Reaching the Outside World

Advocating for UNDP

The Office of Communications at UNDP produces a number of corporate communications products that can be used in your outreach to donors and partners. Speeches and presentations by UNDP experts are excellent opportunities to inform and advocate for UNDP because they often involve a captive audience with an interest in the topic at hand. Goodwill Ambassadors, as celebrity figures with broad and sometimes global audiences, may be able to reach constituents that would otherwise remain outside of UNDP’s reach.

Click the links below for:

• Corporate Advocacy Products
• Public Speaking for UNDP
• Speech Tips
• Star Power: Using Goodwill Ambassadors and Celebrities

Corporate Advocacy Products

Innovative advocacy from the UNDP Montenegro Country Office: consumer ‘gets the facts’ as he reads his country’s NHDR “Do You Know?” messages printed on the paper bag containing bread purchased. Photo: UNDP Montenegro

The Office of Communications at UNDP produces a number of corporate communications products that can be used in your local advocacy campaigns to inform donors and partners about UNDP, our work around the world, our coordinating role within the UN system and our internal operations and resources.  These products include the UNDP Results one-pagers, UNDP corporate Fast Facts series, videos on the work of UNDP, UNDP in Action Annual Reports and corporate promotional material.

The UNDP in Action Annual Reports are produced yearly in time for the annual session of the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board, and are distributed to over 25,000 internal and external audiences, including members of the UN system, donors, partners, private sector representatives, international NGOs, the media and the general public. The publication draws on extensive information and data from UNDP Headquarters Units and Country Offices and is printed in Arabic, English, French, Spanish and Russian.  The Annual Report is the organization’s “calling card” and an important advocacy and outreach tool.

The Annual Reports include an exciting multimedia element—photo essays, videos and first-person accounts from the filmmakers on UNDP-supported projects—to increase our outreach capacity.

If you have any questions on the Annual Reports, or if you need to obtain additional print copies of the publication for use in your communications activities, write to us at communications.toolkit@undp.org.

In addition, UNDP offices have produced various items including pens, polo shirts, lanyards, caps and USB memory sticks, to promote UNDP’s brand and messages amongst external and internal audiences. The Promotional Materials website includes products’ catalogues and art files you can use to produce your own items locally, with your preferred company(ies).

There are many creative ways in which COs can spread UNDP-related messages for advocacy purposes. For example, in order to communicate Montenegro’s National Human Development Report (NHDR) 2009 and reach remote areas with low penetration of TV, radio and print media, the Country Office printed the most compelling NHDR messages on both sides of recyclable bread paper bags. A local company was contracted to produce over 200,000 paper bags, and the cost was around €1,500. The bags were distributed through a supermarket chain and a bakery association covering various parts of Montenegro. For more information on this, go to the Best Practices section.

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Public Speaking for UNDP

Informing the general public and key constituencies about UNDP’s work and messages can greatly help strengthen partnerships, mobilize resources and accomplish the organization’s business and development objectives. For UNDP, public speaking can represent a powerful, cost-effective way to help position the organization and increase the understanding of its work among different audiences.  As a knowledge-based organization, we can promote our work more effectively by utilizing the development expertise of staff members around the world who have the talent to speak effectively about UNDP’s programmes in strategic venues.

The Office of Communications in New York maintains a roster of UNDP experts/speakers who can speak compellingly and to broad audiences about a wide variety of topics related to the organization. If you have further questions about the roster, or wish to invite a UNDP speaker to an event, contact us at communications.toolkit@undp.org.

Tips for identifying talented speakers who can advocate for UNDP’s work:

1. Identify and select your local UNDP experts covering different practice areas and who can speak eloquently and in a compelling manner.

2. Look for staff members - RCs/RRs, DRRs, Directors or desk officers - who posses technical/programmatic/advisory expertise and who can communicate to diverse audiences.

3. Tap those staff members who are also good for media interviews on the radio, TV or print press.

4. Contact top universities and think tanks, as well as public schools or under-funded universities (see the successful UN4U programme recently launched by UN DPI), so that you reach a wide range of audiences. You can arrange for a UNDP representative to give a keynote address, to participate in a panel discussion or a conference, or organize a briefing session where your expert can talk about their work at UNDP or a “hot” UNDP topic.

5. Organize a briefing or info session in your office where selected staff members brief a small, selected audience (internal or external) about the work that they are currently doing and future projects. Internally this is good for knowledge and information-sharing, and externally it helps to promote the work that UNDP does.

6. Promote/market your speaker. As an example, click here to see an advertisement created by the Office of Communications in NY.

You can also use UNDP-related videos as part of your presentations to partners and stakeholders. For example, for the annual session of the 2009 Executive Board UNDP’s Office of Communications produced a video on UNDP’s capacity development support around the world, which features content from the 2009 Annual Report. The six-minute video can be downloaded here and is also viewable below.

In the “Tools” and “Best Practices” sections you will find some presentations UNDP staffers have used in the past for their own briefings. These can be integrated into your own presentations to showcase the work of UNDP. You should add more slides according to the focus of your presentation, your area of expertise, the level of the audience and the venue. If you will make a PowerPoint presentation make sure you use the UNDP corporately branded PowerPoint templates. A very good alternative to using PPTs to prepare presentations is a new and easy-to-use program called Prezi.

To obtain further information on public speaking for UNDP, the corporate roster of speakers/experts, or to share your own ideas, please contact the Outreach and Public Information Officer in the Office of Communications at communications.toolkit@undp.org.

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Speech Tips

A good speech builds rapport with the audience, establishing an emotional connection that fosters people’s receptiveness to its key messages. People will absorb more if you convince them—at the start—to care. Some basic guidelines on preparing and delivering a speech:

• Keep speeches to less than 15 minutes. Since people speak at about 100 words per minute, that entails a length of no more than 1,500 words.
  

• Identify at most three key messages that you want to come through in the speech—mention these repeatedly, but with shifts in the language so you aren’t saying exactly the same thing over and over.
  

• Deliver your most important message in the first minute of the speech. Try to present it in a way that captures attention—say something that people haven’t heard before. They’ll be curious to hear more.
  

• Follow an issue-action-impact format, with a liberal smattering of success stories. Keep in mind the need to outline the problems, but also to prove that development works.
  

• Show, don’t tell. If you want to make a statement, don’t just leave it hanging. Make it convincing by backing it up with evidence—data, analysis, anecdotes, etc.
  

• Make references to individuals or specific groups, or weave in personal experiences. This will enhance the ‘human’ connection.
  

• Use the latest facts and figures, and any cutting-edge research, particularly if it demonstrates UNDP’s intellectual leadership. Tailor the quantity and detail of the information to your audience—more for specialists, less for the general public. In general, however, loads of technical terms and acronyms are harder to absorb from spoken language. Too many will quickly weigh down the speech. Only very common acronyms (UNDP, for example) should be used.
  

• Include a few punchy lines—if you want to reach the press, this gives you a better chance of being quoted.
  

• Where appropriate, draw on UNDP’s global experience, and emphasize how UNDP works in partnerships.
  

• Underscore how UNDP is helping to develop national capacity—avoid phrases that suggest UNDP is unilaterally changing a country. Try to show instead how UNDP is helping countries help themselves.
  

• Speak with authority, as a representative of the UN’s lead development organization. But don’t be boastful or patronizing. Don’t speak down to any audience. Whoever they are, on some level they are intelligent and engaged.
  

• Take the opportunity to challenge the audience. Ask them to take a specific action. Enlist their support in creating a better human future.

Speeches for formal events should be written out in advance. You may want to hand out printed copies to partners or the media. The person giving the speech should practice it, and know the audience and the purpose behind the speech. More informal speeches can be done off a series of bullet points, allowing for more improvisation and interaction with the audience.

July 26, 2010: Ms. Misako Konno, the longest-serving UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, visited Pakistan meeting with UNDP’s key stakeholders including government leaders, to promote Pakistan’s development agenda. Photo: UNDP Pakistan

A PowerPoint presentation or video can introduce a speech or other kind of event. Either format should aim at being concise and on message. A good rule for PowerPoints is 10/20/30: not more than 10 slides or 20 minutes in duration, and not less than 30 points for the type size. PowerPoints with a lot of text per slide, where the speaker essentially reads off the screen, can overwhelm the audience with information. They will also read faster than the speaker, creating a disconnect. Compelling photos or statistics can underscore key messages and provide a break from text. Use animation with care—too much and/or too fancy distracts from what you are saying.

You will find further tips and tools to help you in the preparation of your speeches and presentations in the “Tools” and “Best Practices” sections of the toolkit.

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Star Power: Using Goodwill Ambassadors and Celebrities

Goodwill Ambassadors, as celebrity figures with broad and sometimes global audiences, may be able to reach constituents that would otherwise remain outside of UNDP’s reach. With a high degree of influence and visibility, they readily attract media attention, multiplying the impacts of advocacy. Common opportunities to use Goodwill Ambassadors include PSAs, video or television appearances, fundraising initiatives, launches of major reports and on websites. They can both provide support to ongoing work and draw attention to emergencies.

UNDP currently has nine global Goodwill Ambassadors; they include: Iker Casillas, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Luiz Nazariode Lima, Didier Drogba and Marta Vieria da Silva, all football stars; Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, television personality Misako Konno; Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and tennis star Maria Sharapova.

The appointment of global Goodwill Ambassadors is handled by UNDP Headquarters and requires the UN Secretary-Generals approval.

The appointment of national Goodwill Ambassadors is handled by the Country Office seeking the appointment and must adhere to the UNDP National Goodwill Ambassador Criteria and Selection Process, which was adapted from the UN’s Official Guidelines on Goodwill Ambassadors. Fundamental to choosing a national Goodwill Ambassador is that the celebrity is well known and appreciated in the country. The selection process should be carefully managed, starting with consideration of whether the issues at hand lend themselves to celebrity endorsement. The status of the personality should not overshadow the messages UNDP is trying to deliver. Each Country Office should only appoint one national Goodwill Ambassador and this selection should be sought in consultation with the Regional Bureau and the Office of Communications in New York. In making the selection thorough documentation should be submitted to UNDP Headquarters regarding the appointment, including tailored terms of reference and a yearly workplan. Please see the ss for details on National Goodwill Ambassador appointments. UNDP National Goodwill Ambassador Criteria and Selection Proce

The “Dos” and “Don’ts” of Appointing UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors

DO:	Select potential GWA candidates who have demonstrated commitment towards development.
	Restrict the GWA appointment to prominent individuals who are widely recognized, committed to UNDP causes and available.
	Engage the potential GWA to participate in four UNDP activities for at least a year prior to any commitment of appointment.
	Prepare a yearly work plan for the GWA that is in line with your Country Office’s priorities.
	Consult in advance with UNDP Headquarters by writing to communications.toolkit@undp.org of any intention of appointment.
	Submit to the Regional Bureau and to the Office of Communications all the documentation for the potential appointment at least two months in advance.
	Encourage self-financing by GWAs of all travel-related expenditures whenever possible, and promote other no-cost arrangements.
	Monitor the GWA activities to ensure that all initial goals of the appointment are being met.
	Avoid appointing GWAs affiliated with royalty or government administrations.

DON’T:	Appoint or commit to appointing any GWA without prior consultation with the UNDP Office of Communications.
	Appoint more than one GWA per Country Office.
	Issue a UN Laissez-Passer to any GWA.

The UNDP communications team in the country should provide brief summaries on the prevailing social and economic conditions, UNDP’s role in the country, and its programmes and projects. Press materials on the work of the national Goodwill Ambassador should include a biographical note on the celebrity with a list of his or her accomplishments and a high resolution photo—either a headshot, or, better, a picture of the celebrity doing something related to UNDP, such as visiting a project.

The UNDP GWA request form can be accessed here.

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Communications Toolkit
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