Part III: A systematic change perspective • Thoughts should be developed with regard to a systematic coupling of advocacy and communications/media work. • In the light of the overall change perspective an appropriate approach to communications planning should be developed. • Communications planning would typically be based on/involve the following:307 ДД a realistic analysis of the NPM’s strengths and weaknesses (see above discussion under building block 4) ДД a careful definition of the NPM’s key messages (both in terms of content and form, see above discussion about messaging and framing under building block 3) ДД a thoughtful definition of the respective audiences (depending on the desired change dimension that is being pursued through communication, e.g. police and penitentiary staff and/or management, officials in the respective authorities/ministries, members of Parliament, general population) ДД development of a media strategy and choice of appropriate techniques of media relations • Communications and media relations require special knowledge and skills as well as an adequate structural setting. As described in Part II, Chapter 3 of the Study there are a range of NPM practices with regard to media relations, and the French NPM even has employed a person to specifically deal with the media. However, none of the NPMs consulted have a specific media strategy relating to the follow-up of the NPM recommendations. Building Block 7: Developing pathways of change Relevant questions • What change do we want to see happen? short-term, mid-term, long-term? • What needs to be done in order for this to happen? • What is the contribution of the NPM to achieving this change? • Who would have to do what? • Which resources are needed? Which resources are at the disposal of the NPM? • Which capacity (knowledge, skills and attitudes) do the persons need who carry out the planned action? Bringing the previous steps together, a practical change approach depicts the concrete change process in a visually simple form: this may take the form of a flowchart or a table, and may be called pathways of change.308 At this stage of strategising, a concrete problem area identified in the situation analysis is being dealt with, and answers to the following questions need to be developed: • What change do we want to see happening? short-term mid-term, long-term? • What needs to be done in order for this to happen? • What is the contribution of the NPM to achieving this change? The following example of a pathway of change, based on the model of Amnesty International, takes up the topic found in the sample stakeholder analysis under building block 5 and proposes a way to tackle discriminatory racial profiling in the police in a European country. For a good overview of steps communications planning and practical questions to ask see <http://aceproject.org/ero-en/ topics/media-and-elections/IMPACS%20communications_planning.pdf> accessed 16 June 2015. 308 In ‘theory of change’-approaches, this flowchart or table is often called a ‘theory of change’. If the term is used in this way, it refers rather to a concrete product than to the process or a way of thinking. 307 - 105 -