Strategic relationship management can drive public policy communication

Prosocial communication has been used recently by various entities. Corporations currently take stances on social and political matters that are beyond their financial interests. Airbnb is discussing illegal immigration, Dick’s Sporting Goods is being vocal about gun violence, and Nike is raising issues about racism.

The nonprofit sector also addresses diverse societal challenges and advocates for various groups. Individuals in civil society build networks and are vocal about various social issues online and offline. Among diverse aspects of prosocial communication across different sectors, effective communication that influences this public policy’s decision-making process is a crucial part of prosocial communication.

One of the concepts that explains communication strategies that affect policy change is media advocacy. Media advocacy explains the strategic use of mass media by advocacy communicators to advance public health policies. Advocacy communicators first influence public agenda through mass media to raise public awareness about certain issues and eventually aim to gain the attention of policymakers.

Therefore, communication strategies based on media advocacy have focused on increasing media coverage and framing media messages in a manner that can attract media and public attention.

However, public policy communication frequently occurs in interpersonal communication between advocacy communicators and policymakers, and thus, our project uncovers the complexities of public policy communication at the interpersonal communication level.

We conducted in-depth interviews with 15 practitioners who work directly with policymakers. Through these in-depth interviews, our project offers practical insights for practitioners/organizations seeking effective public policy communication with policymakers. Practitioners/organizations can see the whole picture of public policy communication and understand key communication strategies used across different sectors.

While communication strategies such as message frame, communication channel, and communication timing are all important factors in public policy communication, our findings indicate that relationship management and issue management are key factors in individual-level public policy communication. This strategic approach based on the critical functions of public relations contributes to the holistic understanding of public policy communication in organizations that involve multiple stakeholders.

This project helps various organizations understand the whole picture of public policy communication at the interpersonal and public communication levels across different sectors. It advances the objectives of the Page Center's prosocial communication grant and the mission of the Page Center by highlighting the strategies and tactics used in public policy communication in various sectors.

For more information about this study, email Minhee Choi at Minhee.Choi@ttu.edu and Kelli Boling at kelli.boling@unl.edu. This project was supported by a 2023 Page/Johnson Legacy Scholar Grant from the Arthur W. Page Center.