David Hill, former communications director for Tony Blair, spoke to us last night.By saying "us" I am referring to about 40 students and faculty of the University of Westminster who, I hope, enjoyed the event as much as I did.
The lecture was well-structured and interesting (specifically, during the whole speech I never felt my usual urge to grab a coffee, walk around the hallway for a little, check my text messages or take a trip to the closest mirror).
According to Mr.Hill, political communication is all about two things: 1) strategy and 2) delivery of your message. "Sense of direction" is vital. And government's relationship with media is the key priority.
Describing his challenges of working with national media, Hill mentioned the tendency of not giving enough coverage to good news, not reflecting improvement, but mostly focusing on drawbacks instead. While the word he used to describe the relationship between Downing Street and journalists was "combative", Hill still believes the change is to come.
Among the effective ways to deliver the government's communication strategy, Hill named a series of consistent themed speeches to the Lobby "to serve as catalyst for public debate", as well as wide use of e-petitions.
Besides, much change in the society has taken place, and segmentation is a part of it. Hill noted that in the old days 90% of population could be reached via 12 strong media outlets. Today, in contrast, thousands of various media channels would be required.
Personally, I completely agree with David Hill on his belief that public interest in good news is just as strong as it is in bad news.
A nice dose of genuine good news always makes a day look brighter, don't you think?
