Handbook of Corporate Communication and Public ... - Blogs Unpad

The tension between these perspectives is
another reminder of the need for prudent
judgement when corporate interests – private,
public and voluntary – communicate with
government. There is first the question of
whether the corporate communicator has the
technical competence to deliver a persuasive
message to the most powerful listener in the
state. Are you communicating a position
which aligns your interest and government’s
definition of the national interest Have you
identified the most persuasive mix of message
forms and channels Are you communicating
publicly or privately or in both modes Will
you be listened to alone or as part of a larger
interest Are political and official channels
giving you the same messages
These questions are the tactics of communication
with government: the strategic questions
still needed answering as well. Where
does your interest lie in the scale of government
imperatives and favoured policies
Do elected politicians gain or lose votes by
communicating with you Are you an insider
or an outsider to the business of running the
country Your communication can propose
but government’s invariably dispose.
What have you learnt
Readers will have noted the following points
to aid better understanding and practice:
• Corporate communicators talk publicly
and critically to government in liberal,
democratic, market-orientated, capitalist
societies.
• They communicate in a societal context
with distinctive features, chief of which is
a high degree of competition amongst
interests (accelerated pluralism).
• Communication is done to procure advantage
for the organization.
• Without knowing policy and political
contexts, communicators are less effective.
• These communicators include those in
public and voluntary institutions, and the
full range of stable interest and cause
groups as well as in business.
• According to the neo-pluralist perspective,
business communicators are in a
privileged position vis-à-vis government,
but one that is challenged and not always
on the winning side.
• Elected governments are the most powerful
communicators in these societies.
• Most corporate communication is public
but some are private and this lobbying
raises accountability and transparency
questions about dealing with government.
• Governments communicate in both political
and official channels.
• Be prepared and prudent when communicating
with democratic government.
CorpComs: tracking and analysis
Corporate communication pervades our
public messaging spaces (the media, websites,
official documents, face-to-face debates) and
is easy to track. The strategy and tactics
behind it are, however, more difficult to
analyse.
Businesses, public bodies, interest and
cause groups are always seeking communicative
advantage vis-à-vis competitors and
government, and a continuous, thoughtful
scrutiny of their communication reveals
organizational aims and objectives. Here are
three tracking exercises.
© 2004 Sandra Oliver for editorial matter and selection;
individual chapters, the contributors