This blog is part of a showcase of exhibits from Latin American think tanks participating in the Think Tank Initiative’s Policy Engagement and Communications (PEC) programme. You may view other entries on the Latin America PEC Showcase Overview Page. 

How do you embed communication practices in your think tank so that they become clearer, better coordinated and more streamlined? A new guide by Asociación de Investigación y Estudios Sociales (ASIES) facilitator Vanesa Weyrauch holds many valuable answers to this question.

ASIES Guide to Communication Policies is a spanish-language publication that describes a range of communication policies, tools and handbooks that are often developed by think tanks as a way of providing guidance to staff involved in communication activities. These can vary from the production of publications and development of corporate identity materials, to the design of websites and running events, and much more. All are useful both for internal staff members and external organisations and individuals that might be providing communication services to the organisation.

Such policies and handbooks respond to two major needs:

1. To regulate and provide order to the key processes that contribute to the organisation’s communications (e.g. identity, media, social networks, crisis management, etc.)
2. To develop the communications capacities of all staff members so they can contribute to effective communications through orientations and tips to facilitate them in their work

This guide will prove a useful tool for standardizing processes, facilitating coordination, and saving time during inductions or when briefing third parties. In fact, ASIES developed this guide to help them develop their Institutional Identity Handbook, Publications Policy, Social Networks Strategy and Events Policy. This process allowed ASIES to systematize and organize a body of internal knowledge and experiences which, when written down, have contributed to its institutionalization.

The guide was produced in collaboration with the following think tanks who shared examples of their tools: CEDA from Ecuador, CSTEP from India, and CIPPEC from Argentina. It contains descriptions and advice for developing the following documents (to be published on R2A this coming week):

1. Institutional Handbook
2. Publications Policy
3. Social Networks Policy
4. Communication During Crisis Handbook
5. Guide to Developing and Maintaining a Website
6. Press/Spokespersons Policy
7. Events Policy

View ASIES Guide to Communication Policies (Spanish only)

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This post has been produced as part of the Think Tank Initiative’s Policy Engagement and Communications (PEC) programme. However,  these are the author’s personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of TTI. You can find all ongoing outputs related to this project via the PEC mini-site on Research to Action. To get updates from the PEC programme and be part of the discussion sign-up to our RSS or email updates. You can also follow our progress via Twitter using the following hashtag #ttipec.

Image courtesy of The DC Group.