PR-specialist of Perfect PR agency Vladyslav Rudy attended the thematic discussion “State Communications: UNWRITTEN RULES” during the 28th BookForum and noted down the key ideas shared by the communicators of state institutions.

Communicator of the Central Election Commission Ivanna Stets took part in the discussion; Maryna Dadinova, Communications Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Expert of the UNDP Crisis Management Center at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Andriy Skotsyk, Marketing Director of Ukrposhta; The event was moderated by Svitlana Kryzhanivska-Blinova, a communications expert and co-founder of the Lviv Media Forum.

1. State communications never end, even on weekends and holidays.

2. Do not neglect simple human words and humor. Because to speak in a way “according to” it is somehow not ok. Terminology can and should be used if it is needed to convey information correctly.

3. It is important that the whole team speaks with one voice outside, so keep in mind the internal communication.

4. Working in the public sector is hard, so stay yourself and be true to your values.

5. Do not join projects that do not match your values. It is difficult to be a lawyer for the devil.

6. Sometimes 7 meaningful words can be written for 7 hours to clearly and correctly convey information to different people.

7. Never lie!

8. Any creative must be justified.

9. If your communication doesn’t work and the audience gets angry, it’s important to admit your mistakes and apologize. Quite often this is the best solution, because information damage has already been done.

10. Don’t create a warm bath for speakers, because people need to understand what the audience wants and be prepared to answer difficult and controversial questions.

11. Communication is a connection with reality, ie it is necessary to convey information in the language, facts and examples that are part of society.

12. Always put yourself in the place of people who will receive information from a government agency.

13. Meanings and meanings are more important than advertising.

14. It is difficult to communicate the same thing to different audiences (employees, stakeholders, investors, etc.), and audience reactions may be different.

15. Public communications should be useful to the people.

16. Finding inspiration and ideas is a constant and completely normal process.

17. Never start communicating with “let’s do a memearticlepodcast” without understanding why and why not. Communications must meet operational and strategic objectives.

18. Sometimes communication is a specific message to a specific person who can make decisions and influence.

19. Does a communicator of a state institution have the right to be human? By remaining human, you can show more empathy for your work. But keep in mind certain restrictions that publicity imposes on a person.

Author: Vlad Rudyi