Government searches for top communicators

In this frame from left to right: Minister of Information Neil Parsanlal, Judette Coward-Puglisi and Maria Mc Millan

When speaking to Neil Parsanlal, Government’s information minister at IABC’s communications measurement conference, I was surprised to learn that he communicates Government’s ambitious Vision 2020 plans with a staff of five, three of which includes a driver, a cleaner and an office assistant.

At the time of our conversation, the Minister, who is himself is a former business communicator, had just gotten approval from the Government to deepen his staff’s capacity and hire more strategic communicators. According to the Minister, he was on the look-out for the best and the brightest.

Over the last few months from the PM’s move into his new residence, the purchase of the jet and the dismissal of Rowley, it is clear that the PM does not seek counsel from his information ministry or Parsanlal himself. How else to explain the government’s and indeed the PM’s ineffective messaging on all three issues. Notice I haven’t even touched the communications on the smelter plant. That’s a whole other blog.

This got me thinking about why the Minister’s search for a few good strategists is so necessary and how the information ministry can be more of an effective arm of government. In essence, how can Parsanlal and his new bunch of communicators get a seat at the Prime Minister’s table, be part of the inner circle so to speak?

If I could have Parsanlal’s ear for a moment, I would tell him to position his department as the ultimate immediate feedback mechanism who has its ears on the ground and who is in touch with all voices even the dissonant ones. I think that in many instances he would need to push for soft power advocacy (to use a phrase invented by Prof. Joseph Nye at Harvard), with a focus on messages that speak to the laws of attraction and persuasion rather than the hard power attributes of force, compulsion, and arrogance. Where else is the PM developing the perception that he is growing into a dictator other than the fact that he is communicating the issues and his own personal image very, very badly?

I would also advise that Parsanlal to always measure, over time the effectiveness of his communications output to see if the strategies and campaigns adopted by his new team increases knowledge, changes attitudes, improves credibility of the government and burgeoning dictator image of the Prime Minister.

Heaven help him! Parsanlal has a tough job ahead.