TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite – A Palace news and information director on Friday urged labor information officers (IOs) here to listen to public reactions and views on ongoing government programs and issues so that people have their voice in governance.
Malacañang News and Information Bureau (NIB) Director Virginia Arcilla-Agtay spoke before some 50 IOs as one of the resource persons at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) re-tooling and communications planning activity at the One Tagaytay Hotel here.
Agtay gave insights and shared her learning experiences on effectively communicating government programs and maximize their online presence instead of merely writing on government issuances and policies.
As head of an attached agency of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), the President’s and government’s communication arm, Agtay tackled on the right ‘ingredients’ for effective communications, the needed sub-skills, ways to improve information dissemination and how to maximize online presence during her talk.
She said that one of the key points to effectively convey intended meanings to its target group is ‘to use the right medium to reach the target audience.’
For the public’s varied palate, Agtay shared the five ‘ingredients’ for right communications and reminded government IOs ‘to be sure to adjust to suit your audience,’ such as clarity, brevity, make message relevant, make the message stand out and memorable, and the message’s value.
According to the Palace news director, information officers could further hone their craft by knowing how to assess and be aware of environment issues, build up their message on what to include or leave out, be able to translate well the message/s that will help in the conversation and lay down the message with authority.
“Information officers’ mandate isn’t only to provide information, but they are there to also ensure that all products and services are geared towards the greater good and supports nation-building,” she said.
She added that to improve their information dissemination capabilities, one needs to strengthen the facilities and pursue capacity building activities like these and to never tire to generate timely, accurate and relevant news using multi-media platforms including social media.
The NIB official also emphasized the effective use of info cards in maximizing their social media presence and presented pointers like the “to do list” such as to formulate the communication plan; produce interesting press releases; generate materials regularly; be aggressive in producing materials that citizens can share on their accounts and keep social media materials simple and understandable in the language of ordinary Filipinos.
KC Gapuzan, an IO of the International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB), expressed appreciation on Agtay’s lecture, especially on writing about the government program’s impact from the stakeholders’ perspective.
DOLE’s three-day capacity building activity, which gathered the department’s attached agencies, bureaus, regional offices and units, began Thursday and will culminate on Saturday as part of the labor department’s efforts to strengthen its communication programs. (PNA)
