TRAINING, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCACY

There are several potential of subject matters that are relevant to the development and maintenance of an organization's enhanced capacity to deal effectively with government. Collectively, they could form the basis of a body of trainig seminars, workshops and in some cases whole courses of professional development in public policy advocacy. 

The particular range of subject matter is premised on the following:

• An individual's or an organisation effectiveness in dealing with government is, at least in part, a function of having certain understanding or types of knowledge about how government operates and decides as well as how it is dealing with specific issues. Some of this involves an awareness and appreciation of certain 'facts' about government and policy development and decision-making. This type of information can be conveyed by written material or lectures and is relatively stable in that change is incremental. There are essentials that, relatively speaking endure (i.e. the process of regulatory amendment, the dynamics of the legislative process, making access to information requests).
• There are numerous approcahes to considering public policy that can be used by advocates. Some may have a rich theoretical base to them; others are more practical and relate to 'mindsets', processes and priorities that constantly evolve. The teaching (and learning) of this material is most effective if it is combined with an opportunity for participants to try out the theory through application of their own situation and issues.
• Quite apart from understanding how the system works and gaining an appreciation of various approaches and strategies, there is also the matter of acquiring key advocacy skills and tools. While traditional methods of instruction have a role in teaching this content, it's especially important to have a format that permits lots of opportunity for students to not only read and hear about certain advocacy skills and tools but also to have an opportunity to develop and practice these skills both in the classroom and in real situations. In this regard, there may be particular value gained from having workshops in which ssector groups could present their plans for advocacy efforts and have them critiqued by panels of GR practitioners who volunteer their services for such workshops.

There are at least 3 categories in which various types of training can be organised.

A/ Understanding the System: How Governments Decide

B/ Developing a Mindset for Advocacy

C/ Developing Skill Sets

A/Understanding the System: How Governments Decide (or What Public-Policy Advocates Need to Know About Politics, Government and Public-Policy Decision-Making

• The Policy-Making Process
• The Cabinet Decision-Making System
• The Budgetary and Expenditure Process
• The Role of Parliament, Parliamentary Committees and Parliamentarians
• Inputs and Influencers in Government Decision-Making
• What is Meant by the 'Politics' of an Issue
• What One Needs to Know About Government and Its' Strategic Communications' Practices
• The Use of Survey Research in Government Policy-Making and Administration
• Government Regulatory Processes and Principles
• Government Grant-Making Processes and Principles
• Government Procurement Processes and Principles
• Government Consultative Processes and Principles

B/ Developing a Mindset for Advocacy

Another category of information and training involves what can be termed 'A Mindset for Public-Policy Advocacy'. It involves not so much hard information or analysis but rather different ways of looking at how governments operate and their relevance to how one goes about dealing with governments.

The purpose of such sessions would be not so much to 'teach' but rather to prompt or stimulate participants to look at their issues and their approaches to advocacy in different ways, to furnish them with some frameworks and mindsets through which to consider their advocacy strategies and tactics. 

Some of these sessions would be designed to help them anticipate certain situations and proviode suggestions on how to deal with them. Subject headings for sessions on this maight include the following:

• Getting Started: Setting Goals, Objectives and Priorities
• The Role of the 'Board' in an organization's Government-Relations and Public-Policy Advocacy Activities
• Lobbying: Knowing Where to Start and When to Quit
• Strategic Inquiry: Research, Insight and Intelligence
• Critical Importance of 'Narrative' in Public-Policy Advocacy
• Coalitions, Proxies and Collaborative Advocacy
• Central Role of Political Capital: Building, Conserving and Spending It
• Confronting Corruption
• The Rules of Public-Policy Advocacy at EU, national, provincial, and local level
• Ethics and Codes of Conduct
• Conflicts of Interest
• Rules, Policies etc: re: Procurement, Funding and Contribution Agreements etc.

C/ Developing Skill Sets

A third category of training topics would focus on 'Developing Skill Sets'. This involves conveying not just basic information and frameworks or exposure to certain mindsets, but, rather, the imparting of specific skills directly related to effective advocacy.

These can be integrated with other types of seminars and training sessions but they can also be presented on a stand-alone basis. Indeed, because of their very nature and purpose, it's probably best if these are presented in a different venue and fashion, one which provides for a greater degree of participant interaction, because, for the most part, 'skilsl' can be best acquired by actually 'doing' not just listening and observing as is the case in most classroom lecture situations. Thus, the emphasis should be placed in a format which allows for interactive participant workshops and practice sessions.

Subject headings for these sessions might include the following either as stand-alone sessions or in various combinations.

• Public-Policy Development and Analysis
• 'Strategic Inquiry'- practices and strategies for gaining information and insight from government- determining what is essential to know, learn or understand in order to facilitate effective advocacy; developing a research strategy and plan ( Research Methodologies- formal and informal, electronic, analytical-; How to use the Web; Approaches to asking questions of public servants and political staff; Survey-research skills and application in support of advocacy efforts; Using the Access to Information (or Freedom of Information) regimes).
• Crafting Advocacy Materials (Documents such as briefing notes, backgrounders, propositions; Communication Strategies; Talking Points; Memoranda to Cabinet; Applications/Proposals for Grants, Contributions; Submissions to Parliamentary Committees; Responding to Government Request for Proposal (RFP); Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement (RIAS)
• Strategic Meetings- Getting the most of in-person meetings with government officials)
• Advocacy Communication Skills: Oral Presentation Skills for use in meetings, speeches, appearances before parliamentary committees; Developing and Managing Issue Communications Strategies; Effective 'Narrative' in Public-Policy Advocacy; Grassroots Advocacy Srategies and Operations
• Advocacy Management Skills: Leading and Managing Preparation of Written Public-Policy Advocacy Strategies (including approaches to involving Board in development and implementation; Motivating, Recruiting and Managing Volunteers; Evaluating Advocacy Efforts.