in the DC project to develop a Content Management System

Secretariat, Directorate of Communication

 Project now pending results of the SG reform

Will result in more user-friendly websites

15

iv)       “TO DO” LIST ITEMS FOR OTHER BODIES (COE AND OTHERS)

20

Improve CoE transparency by creating an online directory for external users, to include all CoE phone numbers

Directorate of Communication, Human Resources

No follow-up to date

18

21

Consideration given to more meaningful abbreviations for Committee names

Committee of Ministers

No follow-up to date

19

v)        “TO DO” LIST ITEMS WHERE NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUIRED

22

Communication added to the terms of reference and the meeting agenda of all committees

CDLR, Secretariat

Done

6


APPENDIX II

Overview of the salient points of the “Communication strategy for local and regional democracy work in the Council of Europe” (CDLR(2009)49 Addendum)

1.        Objectives of the communication strategy

The principle objectives are as follows:

-        greater visibility for

-        the work of the Council of Europe in the field of promoting local and regional democracy

-        the results of the work need to be made available in a more efficient way to the widest relevant audience.

-        constructive dialogue with the target groups to ensure that the desired message comes across and that we receive inspiring reactions for improving our outputs.

-        communication activities are an essential tool in supporting the overarching objectives of the CoE in the field of local and regional democracy, namely:

Delivering good local and regional governance in order to respond to the challenges facing our societies and meet the legitimate expectations of our citizens.

2.        Priorities of the communication strategy

Priority #1:

Make the local and regional democracy work of the Council of Europe more visible.

Priority #2:

Make the results of the work known to the target groups.

Priority #3:

Enhance the efficiency of promotion of local and regional democracy within the CoE by improving the flow of information and increasing the level of co-operation between the institutional players.

3.        Goals

The essence of communication:

i) projecting an image,

ii) spreading a message and

iii) targeting well-defined audiences.

Messages should be

-        well-focused images and clear,

-        concise

-        appropriate to rigorously-defined target groups.


Challenges to Communication

-        current human resources for communication for the CDLR-secretariat are limited and additional resources are needed.

-        cooperation between the CDLR-secretariat and the Directorate of Communication (DC) now established must be maintained[1].

Implementation of the communication strategy in the field of local and regional democracy

The Directorate of Communication of the Council of Europe and the Congress need to be involved in the preparation and implementation.

1.       Formulating the core message in line with the Utrecht declaration

2.       Identifying possible target groups for the CDLR and its sub-committees

3.       Define the tools to be used in the communication work

4.       Set up co-operation with the relevant entities in the CoE, identifying proper cooperation channels, products etc.

In an ideal world:  

·                the results of the work (be it legally binding or non-binding, studies, reports, etc) reach their target groups through suitable dissemination/communication techniques;

·                all news opportunities are seized and issues of political relevance are frequently communicated to the media;

·                these activities are carried out together with the Directorate of Communication of the Council of Europe through a variety of means and tools;

·                the Congress, the Parliamentary Assembly and the CDLR work together under the solid brand name of the Council of Europe;

·                the emphasis of communication is on the results and the substance of the work and supporting the image of the Council of Europe. The co-operation between the Congress and the CDLR is based on their own valuable and specific characters and these separate identities are not accentuated in communication, so as to avoid confusing the target groups;

·                internally, within the Council of Europe, the Ministerial conference and the CDLR are well-known and respected actors, whose resources are secured and whose outcomes receive the attention they deserve. Their importance and the quality of work are recognised in the Committee of Ministers;

·                throughout the work to promote local and regional democracy, the communications aspects are taken into account seriously by everyone that is involved;

·                the Council of Europe is a sought after co-operation partner for other international actors and participates actively in projects where its expertise in local and regional democracy can be utilised;


·                funding of the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform is supported by communication actions. A different set of tools is used for developing demand for its services.

·                the Conferences of Ministers responsible for Local and Regional Government, which are held every two or three years, provide ministers with the opportunity to discuss the burning topics and set the agenda for a future European direction, and are fully utilised in communication terms, both externally and internally, by the host government and the Directorate of Communication. The conferences offer an arena for ministers themselves to improve their knowledge about the Council of Europe and take home relevant messages for their national agenda.


APPENDIX III

Communication on Council of Europe work in the field of Local and Regional Democracy

Part 1 - Draft check list for Communication

This appendix is meant to assist the CDLR and its sub-committees in reaching the overarching goals listed in the Utrecht agenda (see next page). The different committees have different agendas and the aim of this document is to help identify issues at an early stage that need to be communicated so that the proper measures can be taken.

All committees should discuss the questions below when a new issue or product like a report or evaluation is being discussed. These questions are intended to help identify especially important issues:

Product/issue

-        What are the outputs? What do want to get from this?

-        How important is this product/ issue, cf. the Utrecht agenda, the identified è-challenges and in support of our common objective of delivering good local and regional governance to all citizens?

Target groups

-        Who are the target groups for this product/ issue?

-        Possible partners?

-        Possible opponents?

-        Who will this affect?

-        Are there any partners in this matter that we need to communicate with?

-        Where does this matter go from here? To the CDLR, CM?

Communication goals

-        What do we want to achieve?

-        What do we want to communicate?

Central message

-        What is the central message we want to give out about this product/issue?

Implementation

-        What is the form of the product?

-        If there is a written product:

-         Is there a summary that could be easily translated?

-         Could it be published online?

-        How should we visualize the results of this product/ issue (what tools?)?

-        Where should we visualize the results of the work? 

-        Who should visualize the results of the work (CoE, member states?)?


The following challenges of the Utrecht agenda are of particular common interest:

1.     Managing the impact of the current financial/economic crisis

2.     Addressing the low level of democratic participation in public life at local and regional level

3.     Reducing the complexity and cost of the current system of local and regional government and enhancing its efficiency

4.     Enhancing the capacity for and quality of governance in local and regional communities or authorities

5.     Addressing the impact of demographic/migration trends

6.     Improving access to public services delivered at local and regional level

7.     Making it easier for local and regional authorities to co-operate across frontiers

Part 2 – Check list elements expounded in terms of local and regional democracy

This part of the document follows the different steps and questions which have been put forward in the “Draft check list for Communication” (Part 1). 

1.        Target groups

In order to communicate effectively about the developments in the local and regional government field, ensure the visibility of the results and assess the impact of the activities, it is important to have a clear overview of the different target groups. Senders to the target groups are not only the CDLR, but also different parts of the Secretariat namely the Centre of Expertise on Local Government, the Strategy of Innovation and Local Governance and the legal assistance programmes.

The target groups have been divided into three categories:

  1. Direct beneficiaries: politicians and civil servant who need to be aware of the work on local and regional democracy and more specifically whose support we need.
  2. Local and regional authorities and their associations.
  3. Less direct beneficiaries: all other target groups whom we deal with but in a different way then the other two.

On page 6 of this document is an overview of the different target groups, the different ways of communicating with them and suggested communication tools to use.

Category 1

  1. Ministries responsible for Local and Regional Government, within which the following can be distinguished

·         CDLR members

·         National policy divisions

·         International division

·         Management of the Ministry

·         Ministers

·         External advisory bodies (Quango’s)


  1. Ministries of Foreign Affairs
    • Permanent Representations
    • MFA desk officers for CoE
    • Ministers of Foreign Affairs
  2. Internal Council of Europe

·         Secretary General

·         Reform decision makers

·         Committee of Ministers

·         Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

·         Parliamentary Assembly

·         Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs

·         Conference of INGO’s

·         All Steering Committees of the Council of Europe

·         Directorate General of Administration and Logistics

·         Directorate of Political Affairs

·         Directorate of Communication

·         Directorate of Political Advice and Co-operation

·         Venice Commission

·         North-South Centre

Category 2

  1. Local and regional government

·         Local authorities- Mayors and members of the executive (aldermen)

·         Local authorities- civil servants

·         Local authorities – members of the council/assembly

·         Regional authorities- governors and delegates

·         Regional authorities- civil servants

·         Regional authorities – members of the council/assembly

·         National associations of local government- members of the Board

·         National associations of local government- Director and staff

·         National associations of regional government- members of the Board

·         National associations of regional government- Director and staff

Category 3 (in random order)

  1. 800 million Europeans
  2. Donors & assistance partners

·         GTZ

·         VNG international

·         Dexia

·         World Bank

·         UNDP

·         SIDA

  1. Media

·         High profile journalists

·         Specialised press

  1. Civil Society

·         Trade unions

·         NGOs


  1. Academics in the field of

·         Law

·         Public administration

·         Political Science

·         Philosophy

·         Sociology

·         and  Advisory Bodies to Government

  1. Brussels

·         European commission

·         Committee of the Regions

  1. Other international organisations

·         OECD

·         OSCE

·         UNhabitat

·         World Bank

·         UNESCO

·         CEMR

·         United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)

2.        Ways of Communication

In order for communication to be effective, it is important to establish for each of the (clusters of) target groups what it is we want to communicate to them and what we want to achieve. There are four different ways to communicate with the different target groups[2]:

Informing

The term “informing” is used when the need is to inform target groups rather than to influence them in the way they form their opinion. An example is information offices of the national government whose task it is to inform the general public.

Persuading

The emphasis of communication is to influence the target group, for example by mass communication. A lot of commercials fall into this category.

Dialoguing

 Sometimes dialogue with your target groups is needed in order to exchange ideas. Examples are governments who organise participation meetings or a head of division during a team meeting.

 

Forming

The emphasis of forming is to try and influence your target group, but there is room for debate and dialogue. You will try to convince the other party of your opinion. An example of this is lobbying.


It is also important to make a difference between corporate communication and product communication. Corporate communication, both internal and external, aims at creating a favourable sphere among certain target groups while product communication deals with the “selling” of the product which has been created.

Category 1 in the above list would need to be the first to be targeted with corporate information. This target group comprises politicians, whose support is needed for all aspects of our work on local and regional democracy. Where required, products could be used to support the corporate communication. Of course this is also applicable the other way around. 

Communication goals

Once the target groups and the type of communication (influencing, persuading, dialoguing and forming) have been defined, communication goals need to be established. It is important to make sure that these goals are measurable, because this will improve the quality of the evaluation. The goals are normally divided into:

1.            knowledge (knowing);

2.            attitude (opinion);

3.            behaviour (acting).

An example of measurable communication goals would be:

1.             In 2010 30% of local authorities in Europe will be aware of the work of the Council of Europe on Local Democracy (knowledge).

2.             In 2010 20% of local authorities in Europe will have read at least two reports of the Council on Europe on the work in the field of Local Democracy and find these useful (attitude);

3.             In 2010 10% of local authorities in Europe have been directly and actively involved in the work of the Council of Europe in the field of Local Democracy.

4.        Core message

The core message is a very brief statement of what it is we want to bring and we want everybody to know. In order to get this message across it is essential that all communication activities are in line with the core message. Short and clear, the core message should leave no scope or need for further explanations.

The CDLR is invited to consider the following three suggestions for a core message

1.    Better local governance and greater participation of people across Europe.

2.    European local democracy for and with all.

3.    Across Europe: Local Democracy. Good governance. Empowerment


5.        Means of communication

When the core message has been established, it has to be decided on how one can reach the target groups. What means are effective and what are not? If one needs to reach civil servants, a mass media campaign will not be necessary; a monthly newsletter might be much more effective. An overview of the different tools which could be used is set out below as are examples of the means which can be used for different target groups.

6.        Evaluation

In order to know whether the communication efforts are worthwhile and in order to keep on improving them, evaluation tools will need to be introduced, without them becoming too heavy a burden on the overall operation.

Evaluation can be conducted at the end of the process, but in some circumstances it is also wise to conduct evaluations in between. This way the communication strategy can be adjusted if needs be. It is also important to evaluate not only externally with the target groups, but also internally.

There are different ways of evaluation, this being dependant on the different communication means which are used in the process. Examples are:

-        (written or oral) survey among target groups;

-        n-depth interviews among target groups;

-        number of visitors to a specific part of a website (thus not only homepage);

internal evaluation

One could also for example measure the number of publications target audiences are adding to their own websites, the number of translations they are organising of the different documents into local languages or the number of press releases they are producing. These indicators however, do not measure any effect communication has had on the target group and should therefore not be used alone, since any communication trends derived from this type of information can only be indicative.

Below is a short overview of the different target groups, the different ways of communication and the different tools we could use. Key elements to succeed with this work:

  1. A good corporate story based on the core message is necessary;
  2. Communication with delegations and colleagues is important and needs more attention. This will enhance the knowledge of and within the CDLR.
  3. Internet and newsletters seem good tools which can be used for many of our target groups;
  4. However, it will also be very important to organise and/or participate in meetings, ranging from conferences to face to face meetings and telephone calls.



Category 1

Target group

Ways to communicate

Corporate/ Product communication

Possible tools

Ministries responsible for Local and Regional Government

National policy divisions

Persuading, Informing and Forming

Corporate and product

Website, Newsletters, Meetings, Debates, Videos, face to face, telephone

International division

Persuading, Informing and Forming

Corporate and product

Website, Newsletters, Meetings, Debates, Videos, face to face, telephone, e-forum

Management of the Ministry

Persuading, Informing and Forming

Corporate and product

Memo’s, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone

Ministers

Persuading, Informing and Forming

Corporate

Memo’s, Meetings, Videos, face to face

External advisory bodies (Quango’s)

Persuading, Informing and Dialoguing

Corporate

Website, Newsletters, Meetings, Debates, Videos, face to face, telephone

Ministries of Foreign Affairs

Permanent Representations

Persuading and Informing

Corporate and product

Website, Newsletters, Meetings, Debates, Videos, face to face, telephone

MFA desk officers for CoE

Persuading, Informing and Dialoguing

Corporate and product

Website, Newsletters, Meetings, Debates, Videos, face to face, telephone, e-forum

Ministers of Foreign Affairs

Persuading, Informing and Forming

Corporate

Memo’s, Meetings, Videos, face to face,

Internal Council of Europe

Secretary General

Persuading and Informing

Corporate

Memo’s, face to face, Videos

Reform decision makers

Persuading and Informing

Corporate

Memo’s, face to face, Videos

Committee of Ministers

Persuading and Informing

Corporate

Memo’s, face to face,


Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

Forming and Informing

Corporate and product

Website, Newsletters, Meetings, Debates, Videos, face to face, telephone, e-forum

Parliamentary Assembly

Persuading and  Informing

Corporate and product

Website, Newsletters, Meetings, Debates, Videos, face to face, telephone

Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs

Informing

Corporate

Website, Newsletters, Meetings, Debates, Videos, face to face, telephone

Conference of INGO’s

Informing

Corporate 

Memo’s, Website, Newsletters, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone

All Steering Committees of the Council of Europe

Informing

Corporate

Memo’s, Website, Newsletters, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone

Directorate General of Administration and Logistics

Informing

Corporate

Website, Newsletters, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone

Directorate of Political Affairs

Informing

Corporate

Website, Newsletters, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone

Directorate of Communication

Dialoguing and Informing

Corporate and product

Website, Newsletters, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone

Directorate of Political Advice and Cooperation

Informing

Corporate

Website, Newsletters, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone

Venice Commission

Informing

Corporate

Website, Newsletters, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone

North- South Centre

Informing

Corporate

Website, Newsletters, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone



Category 2

Target group

First way to communicate

Corporate/ Product communication

Possible tools

Local and regional government

Local authorities- Mayors and members of the executive (aldermen)

Forming and Informing

Corporate

Meetings, Videos, Brochures, Website

Local authorities- civil servants

Persuading, Informing

Product

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, e-forum

Local authorities – members of the council/assembly

Forming, Informing

Corporate

Meetings, Videos, Brochures, Website

Regional authorities- governors and delegates

Forming, Informing

Corporate

Meetings, Videos, Brochures, Website

Regional authorities- civil servants

Persuading, Informing

Product

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, e-forum.

Regional authorities – members of the council/assembly

Forming, Informing

Corporate

Meetings, Videos, Brochures, Website

National associations of local government- members of the Board

Forming, Informing

Corporate

Meetings, Videos, Brochures, Website

National associations of local government- Director and staff

Persuading, Informing

Product

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, e-forum

National associations of regional government- members of the Board

Forming, Informing

Corporate

Meetings, Videos, Brochures, Website

National associations of regional government- Director and staff

Persuading, Informing

Product

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, e-forum


Category 3 (in random order)

Target group

First way to communicate

Corporate/ Product communication

Possible tools

800 million Europeans

Informing, Persuading

Corporate

Website, Articles, Press releases, Press Conferences, Videos, Social Networking Sites, Campaign, Wiki, Twitter, Second Life, Chat, Podcasting, Weblog,

Donors & assistance partners

GTZ

Forming and Informing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, face to face, telephone

VNG international

Forming and Informing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, face to face, telephone

Dexia

Forming and Informing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, face to face, telephone

World Bank

Forming and Informing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, face to face, telephone

UNDP

Forming and Informing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, face to face, telephone

SIDA

Forming and Informing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, face to face, telephone

Media

High profile journalists

Persuading and Informing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, face to face, telephone, press seminars

Specialised press

Persuading and Informing

Corporate and product

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, face to face, telephone, press seminars

Civil Society

Trade unions

Informing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, face to face, telephone

NGO’s

Informing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, face to face, telephone


Academics in the field of

Law

Dialoguing, Informing

Product

Website, Newsletter, e-forum

Public administration

Dialoguing,

Informing

Product

Website, Newsletter, e-forum

Political Science

Dialoguing,

Informing

Product

Website, Newsletter, e-forum

Philosophy

Dialoguing, Informing

Product

Website, Newsletter, e-forum

Sociology

Dialoguing, Informing

Product

Website, Newsletter, e-forum

Advisory Bodies to Government

Dialoguing, Informing

Product

Website, Newsletter, e-forum

Brussels

European commission

Informing, Dialoguing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone

Committee of the Regions

Informing, Dialoguing

Corporate and Product

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone

Other international organisations

OECD

Informing and Dialoguing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone

OSCE

Informing and Dialoguing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone

UNhabitat,

Informing and Dialoguing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone

World Bank

Informing and Dialoguing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone

UNESCO

Informing and Dialoguing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone

CEMR

Informing and Dialoguing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone

United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)

Informing and Dialoguing

Corporate

Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, face to face, telephone


Communication tools


When choosing what communication tools to use it is important to have focus on the main goal of the operation. What kind of attention are you aiming for (raise a debate, increase participation, improve knowledge, change attitudes, change behaviour) and what are the target groups you want to reach. When deciding on communication tools it is important to bear in mind that there are also target groups that will not be reached with the chosen communication tool. The table below lists different communication tools, gives a short description of their use and suggests possible target groups they might reach. The table is in no way exhaustive.

Communication tools

General tools

Short explanation on use

Target groups

Press release

Create wide attention to a certain issue or product by releasing a statement to the media.

The general public, media.

Chronicle/article

Create wide attention to a certain issue or product by writing or contributing to an article in a specific magazine or newspaper

The general public or a specific group of readers of a certain magazine.

Press seminar

Relevant press is invited to a seminar on a specific topic to raise level of knowledge on a subject

Journalists in relevant media.

Programme/travels

Creates visibility, generates local media, helps create and maintain local networks, raise awareness of local issues

The general public, at national, regional or local level.

Press conference

Create attention to a certain issue or an event by inviting media to ask questions to relevant players.

Journalists in relevant media and the general public.

Face to face

Small scale meeting where one or more people meet to discuss different topics while being in the same room.

Specific target group

Meeting

Large scale gathering where people meet to discuss different topics while being in the same room.

Specific target group

Telephone (or the online version Skype)

Long distance contact between one or more people where different topics are discussed. There is possibility to have onscreen images of speaking partners.

 

Specific target group

Campaign

A time limited measure that has a clearly defined area of concentration, outcome that is easy to measure. More then one tool can be used.

The general public. Could be any specific target group depending on the main goal.

Brochure

Short, informative and targeted. Useful as a teaser for websites, books or to give short information on a specific subject, key information etc.

Could be any target group depending on the main goal.

Pens

Creation of general visibility, spreading a logo, a brand etc.

The general public or a specific targeted audience.

Notebooks

Creation of general visibility, spreading a logo, a brand etc.

The general public or a specific targeted audience.

Posters

Short, informative, visual and targeted. Useful as a teaser for websites, books or to give short information on a specific subject, key information etc.

The general public or a specific targeted audience.

Top expo

Larger then a poster, but the same use: short, informative, visual and targeted. Useful as a teaser for websites, books or to give short information on a specific subject, key information etc.

The general public or a specific targeted audience.

Video

Short, informative and targeted. Could be on any subject. Preferably an interview or someone reading a short text. To be distributed online and/ or to TV-stations. Most effective when shorter then 10 minutes.

Could be any target group. Publishing something online does not, in itself, communicate to anyone, often a target group has to be made aware of the item via newsletters, personal e-mails etc.

Small gifts

To be given to guests, at conferences or after meetings etc. Creates visibility for a logo, brand etc.

Guests

Exhibition

Combination of pictures and words that give a visual display of a subject. For use in conferences temporarily or in entrances as a temporary exhibit.

A specific identified target group.

Calendar

Make information on meetings, events more easily accessible to target groups.

The general public or a specific target group


Communication tools

Specific Digital press[3]

Short explanation on use

Target groups

Newsletter

An electronic letter which can be used to inform a specific group of people about a specific topic. Effect depends upon the quality.

 A specific target group. It can be send randomly to people, but people should be able to subscribe and describe.

Banner

Visual tool to highlight one specific subject, website etc.

The general public, or a specific targeted group

Weblog

Web-based journal with chronological entries usually created and maintained by a single author, which may be open to comments from other people.

The general public, or a specific targeted group

Chat

Online real-time dialogue between people.

The general public, or a specific targeted group

e-forum, e-discussion

forums, e-platform

Virtual space for online discussion, allowing deferred participation.

A specific targeted group

podcasting

Method of distributing multimedia files such as audio or video programmes over the Internet for playback on mobile devices or personal computers.

The general public

Social networking sites (Facebook , My Space)

Social networking relates to a category of web applications helping to link individuals who jointly use a variety of tools.

The general public

Wikipedia

A web application that allows users to create and edit content collectively.

The general public

Twitter

It is a microblogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Celebrities are known for using this tool.

The general public

Second life

A virtual three dimensional world where a participant creates his owns identity and can explore, meet other residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, and create and trade virtual property and services with one another, or travel throughout the world. Government or Business uses this tool sometimes to test certain products or ideas.

A specific targeted group

Games

Online electronic games which can be used to explore, understand and compare a specific topic, for example decisions making games which deal with different policy-making options.

The general public, or a specific targeted group


Appendix IV

 

Original profile for the proposed Communication network

·                Governments would be encouraged to appoint representatives that have good knowledge of the COE and who are in possession of wide knowledge of their own organization.

·                The representative should be one with knowledge of, and experience with, different communication instruments.

·                The representative should be informed of the agenda for relevant meetings and also examine relevant meeting reports in cooperation with the national representative to the relevant committee with a view to identify relevant issues at an early stage.

Timeframe

The communication network should meet once a year in Strasbourg. The meeting should be held after the CDLR have decided their agenda for the coming year.

 

The communication network and its correspondent should be:

Initiators

enable the execution of the communication strategy and pursue a process of increasing awareness of communication

Coordinators in the network

make possible a good dissemination of information to and from the CDLR and member states

making sure member states are on board at an early stage in all relevant projects in order to utilize their media knowledge and stakeholder contacts fully

assist the secretariat in establishing cooperation with relevant departments and entities within the COE

help identify issues on the agenda of the CDLR and its subcommittees relevant for communication and give practical advise

Implementers nationally

provide for proper follow up of the communication strategy at national level

identify partners and establish co-operation at national level

make sure relevant information is available online and that information channels are utilized fully


Appendix V

Sample Core messages

1.       Better local governance and greater participation of people across Europe.

2.       European local democracy for and with all.

3.       Across Europe: Local Democracy. Good governance. Empowerment.



[1] The DC is an important stake holder in the overarching communication strategy of the Council of Europe and will play a key role in ensuring that the communications strategy of the CDLR is aligned with that of the Council of Europe. The DC is potentially an important partner in the follow up work and also in ensuring that the needed capacity building is being done.

[2] Based on the Communication Intersection by Betteke Van Ruler (1998).

[3] Most of the explanations of these tools stem from “the glossary of technical terms in the field of electronic democracy”, an appendix to the Recommendation CM/Rec(2009)1) on e-democracy. Other explanations stem from Wikipedia.