Communication is key to the development of any organization today, and this also includes public administrations. A communications department is essential to design, plan, and execute this communication.
Communications departments are typically organized by a person who heads the department, better known as a communications director, and a group of people who work together to develop the organization’s communications strategy.
However, it is rare to find a communications director in public administrations, as it is more common to find a press officer appointed by the person leading the government team.
While there may be press officers in public administrations who hold positions of trust or advisory positions, I believe it’s important to also include communications professionals within the public administration who do not have that connection and who work to improve communication with citizens, which is ultimately the goal of public service.
In this article, “A New Model of Communication in Public Administrations,” I raised the question of shifting from press offices serving political power to becoming true communications departments integrated within the organizational structure of public administrations, serving the public.
The relationship established in the communications departments of public administrations can be either hierarchical (the most widespread model) or operate as a holocracy.
This last model was defined in 2007 by Brian Robertson, founder of Ternary Software, and is a system in which decision-making in organizations is distributed horizontally rather than established by a traditional hierarchy.
This holocracy system is what we have adopted in the #CalpComunica model, the new public administration communication model we are developing in the communications department of Calp City Council (Alicante).
Whether it’s a holocracy or a hierarchy system, the communications department is entrusted with a series of functions, among which we highlight:
1) The organization of the communications department
Among the most important functions is the organization of the department itself and the people who report to it, with the distribution of functions and tasks among them.
At this point, I reiterate the need to provide communications departments with organizational and operational regulations, just as other areas do.
I also firmly believe in work teams where “everyone knows how to do everything.” No one is indispensable, and it’s also much more practical and operational. It really strikes me as odd when you call a department and they tell you they can’t answer a question because the only person who knows is on vacation.
Working collaboratively and as a network where we all form a single team is essential, especially to provide better service to citizens. This doesn’t mean that one person can have more responsibility than another in certain matters, but the more shared the responsibility, the better.
And how do we resolve knowledge gaps? Well, by sharing this knowledge through self-education. If one person knows more about a subject than others, they teach what they know to the rest. A boss I had, who remains a role model for me, Pedro Valero, taught me that I should dedicate one hour a day of my workday to training, and that includes reading and learning from other people in your own administration who have more knowledge than you.
And this is what we’re doing, for example, in the social media management team we created at Calp City Hall, where we dedicate one hour a week to social media training.
If I, due to my circumstances, know a little more about social media, what better way to do it than to teach it to those people who also manage the city’s social media so that their management is better, and better for the citizens.
2) Design and planning of the communication strategy
The communications department is responsible for designing the public administration’s internal and external communications strategy in coordination with management.
And not only that, but within that strategy, you have to develop the annual communication plan that must contain all the actions to be carried out.
Based on the guidelines for political or government management, the communications department establishes what information can be published, how it should be published, where it should be published, and so on, based on the premise of informational and journalistic interest.
They say what, and the communications department says how, when, and where to do it. Let’s not forget that communications experts are the people who work in that department.
This is one of the most complicated functions of communications departments, as they are not there to communicate what the politician in power is doing, but rather to provide information about the services offered and any information that is of interest to citizens.
In this article, I addressed this issue in the wake of the #PageCumple ruling, which condemned a regional government for engaging in politics on institutional social media for the first time. You can read it by clicking here.
This design, planning, and development of the communications strategy encompasses several areas. The four most important are:
- social media management
- communication campaigns
- digital marketing
- event organization
3) Responsible for contracting institutional advertising
It is the communications department that must decide, based on strictly professional and informational criteria, how institutional advertising is contracted.
Among other issues, it is necessary to comply with the regulatory regulations in this area, which in the case of the Valencian Community is included in the recent Law 12/2018, of May 24, on institutional advertising for the citizen interest and the collective conception of public infrastructures.
The issue of institutional advertising has always been one of the most controversial in public administrations, as it has long been used to favor some media outlets over others.
In this regard, I wrote this article in which the Calp City Council approves that the technical staff of the communications department will determine who contracts institutional advertising.
4) Relationship with the media
An important part of the work carried out in communications departments is relations with the media.
Although press releases are increasingly rare and have less significance, it is also true that this is not the only area that connects both sectors of journalistic activity.
The communications department of a public administration responds to, supports, and collaborates with media broadcasts, prepares documentation for reports, arranges interviews, and more.
5) Responsible for internal communication of the city council
Although internal communication remains largely forgotten by public administrations, I predict that in the coming years, communication efforts in this area will experience a dramatic increase due to the significant benefits it brings to organizations.
In this article I discussed the importance of internal communication in public administrations.
6) Responsible for brand management, corporate identity, reputation and positioning
If anything has identified public administrations, it’s their lack of interest in aspects such as brand management or corporate identity, even though it has been common practice for a new government to come to power and the first thing it does is change all the logos and names of all the ministries, departments, and councils.
Communications departments must ensure that everything from the logo that appears on a brochure is appropriate to the image projected on social media is consistent with the public administration.
The development of the internet and social media has led to the emergence of new concepts such as online reputation and online positioning, aspects that are also important for public administrations, as it is no longer just about being online, but about how we are online.
7) Communication advice
In this article on communication and social media, everyone understands that the issue of the advisory function in communication matters was addressed. It seems logical that, just as questions and concerns about the environment are directed to the environmental department, and urban planning to the corresponding department, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think that if advice, opinions, or counseling on communication matters is required, the technical staff of said department would be in charge. However, this isn’t usually the case, since everyone seems to understand communication issues.
We could surely add some more features to those described above, and I urge you, if you think we can add any more, to let me know by email: contacto@amalialopezacera.com
By the way, if you need help developing a communications plan for your city council or public administration, this guide may be helpful: “Guide to developing a communications plan for a public administration” here.
And if you work in a public administration, whether in city councils, provincial governments, ministries, or in healthcare, education, or the police, and you want to develop your personal brand and generate new professional opportunities, this is your guide: Personal Branding in Public Administration.
One way to stay up to date with all the latest news in digital marketing, social media, and communications is to subscribe to my weekly newsletter here: Digital Marketing, Social Media, and Communication Newsletter. You can also find a brief summary of these news in podcast format on Ivoox on my Marketing al Día channel.
To showcase the work we do in public administrations, I have a 30-minute interview program that I broadcast live on my Twitch and YouTube channels. You can find all the information about #30minutos here. If you haven’t seen the previous programs, you can watch them on my YouTube and Twitch channels. They’re also available as podcasts on Ivoox, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
We can follow the conversation at:
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- Telegram
- Ivoox
- Apple pódcast
- Spotify
- Google pódcast
- Novagob
- Facebook group “Social Networks and Public Administrations“
- Facebook group of “Bloggers of public administrations“
- Facebook group for “Journalists in Public Administrations“
