Co-hosted by DCI Group and The American Legislative Exchange Council

Monday, October 3rd 12:45 — 2:00 pm At The “Freedom Zone” The Bridgewater Hall (Barbirolli Room) Moderated by The Spectator’s Alex Massie Alex Massie spent five years in Washington, D.C. as a correspondent for The Scotsman and the Daily Telegraph Panelists: Tim Carney Senior Political Columnist, Washington Examiner. Author of ‘Obamanomics’ and ‘The Big Ripoff’ Campbell Spencer Vice President, DCI Group, formerly President Obama’s Midwest Political Director Representative Linda Upmeyer Majority Leader, Iowa House

The survey of congressional staff by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) found that most members of Congress are using social media to “gauge public opinion, communicate with constituents, and reach new people.”

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Senior and social media managers in congressional offices said email newsletters and franked mass mailings are still more important than social media such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Still, the importance of paper newsletters may be dropping, as it appears less important than other, more traditional forms of outreach and ranks below Facebook and YouTube in importance.

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The article is lengthy but worth reading.  It’s a good case study for a public affairs campaign, with analysis about the importance of using research to correctly frame an issue; the need for constituent mobilization; and the benefits of good coordination between the lobbying and “outside game” elements of a public policy fight.

DCI Group was proud to be part of that effort, and you can read more about it in the full article.

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Click here to watch the video.

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“The Checklist Manifesto” by Atul Gawande is exactly as advertised: It’s a book about the value of checklists.

If checklists seem like a pretty mundane topic – and that was my concern when I picked it up – your fears are quickly allayed. The author uses lots of compelling case studies and anecdotes to make his points. He’s a doctor so there are plenty of medical stories, as well as case studies on manufacturing and construction and many more.

Those of us who regularly use checklists will feel validated; those who don’t may decide to give them a try. I have no doubt that many people in our company will come up with ideas for checklists we can use to standardize processes and improve the quality of our work as we serve our clients.

Set your doubts aside and trust me on this one, folks. The book is an easy read and you’ll get value out of it. And when you’re done you can check it off your list…

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This is particularly true of Spain, where professional public affairs is a growing profession, led by programs like the Universidad de Navarra’s Máster en Comunicatión Politica y Corporativa, a cutting-edge Masters Program in Political and Corporate Communications (I recently spoke to a group of alumni about digital political communications), and  Asociación de Profesionales de las Relaciones Institutionales (APRI), the Spanish association of public affairs professionals.

I met Maria Rosa Rotondo, the director of APRI, over coffee in Madrid a few weeks ago. By day, she is a director of Political Intelligence, a European public affairs firm, but in her free time, she is leading the way in the professionalization of public affairs in Spain through regular trainings, meetings, and conferences. She allowed me to ask her a few questions about how her field is changing.

How is the field of public affairs developing in Spain?

Little by little, the field is growing, and more companies and corporate directors are realising it is essential to incorporate public affairs strategies to improve their results. A good example is the progressive appearance of public affairs issues in the media, a sign that the sector is growing. In general, however, in Spain we are still behind other countries and economies such as the British, Brussels, and the United States, of course. There is, in addition, a lack of regulation and overall transparency. We consider this point essential to professionalize our activity and to end up with the bad perception we usually have in the Spanish society.

What role will APRI play in the professionalization of public affairs in Spain?

We are now approving a Code of Conduct identical to the one approved by the European Commission. This is the first time ever that lobbyists have provided themselves with a good set of rules. APRI is committed to self-regulation in the absence of regulation, and as a long-term goal we want to promote a lobbyists’ registry within the Congress, as well as proper legislation – similar to the rules governing in Brussels and in many European Union countries.

What is your personal vision for public affairs in Spain?

As I mentioned before, there is an increasing sensation that public affairs professionals are, little by little, expanding their role and activity. Some years ago, the only enterprises concerned with public affairs were foreign multinationals seeking legislative advice and information about the Spanish State and laws. This trend is changing, and more and more Spanish companies are beginning to ask for our services, which show a clear development of the activity and a change of perception in our country.

My personal view, as President of APRI, is that public affairs are part of the democratic dialogue, and we provide useful, technical information to regulators. As such, as I often say, I see our work more as “persuasion” than “influence.”  However there is still a good way to go before our profession is recognised this way.

You are planning an annual conference for APRI. What are some of the topics that your members are interested in discussing the most?

Our members are mostly concerned about regulation of their activities and the increasing professionalization of the field.

On the topic of regulation, we want to invite European Union officials to speak on behalf of the benefits of regulating lobbying activities. We hope we can then convince our Congress to realize the importance of this regulation and starts working on it.

What about social media and new media? How do you feel they can be used in public affairs?

Social Media is already playing an important role in our field. As agenda-setters, social media tools are essential to spread a proper idea of what public affairs and lobby are. This last point is especially necessary due to the negative perception we have in the Spanish public opinion. If we are able to communicate our messages (against corruption, in favour of transparency, that our task is to come closer private initiative with legislators, that we are part of the democratic process and a sign of a settled democratic and fair system etc.) we will win many battles.

As a lobbyist myself, I consider social media to be an essential tool to raise awareness. In this context, we raise discussions with politicians who also use social media to raise awareness and enrich the dialogue. Social media is also useful to build a personal reputation and a different kind of engagement with decision-makers.