LESSON 4

PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION: 1/1

Competence in Mediated Communication

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

Understand the challenges posted by mediated communication. Explain the significance of exhibiting
competence in mediated communication.

Design a web page based on the etiquette of mediated

communication.

Competence and Challenges in Mediated Communication

Since the early 1990s, a growing number of researchers and theorists have studied the phenomenon of
mediated communication: technologies that connect people who communicate without being face-to-
face. Some forms of mediated communication are Internet-based: E-mail, instant messaging, and social
networking websites are examples. These typically are labeled computer- mediated communication
(CMC). Other mediated channels are phone-based: Cell phone conversations and text messaging are
among the most common forms. Mediated communication calls for skills that are different form those
necessary in face-to-face interaction.

Nobody would downplay the challenges of communicating in face-to- face situations. But
communicating via the Internet or phone has its own set of issues (Adler & Rodman, 2009).

Learner Messages

Social scientists use the term richness to describe the abundance of nonverbal cues that add clarity to a
verbal message. Face-to-face communication is rich because it abounds with nonverbal cues that give
communicators cues about the meanings of one another's words and offer hints about their feelings. By
comparison, most mediated communication is a much leaner channel for conveying information.

To appreciate how message richness varies by medium, imagine you haven't heard from a friend in
several weeks, and you decide to ask, "Is anything wrong?" Your friend replies, "No, I'm fine." Would
that response be more or less descriptive depending on whether you received it via text message, over
the phone, or in person?

You almost certainly would be able to tell a great deal more from a face-to-face response because it
would contain a richer array of cues: facial expressions, vocal tone, and so on. By contrast, a text
message contains only words. The phone message containing vocal, but no visual cues-would probably
fall somewhere in between.

Because most mediated messages are leaner than the face-to-face variety, they can be harder to
interpret with confidence. Irony and attempts at humor can easily be misunderstood, so as a receiver it
is important to clarify interpretations before jumping to conclusions. As a sender, think about how to
send unambiguous messages so you aren't misunderstood.

Disinhibition

Sooner or later most of us speak before we think, blurting out remarks that embarrass ourselves and
offend others. The tendency to transmit uncensored messages can be especially great in online
communication, where we don't see, hear, or sometimes even know the target of our remarks. This
disinhibition can take two forms.

Sometimes online communicators volunteer personal information that they would prefer to keep
confidential from at least some receivers. Consider the example of social networking sites like Facebook,
Twitter and Instagram. A quick scan of home pages there shows that many users post text and images
about themselves that could prove embarrassing in some contexts: "Here I am soon after I got drunk."
"This is me in Boracay after a long break from work." This is not the sort of information most people
would be eager to show their prospective employers or certain family members.

A second form of disinhibition is increased expressiveness. A growing body of research shows that
communicators are more direct-often in a critical way when using mediated channels than in face-to-
face contact.
Sometimes communicators take disinhibition to the extreme, blasting off angry even vicious-e-mails,
text messages, and website postings. The common term for these outbursts is flaming.

WYSPSSIVE COMMUNICATION 173

On November 14, 2012, an ugly confrontation between a lady guard and a lady passenger in LRT 2
Santolan station went viral on different social media platform. The irate train commuter was later
identified as Paula Jamie Salvosa, also tagged "Amalayer" (I'm a liar?) by the netizen. She was repeatedly
berating on the lady guard identified as Sharon Mae Casinas in an altercation that led to cyberbullying by
the netizen on Salvosa. She became the target of memes and parody videos that make fun of her or
demonize her. Salvosa's video was uploaded by another train commuter and it uncontrollably spread
like wildfire. Her situation showed the ugly side of social media and the disinhibition of people who used
social media or online communication as a means of bullying rather than for healthy communication.

Permanence

Common decency aside, the risk of hostile e-messages or any inappropriate mediated messages-is their
permanence. It can be bad enough to blurt out a private thought or lash out in person, but at least there
is no permanent record of your indiscretion. By contrast, a regrettable text message, e-mail or web
posting can be archived virtually forever. Even worse, it can be retrieved and forwarded in ways that can
only be imagined in your worst dreams. The best advice, then, is to take the same approach with
mediated messages that you do in person: Think twice before saying something you may later regret.

The article that follows talks about the etiquette in mediated communication.

Social Media Etiquette: What's Safe To Share On Social Networks? By Scott Steinberg

Social networks - self-contained online forums where users can share their lives and careers and engage
in ongoing dialogue with others in the form of text, photos, videos, comments and other forms of high-
tech communication - have grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade. Billions of people
worldwide now regularly turn to social networks to provide friends and strangers alike with snapshots
and updates of their daily life and, in turn, see what friends, family,174 POSIVE COMMUNICATION

and acquaintances are doing at any given moment. In fact, it's fair to say that today we're juggling two
lives: Real and virtual. But what do basic rules of online etiquette look like, and which information and
viewpoints are OK to share on these most public of forums? As we note in the new book Netiquette
Essentials: New Rules for Minding Your Manners in a Digital World, answers are often hard to come by.
Below, you'll find essential hints, tips, and guidelines for maintaining a safe and positive presence on
popular social media sites from Facebook to Instagram, Snapchat, and beyond.

. Sharing extremely-opinionated viewpoints (e.g. political leanings or thoughts on controversial topics)

can be a lightning rod online. Think twice before liking supporting status updates or posting such
opinions, which can incite and aggravate others (and live on in perpetuity). If you feel the need to
express these opinions, consider confining such communications to exchanges with individual friends, or
specific Facebook or Google+ groups. Ultimately though, it's important to remember: If you don't have
anything nice to say, perhaps it's best left unsaid.

Posting embarrassing, revealing or negative photos of yourself should be avoided at all costs.
Remember: Images you share may be taken at face value, and/or viewed as representative of your
character - not to mention live on forever on the Internet. What seems cute in high school or college
may not seem quite so endearing to potential employers.. Never post photos of others without their
express permission.

Relationship or personal drama is best kept private. If you cannot resist the urge to share, do so
sparingly and in the most vague, unspecific terms possible - for the sake of involved parties, or friends
uninterested or unwilling to participate in the situation. No communications should be shared about
other individuals and those involved in real-life situations without their advance permission.

As a rule of thumb, uncomfortable or revealing personal information, i.e. details of your struggles with
psychological issues or relatives' fading health, should be shared sparingly, if at all, and - unless
acquaintances have indicated that they're comfortable viewing this content - only with others you know
in real-life. Note that content shared online may further be available for public viewing, and
inadvertently expose you or your family to potential risk and/or embarrassment.

Never share intimate personal details including birthdates, phone numbers, addresses, schools or
hometowns online, to minimize risks of crime, vandalism or identity theft. Never let others know when
you'll be away from your home, especially for any given length of time, e.g. whileon vacation.

Avoid posting on social networks unless you have a tight grasp over your privacy settings, and are
completely comfortable with the group of online friends that your updates will be shared with.

Tone of Voice and Attitude

Professionalism is imperative - if you wouldn't say it in a social or work setting, don't say it online, in the
most public of forums.

Politeness and respect are vital: Always be considerate of others, and

treat them the way that you'd wish to be treated.

Avoid bad-mouthing other users as it will negatively impact your image and casual bystanders may judge
you based on these actions.

Maintain a positive tone and attitude: Negativity, complaints and

condescending messages often reflect poorly on the poster. Bragging and self-aggrandizing statements
should be avoided, and making them may cause you to lose friends and followers.

Since social networks are shared venues enjoyed in mixed company, always avoid using vulgar language
and making derogatory remarks.

Demanding that others share your status updates, projects, thoughts or ideas is inappropriate.

Reserve confidential discussions for private message threads or, better yet, phone calls, emails or other
venues where interactions aren't recorded in perpetuity online.

Be advised that conversational nuances and subtle shifts in tone or personality may be lost in
translation, and that individual users may interpret messages differently: Consider how posts will be
read and interpreted before sending.

Poor spelling, punctuation, grammar and choice of words can reflect equally poorly upon the individual -
proofread all communications before sending. Shorthand, abbreviations and online slang should be
avoided if possible, and used only in the most informal of conversations.

Being a Responsible User

Understand that each social network has its own rules of conduct, social norms and methods of
interaction. Before utilizing one, take a moment to step back and observe how interactions take place,
so you can discern appropriate rules of posting, sharing and behavior.

Assume that everything you post online can be seen by others, as even major social networks have
suffered privacy breaches.

• Do not share information that online friends have shared with you in

confidence, i.e. quoting someone's private tweet to you.

Log out of all your social networks when finished using them, and when you are using a computer or
mobile device that isn't yours.

Realize that everything posted online lives on the Internet permanently,

and may be available for public viewing.

Never forget: Despite their seemingly intimacy, social networks are among the most public of spaces -
it's important to conduct yourself on them as you would in any shared setting.

You reserve the exclusive right, and it is wholly appropriate, to decline friend requests from strangers.

Privacy and personal comfort are paramount: At no point should you feel compelled to respond to
messages or queries from people you don't know.

Before posting on others' profiles or walls, or tagging them in your own posts, consider how your actions
and/or statements may be perceived, and if they may potentially cast friends in a negative light and/or
embarrass them.
Use privacy settings to limit who can view your posts and shares. When asking someone you don't know
to be your friend, send a short message explaining who you are and why you're attempting to contact
them.

LESSON J

Choosing the Optimal Communication Channel

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

Identify various channels of communication; Explain the process of executing each channel; and

Apply the various communication channels to appropriate

Communication situations. Choosing the Optimal Communication Channel

Deciding which communication channel to use isn’t a trivial matter. Sometimes a written message
succeeds where an oral one fails; at other times talking to the recipient in person will produce results
that the printed word can’t match (Adler, Elmhorst, 1999).

FACE-TO-FACE COMMUNICATION

Face-to-face communication comes in many forms. Some are one-to-one meetings, either scheduled or
spur of the moment. Others involve small groups of people, gathering spontaneously or in formal
meetings. Still other face-to- face communication occurs in large groups, where one or more speakers
make presentations to an audience. Whatever the setting and the number of people, all types of face-to-
face communication possess the same qualities.

One potential advantage of face-to-face communication is its speed. Once you make contact with your
audience, there is not time lag between the transmission of a message and its reception. This is
especially valuable when time is of the essence: if you need a price or have to have the funds in an
account released now, putting your request letter or memo won’t be much help.
A second advantage of face-to-face communication is the control it gives you and the speaker. You
might spend hours drafting a memo, letter, or report only to have the recipient scan it superficially or
not read it at all. In a personal contact, however, you have much more command over the receiver’s
attention. The listener at least has to pretend to pay attention-and if you use effective speaking skills
your messages ought to be clear and interesting enough to capture the attention of your audience.

Another enormous advantage of face-to-face interaction is its personal pality. When a personal meeting
goes well, the relationship that communicators develop can help solve problems that might have been
more difficult when handled at a distance. Personal meetings are especially important in some cultures,
where failure to visit someone in person is an insult. The principle can occur closer to home. People who
don't show up for meetings may (intentionally or unintentionally) suggest to others that they are too
important or too busy or too apathetic to be present.

Although it has many advantages, face-to-face communication isn't always the best approach. The
biggest drawback of personal contacts is the difficulty in arranging them. Even when communicators are
in the same building, scheduling a meeting can be difficult and frustrating. When the people who need
to meet are separated by greater distances, personal contact is expensive and time-consuming. Even a
crosstown trip for a half-hour meeting can take most of the morning or afternoon, depending on traffic
and weather.

A personal encounter might also be unproductive if the contact antagonizes one or more of the
participants. If the personalities or the subject is likely to make someone angry or defensive, then less
confrontational forms of communication might be better.

TELECONFERENCING

Face-to-face meetings may be desirable, but distance often makes them impractical. Teleconferencing is
billed by its promoters as the next best thing to meeting in person, since it allows participants in two or
more locations to see and speak with each other.

Until recently, most teleconferencing required elaborate studios at each location, which made the
technology unaffordable for all but the largest organizations. New "desktop" conferencing using
personal computers is putting the medium in reach of more workers. By adding communications
hardware and software to a personal computer, it becomes possible to teleconference from the place
you normally do business. Most packages come bundled with data- conferencing software that allows
users to view another's computer screens while teleconferencing, which permits them to share
documents as well as see one another.
Teleconferencing isn't likely to replace face-to-face meetings completely. "Face-to-face" meeting is still
valuable in many situations, since some types ofInteraction just don't work as well when conducted long
distance: brainstorming. negotiations, and persuasion are a few examples. Still, many executives view
teleconferencing as a way to eliminate unnecessary travel and improve long- slistance communication.

TELEPHONE AND VOICE MAIL

A telephone conversation lacks the visual feedback that often reveals how your message is getting
across. But the telephone still communicates vocal Ques such as tone of voice, pauses, interruptions,
pitch and rate. Telephone, conversations also make it harder to hold the attention of your listener.
Recall, for Instance, all the fingernail cleaning and paper-clip sculpting you have done while
Unsuspecting speakers have rattled on.

The drawbacks of telephone communication are offset by one tremendous ildvantage: It often lets you
contact a receiver who would be impossible to reach In person. You can touch base with someone
halfway around the world in less time than it takes to catch an elevator to the next floor. The telephone
can even help you get through to busy people who are nearby. Office hermits who barricade themselves
behind closed doors will often drop everything when the telephone rings, or at least answer it
grudgingly.

Telephones can be a useful tool for group communication as well as one- to one contacts.
Audioconferencing allows a group of geographically separated people to speak via telephones. A sales
manager from the south, a customer from the north, and an engineer from the east can hash out the
details of a problem without ever leaving their respective offices-far better than a time-consuming and
expensive face-to-face meeting or a frustrating round-robin series of phone calls in which the customer
phones a question to the sales manager, who calls the engineer and then shuttles the answer back to
the customer.

Despite its advantages, telephoning has drawbacks. Since many people are moving targets, you might
not get through on your first (or even your second or third) try. As more people carry pagers and cellular
phones, mobility is becoming less of a challenge, but catching someone on the first call can still be a
pleasant surprise.

Even when you are able to "reach out and touch someone" with the phone, contact can be problematic
if you reach the caller at a bad time. Your chances of having a successful conversation will drop if the
other person is hurried, Real-time communication isn't the only type of telephone communication. Voice
mail is a high-tech version of the answering machine. Many communicators hate voice mail, often with
justification. Some voice mail menus and submenus can take forever ("If you want information about
schedules, press 1 now. For a list of addresses, press 2. For product information, press 3..."), and
"clever" greetings can be annoying. But voice mail does have its advantages. It allows you to leave a
message at any time of the day or night. You can feel confident that the recipient will actually receive
the message in your own voice, just as you spoke it, without the omissions and distortions that come
when an intermediary transcribes your message.

Even at their best, voice mail messages might seem inferior to speaking in person to the other party.
Sometimes, though, a voice-mail message can be even better than a personal contact. Leaving a
recorded message can save you from wasting time swapping formulistic pleasantries with people you'd
rather not talk to. Also, delivering your message electronically can keep the other person from
responding in ways you don't want to hear. With voice mail, you can decline an invitation, express just
the right amount of irritation, or offer an excuse, all without having the other person talk back. You can
use voice mail most effectively if you follow these tips:

Know the schedule of the person you're trying to reach. Doing so can boost the odds of reaching the
person you're seeking (if that is your goal). Some people are most likely to be near their phones early in
the morning or late afternoon. Others are likely to be in (or out) during lunch.

Leave the name of the person for whom the message is directed. Most home answering machines and
some voice mail boxes in businesses are shared by more than one person. Don't make the recipient
guess who you're trying to reach.

Identify yourself. Unless the recipient knows you well, leave your first and last name. You may not be
the only Beth, Jhing, Maricel or Ariel in the receiver's circle of acquaintance. If there's any possibility of
misunderstanding, spell your last name.

Leave your phone number, especially if you want to be called back quickly. Even if you know others have
your number, they may not have it with them when they are not picking up. Organize your message in
advance. Don't confuse the recipient by sending a rambling message in which you carry on a
conversation with yourself, change your mind, or switch ideas in mid message. This sort of rambling
makes you sound muddle-headed and is it likely to annoy the recipient.

Keep the message as short as possible. Even a one-minute message can seem endless to the person who
receives it. A long message, even if it is well-organized, may contain too much information for the
listener to digest. If you have a great deal to say, consider alerting your receiver to the main points, and
then send the details via fax, memo, or overnight mail.
Speak slowly and clearly. The vocal fidelity of some voice-mail systems is poor,a nd you don't want your
message to be misunderstood.

Despite its advantages, oral communication isn't a perfect medium. Possibly the greatest disadvantage
of speech is its transience. All communication is fragile, but the spoken word is especially prone to being
forgotten or misunderstood. Listeners quickly forget, much of what they hear-half of the message
almost immediately and half of the remainder two days later. Thus, a customer might forget three of the
five product features you mentioned, or your boss might forget exactly why you need more staff support
and only remember the amount of money you requested.

Even if they remember an oral message, listeners are likely to distort it. Some details drop out with each
telling of a story, facts and figures change. Receivers may even invent variations on the truth, just to
make the story more interesting or to make it fit their own idea of what ought to have happened. The
farther the message travels in space and time from its original sender, the greater the chance of
distortion.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

Written communication comes in a variety of forms. Letters, memos, bulletins, and reports are familiar
fixtures in almost everybody's career

Written messages have a different set of advantages and drawbacks than their spoken counterparts
have. Unlike speech, written communication is permanent. Once your words are down on paper, they
are saved for future reference, either to your delight or to your undying embarrassment. While people
may have trouble accurately recalling what you said a few hours ago, they can refer to your written
remarks years later. Even if the receiver has lost or forgotten your message, you can always supply a
copy from your files. u can be easier to and than speech. Readers can study complex passages as many
times as necessary, a luxury they do not have when the message is delivered orally. They can take a
break if their interest wanes and, after a cup of coffee or a quick stretch, come back to what they were
reading refreshed and ready to go on.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of written communication is that you can compose it in advance. You
can take as much time as necessary to shape a message just as you want it, pondering every word if
necessary. You can try out several versions on test readers to anticipate the reactions of your real
audience. And you can make changes until finally you get the desired response.
Finally, written messages are less prone to errors. Even the best-rehearsed oral presentations can go
awry. You can misplace an important set of papers or forget mention a key idea. Furthermore, the
spontaneity that makes spoken communication so effective can backfire. Your attempt to improvise
might sound confusing or lame, and the joke you thought would make the perfect ice-breaker might fall
flat. Every speaker has thought, hours after conversation, "If only I'd said..." When you communicate in
writing, you have time to choose exactly the right words.

Two kinds of written communication deserve special mention. Facsimile (most commonly called "faxes")
are documents that have been transmitted electronically over the telephone lines. They share most of
the features of other written documents, but the speed with which they can be sent and received makes
them more similar to oral messages delivered in person or over the phone. In fact, faxes can be thought
of a sprint version of voice-mail messages. Because they can put a huge amount of details in the hands
of a receiver almost instantly, faxes can be an ideal complement to phone conversations. You can tell
someone (in person or on voice mail) "Let's talk after you've looked over the details I'm faxing you." The
faxed document prevents the tedium and inaccuracy of describing the subject over the phone, and the
vocal follow-up gives you and the other person chance to share ideas far more efficiently than you could
in an exchange of written messages.

Electronic mail (or e-mail) is another unique communication channel. It allows communicators to send
and respond to one another's written messages via computer. Like the telephone and faxes, e-mail is
virtually instantaneous: once you push the "send" key on your computer, the message will be waiting for
the addressee, usually in a matter of minutes. Along with being a tool for external communication, e-
mail used as an alternative to telephones and personal contactswithin an office, where it is often labeled
as part of an intranet-an infrastructure that allows people within an organization to exchange
information in digital form.

E-mail possesses some characteristics of the voice mail, besides its speed, it allows you to leave
messages for others to pick up at their convenience. However, because your ideas appear in writing, e-
mail (like letters and faxes) makes it easier to comprehend lengthy, detailed messages. Because it's easy
to send a message to several people virtually anywhere in the world, e-mail can expedite
communication in ways that often can't be duplicated.

Along with speed, e-mail provides an astonishing degree of access to people you otherwise might not be
able to reach. Once you have located someone's e-mail address, your messages zip by the secretaries
and other gatekeepers to the important person you're trying to reach.

E-mail differs from most other forms of communication in one important way: its informal, almost
spontaneous nature. Communicators using e-mail have almost no concerns with the kind of formatting
that is important in other business correspondence, and the ease of logging on and sending a message
increases the frequency and informality of contacts. For this reason, some users have termed e-mail a
"conveyor belt for ideas." But along with the ease of use comes the risk of spontaneous messages that
the sender might later regret especially since they can be stored and printed out, unlike an off-the-cuff
spoken remark.

E-mail Dos and Don'ts

Like any communication medium, electronic mail can be used well or poorly. The following guideline can
help you take advantage of this medium and avoid unnecessary problems.

Don't use e-mail:

For off-the-record correspondence. "Delete" may only mean that a message disappears from your
screen, and not from the server's archives. Information you thought was erased may show up years
later, creating legal or personal problems.

For personal messages, at least not at work. A misaddressed message can lead to embarrassment and
humiliation. Furthermore, a recipient can forward your private thoughts to others without your
permission or knowledge.

To be critical, sarcastic, or humorous if they is any chance your tonewill be misunderstood. E-mail text
lacks the richness of vocal, or even handwritten messages. Your attempt at cleverness might be
misinterpreted.

When you are angry or in a hurry. Once you've sent a message, it usually can't be retrieved. You may
regret your careless or impulsive words later. To avoid personal discussions that would be better
handled face-to-face or in a phone call. To pass along information you are not sure is accurate (e.g.
cancelled

meetings, changed deadlines, budget figures).

Do use e-mail:
To be part of networks that will give you important information. This means sharing information useful
to others as well as seeking information from them.

To shrink hierarchy and expedite team projects. E-mail can help you reach important people and save
time otherwise spent in meetings. To solicit or send information to a large number of people quickly and
easily. You can reach a large number of addresses virtually around the globe with a few strokes.

To create a professional image. Use correct spelling and grammar. Messages can be informal but they
should never contain inaccuracies.

E-mail etiquette:

Always include a concise, informative heading in the subject field.

Don't ramble in business-related e-mails. Keep your messages clear and brief as possible.

Use separate messages when you need to communicate about more than one issue. This makes it easier
for the recipient to keep track of and respond to each one.

Only send copies of your messages to people who are likely to care about it. Bombarding receivers with
what they regard as junk e-mail may cause them to disregard important messages when you send them.
What is the best channel to use?

The question is not what communication channel is best to use, but when to use each one most
effectively. Each communication channel has both advantages and disadvantages and drawbacks.
Despite these pros and cons, there are guidelines that will help you decide how to deliver your message
most effectively. Following these guidelines can produce dramatic results.

In general, oral communication is bets for messages that require a personal dimension. Oral channels
are also best for ideas that have a strong need for visual support-demonstration, photos, or slides, and
so on. Spoken communication is also especially useful when there is a need for immediate feedback,
such as question-and-answer sessions or a quick reply to your ideas.
Written communication (with the exception of e-mail) works best when you want to create a relatively
formal tone. Writing is almost always the best medium when you must choose your words carefully.
Writing is also better than speaking when you want to convey complicated ideas that are likely to
require much study and thought by the receiver. It is also smart to put your message in writing when
you want it to be the final word, with no feedback or discussion. Finally, writing is best for any message
if you want a record to exist. In business and the professions, sending confirming letters and
memoranda is common practice as is keeping minutes of meetings. These steps guarantee that what is
said will be a matter of

LEARNING EXERCISES

Analyze your communication behavior. Find out how much you interact in a mediated communication
situation. Observe your activities for a day. Record every occasion in which you are involved in a
mediated communication (cell phone, telephone or computer-school work, or social media function).
Based on your findings, answer the following questions.

LESSON 6

Multimodal Advocacy

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

Analyze advocacy campaigns presented through various media

platforms. Develop multimodal advocacy campaign materials with strong messaging content.

Look at the picture and state what immediately comes to your mind.

At a practical point of view, this might look like an ordinary graphical representation of two puppets;
one of which had its strings cut off. However, the image symbolizes a deeper message intended to be
analyzed by the audience who sees it.

Notice that the puppet on the left resembles a man who is about to beat the woman (represented by
the puppet on the right) with a stick. The hand with scissors above the two puppets represent the effort
to end the violence which is about to transpire. The image above is an example of an advocacy
campaign. An advocacy is a strategic series of actions designed to influence those who hold
governmental, political, economic or private power to implement public to implement public policies
and practices that benefit those with less political power and fewer economic resources - usually the
affected group.

An advocacy campaign is a long-term set of activities that includes research, planning, and acting,
monitoring, and evaluating advocacy efforts. By practice, advocacy campaigns are delivered through
different platforms of media television, print, and radio. However, contemporary technology has
enabled advocates to use digital media such as the Internet, mobile devices, and Social Media as tools
for pushing an advocacy as well.

Communication is central to effective advocacy. First, good interpersonal communication is vital inside
the advocacy effort itself-among colleagues, leaders, constituents, and allies of your advocacy. Second,
communication strategies need to reach, educate, and persuade external audiences, from policymakers
to communities.

A successful advocacy campaign begins with asking questions. Before you start your advocacy work, it is
vital that you inquire what the real issues or problems are and that you explore the reasons why these
issues or problems exist at the deeper social level, not just in your organization or the community you
belong to. These are critical steps because they help you begin to frame your case in terms of the needs
of your audience and explore solutions that help your organization advance the broader social good.

Jumpstarting your advocacy:

A. Developing your message - Your advocacy message is what you choose to

say about your issue, its solution and who you are. To develop a message, you will need information to
back up the arguments you see. In order to do this, you should:

ล.

Know your audience.

b. Know your political environment and moments (controversies,

issues, fears, etc.)

C Keep your message simple and brief

d. Use real life stories and quotes

e. Use precise, powerful language and active verbsUse clear facts and numbers creatively

Adapt the message to the medium you are going to use Allow your audience to reach their own
conclusions

Encourage audiences to take action Present a possible solution

B. Delivering your message-Message delivery involves careful attention to how

the information will be transmitted and to whom or what the message will convey. Choices about
delivery differ depending on the audiences and the community, In places where access to electronic or
printed information is limited, people trust information they receive face-to-face from a person they
regard as knowledgeable or an authority in the community. Other information sources simply do not
reach them.

C. Choosing the right medium-Your choice of a medium to deliver the message

depends on who you are speaking to, what you want to say, your purpose, and your ability to work with
that medium. Mass media can be both a tool and a target of your advocacy. On the other hand, because
mass media reaches so many people, it is a powerful tool to inform and build support around your issue.
Its influence over public opinion and values makes it a prime target.

As You Know It
Advocacy messages are most effective when they follow a logical sequence that begins with the ways in
which the social purposes affects the things a community already values. It is difficult if not impossible to
persuade an individual or a community to adopt a new value. Instead, you must understand how your
advocacy connects to things that people already gives importance to.

Using media includes using formal and informal media channels to extend the reach of your message.
However, for your message to be noticed, your advocacy must be "newsworthy" depending on the
political context in which you move around. Making your advocacy newsworthy depends on how you
package your message, who delivers it, and whether you can persuade media that it is newsworthy. The
aim is to extend your message. On the other hand, you can pursue your advocacy using traditional and
digital media provided that you have the resources to do so.

元 A Press release - The press release aims to attract journalists to cover an

upcoming event or one that has just occurred. Some journalists receive hundreds of
releases a day, which makes the competition to get your advocacy across very steep.
This means that the wording of the headline and first sentence of your press release
must be compelling

B. Radio and television programs-Public education programs that

aim to change attitudes and behavior often depict a familiar human story and
illustrate alternative ways of seeing and resolving common problems Similar to these
programs, you can use radio or television or both, in getting your message across.
Radio can be used to generate citizen dialogue and debate. On the other hand,
television advertisements can also be a platform for your advocacy which enables
extended reach as long as the audience have television sets.

C. Theater and songs - Street theater and songs can reach a wide

range of people. They are particularly useful in situations where mass media reaches
only a fraction of the population. The combination of entertainment, real life
dramas, thought-provoking information and interaction engages people in a way that no
other media can. Street theater and songs work for both literate and non-literate
populations.

D. Pamphlets, comic books, and photos - Pamphlets and other simple materials can help
push your advocacy. They can be cheap and, where information is scarce, will likely
attract an audience, depending on literacy levels. The challenge is making the
content and design educate and entertain.

You can use the example framework below to organize your advocacy campaign:
Cause

To promote environmental awareness and engage the audience in proactive "green"

living

Target Audience

City dwellers and people living in suburban areas

Message

Medium

The environment is quickly degrading which causes serious flooding in low- level
areas. Heat is quickly raising in cities especially and those which are stripped- off
of the lush greeneries ke trees.

Print-

posters tarpaulinsAs You Know It

Proactive posting of campaign messages and calls to action on your blog, Facebook,
Twitter, and other digital venues is also an effective way of promoting your
advocacy. Engaging other partners and advocates to comment, add content and advance
your cause both on your social media venues and on their own also help.