Evidence Based Strategic Advocacy & Effective Influencing

OBJECTIVES The objective of the course is to provide conceptual and practical tools on:. • How business organizations can maximize their chances of success by implementing a well-thought-out lobbying strategy; • How to strategically identify advocacy priorities and objective setting. “What would success look like”? • Learn the key steps and elements for developing an effective lobbying strategy & implementation plan; • Stakeholder Analysis: Identify key players in the policy decision-making process and their positions. • Political landscape analysis/mapping. Identify possible allies; • Prioritize actions in implementing your lobbying strategy; • How to put together an effective communication plan for your lobbying campaign • Evaluate and improve your organization’s lobbying strategy; • Benefit from experience sharing among participants on successful and not so successful lobbying efforts. CONTENT The course is structured in 3 Topics / 4 weeks, each of which include practical material and a live webinar: • Week 1. Topic 1: Knowledge and analysis to determine the issues/priorities: Evidence is the key. Participants will learn how to prioritize and select issues to focus on for an effective lobbying action. Particularly, they will understand how to support lobbying activities through data; how to do a good data research; how to compose a good position paper from this evidence. • Weeks 2 & 3. Topic 2: Strategic advocacy & effective influencing Participants will learn how to think and plan actions strategically and through which tools to develop an effective lobbying strategy. In order to do this, training sessions were provided on how to do a stakeholder analysis, perform political landscape mapping/analysis, identify key players in the policy decision-making process and their positions to involve them effectively. • Week 4. Topic 3: Communication for advocacy The main outcome will be to understand how to engage with the stakeholders group using persuasive communication and advocacy. The participants will learn how to formulate strategies and key messages for political and institutional communication. Digital lobbying and social media data evidence will be useful knowledge to acquire to reach target audiences. NUMBER OF HOURS: 30 hours – 7,5 learning hours per week