Strategic communications for an election year
Learn how to make your communications deliver your organisation’s strategic goals as Wales enters the 2021 Senedd elections. The content will focus on this Welsh election, however, the concepts and skills can be adapted to other elections.
This is aimed at communications professionals working within Wales’ third sector or social enterprise. This is a series of five part skills-and-knowledge workshops that can be taken together as a series or individually. All workshops will be conducted online through Zoom and supporting resources through Google classroom.
Part 1. Developing an organisational manifesto
● Developing an organisational manifesto: This module covers how to work with senior management, the organisation’s strategic plans, and the customer or beneficiary to craft a clear manifesto of what it wants the new Welsh Government to do. The manifesto is your tool and map for influencing.
Part 2. Influencing political parties – Thursday 5 November 2020, 13:30-16:30
● Influencing political parties: This module covers how to use a manifesto to have conversations with political parties with the aim of getting your manifesto to become part of theirs.
Part 3. Raising the profile of your customers/beneficiaries/members and your influence – Thursday 26 November 2020, 13:30-16:30
● Raising the profile of your customers/beneficiaries/members and your influence: This module focuses on using organising as a technique to create a focused voice in urging political parties to adopt your organisation’s manifesto. The focus will be on digital organising tactics for building motivation, as well as digital tools and formats for bringing people together virtually.
Part 4. Voter registration – Thursday 14 January 2021, 13:30-16:30
● Voter registration: This module focuses on how to work with partners, such as the Electoral Commission, to drive people to register. This will cover how to craft messages and use digital links to measure your impact and increase your influence.
Part 5. Get Out The Vote – Thursday 28 January 2021, 13:30-16:30
● Get out the vote: This module focuses on how to develop effective campaigns to get your users to make a plan to vote, either through mail in ballots or at polling stations.
About the tutor…
Joni Ayn Alexander is a strategic communicator, consultant and coach in the charity and education sectors. She started her career as a journalist at USA Today before moving to Wales to study, practice and then teach journalism. More recently, Joni was the director of the National Union of Students in Wales and Northern Ireland. She led operations for the NUS’ UK-wide campaign in the 2019 UK General Election, and its work to influence a UK/EU trade deal post Brexit. Joni has served on several boards, currently a trustee for the charity Parentkind. Joni provides consultancy, coaching and training. Find out more at hire.joniayn.com.