Government touches us all. And right now it is the cold hand of insecurity that is changing and shaping communications messages to a variety of audiences.
Or so I thought.
Yes, the economy struggles, and the future of our healthcare is unknown.
Taxes change, credit disappears and budgets are cut. Environmental preservation and energy growth rise in conflict. I could go on and on. Every day, government decisions affect messages within our organizations, in the marketplace and around the dinner table.
What about government insiders? How are communications professionals in governmental organizations working within an environment that appears so fraught with gloom and doom? As part of our industry spotlight series, empart magazine sat down with three government communicators to get some perspective. What they shared was both surprising and inspiring.
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Turning the Tide – Transparency and Good Stewardship
Before the recession hit, the number of individuals who said they trusted the government, "always" or "most of the time", was in the low-to-mid 30's. Slightly more than a decade ago, trust was in the high 30's and occasionally over 40 percent. As of September 2011, it’s 15 percent, according to a poll by CNN.
With this as a backdrop, it was exciting to hear from three well-respected federal and local agencies – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) and Fulton County. Their organizations are not only committed to increasing confidence and trust in government, but are also succeeding.
With the economy as it is, and government spending at the top of everyone’s list, it is only logical that the first place to focus on building trust is to increase transparency and communicate acts of good stewardship.
For example, CDC has felt the effects of the economy and experienced budget reductions in the past few years. In response, the agency has streamlined efforts to run as tight a ship as possible. This included a restructuring of the communications office in 2010. CDC recognizes the value of communicating and developing valuable programs, but has also made an effort to stay lean. “We are trying to do what we can to have a secure nation from a health perspective,” says Barbara Reynolds, acting director, Division of News and Electronic Media, Office of the Associate Director for Communication, CDC. “All of our communications depend upon trust and credibility with our audiences. While it is never a good time to cut back on work being done to protect the nation, the CDC is always working to be as accountable as possible with taxpayer dollars. We are committed to work with less to do more.”
IABC member Ericka Davis, who serves as Fulton County’s director of communications, told us that Fulton’s efforts at accountability go far beyond traditional transparency initiatives. “I think citizens are always watching government to see if their tax dollars are being spent wisely, and that we’re being good stewards,” says Davis. “Most criticism and distrust comes from a lack of knowledge and understanding of the process.”
So this year, Fulton County educated and engaged the public with a series of Citizen Sense Budget Sessions. Citizens were given “money,” a list of county programs and services and guidance as to which services were mandated by law. Participants were then asked to share how they would spend the available funds. They were even given the opportunity to raise taxes. “Every single citizen who attended came away saying: 1) We have a really tough job making the determination of what to fund, 2) They had a better understanding of how the process worked and 3) They appreciated the opportunity. It was awesome!”
At the state level, Nicole Linton, IABC member and public relations manager with the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) Public Affairs Division, works hard to communicate positive financial news. As a result, more than $300 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), GEFA expanded its water, sewer, energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. Instead of working in an atmosphere of budget cuts, Linton was tasked with communicating financial boon and new opportunity. With the expansion and addition of programs in the agency’s communications programming, Linton found herself taking traditional PR and marketing strategies to a new level, adding and expanding tactics to meet her audiences’ voracious appetite for “good news.”
Communicators Committed - Innovation and Outreach
In today’s challenging economic and budgetary climate, government communicators are faced with a public starved for information, clarity and assistance. Reynolds, Linton and Davis have risen to the occasion with ideas, innovations, humor and help. Most importantly, they are making themselves increasingly available to citizens, organizations and businesses.
At the CDC, Reynolds noted that government communications is experiencing a lot of change. No longer is there a set news cycle; information is moving at the speed of light and through a plethora of channels. In response, the CDC has become a leader around the use of social media in a government context. For example, after the White House, the CDC has the most Twitter interaction of all government offices with 1.3 million followers.
“Lots of people are paying attention. It’s interesting, and we are developing a real sense of how these channels should be used effectively. Everything we do here [in social media] is an effort to be trusted and credible. We strive for an authentic relationship with the public.”
That authentic relationship has allowed the CDC to use humor and creativity to draw attention to one initiative – emergency preparedness. A member at the CDC wrote a blog entry on how to prepare for a zombie apocalypse. (Yes – you read that correctly.) You can imagine the cult following, reposts, comments and resulting media coverage this created – all which drew attention to the message at hand. The post was followed up by a free, downloadable, zombie comic book on preparedness.
Fulton County’s online interactivity has expanded in droves. Recent efforts include: Fulton Focus, an e-newsletter; Fulton Features, a monthly e-version overview of media coverage; Ask F.R.A.N. (Fulton County’s Research Access Network), an electronic research repository; and live Twitter chats on tax assessments, foreclosures and the budget. The county also has expanded its Facebook presence, and even hosted a live town hall meeting on the budget where citizens could watch on TV, online and call, email, tweet or post questions in real time. “We’ve been working hard to find ways to communicate to our citizens and stakeholders,” says Davis.
Perhaps the county’s biggest success is its new-and-improved website. Due to citizen feedback and a C- rating from online government watch dog, The Sunshine Review, Fulton County has spent the last two years creating a website that meets audience needs. Simple navigation, better organization and a new transparency section, “Eye on Fulton,” has resulted in an updated A+ rating and positive feedback from citizens.
A Light in the Dark – Resources for Troubled Times
Fulton’s website was deemed A+ because citizens could turn to Fulton County and find what they wanted and what they needed. Davis says, “As citizens find themselves facing their own economic challenges, the need for government becomes more pronounced, not less so. For example, something as simple as going to a bookstore and buying books now becomes a luxury, and you will see more citizens using our libraries to check out books or use computers. Citizens who work in places without health insurance turn to public health facilities for care. Interest in our services definitely increases.”
Communicating the availability of services and making them easy to access has become critical in recent years, and has spotlighted government organizations as they serve as valuable resources for citizens and organizations who need help.
For example, GEFA’s programs, such as the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program and Georgia’s Clean Energy Property Rebate Program, make it possible for community developments to save money, and increase community value as they are developed in environmentally and cost-efficient ways. The expansion of programs, such as the Weatherization Assistance Program, has made it possible for thousands of low-income residents to improve their homes’ energy efficiency– saving money and improving the overall effect on Georgia’s environment. All of these programs increased GEFA communications efforts, from announcing funding to communicating information and updates on individual projects.
At the CDC, the agency has a straightforward policy as a resource: nothing they produce is copyrighted, and it is available to all. The CDC Learning Connection (www.cdc.gov/learning) exists as a forum for those looking for tools in their own world. CDC partners with state and local health agencies, and budgets at all levels are being decimated. To fill the gaps, the CDC tries to share communications expertise and research, in addition to developing and offering products like PR tool kits, templates, advertising, etc., which can be tailored for a community.
“The CDC is committed to sharing knowledge and making ourselves available 24/7. We are a mere phone call or email away," says Reynolds.
