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Commentary
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NPP GOING INTO 2016 ELECTIONS -
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IS KEY
KWAKU AMANKWAH-SARFO
This article is a sequel to an earlier one entitled
“AKUFO ADDO ON MY HUMBLE MIND”. In that article an
honest introspection of the performance of the New
Patriotic Party (NPP) in the last two general elections
was made with effective communication being one of the
issues suggested. In the humble observation of the
writer, an honest introspection of issues which may have
accounted for the performances of the party in 2008 and
2012 elections are necessary as we prepare for the 2016
elections.
This is not a critique of the NPP communication
directorate who then director, Hon. Nana Akomea and his
team performed excellently with limited resources at
their disposal, defending and espousing the NPPs
campaign messages and programs on all the mass media and
other political platforms. This is a broader review of
the entire NPP electoral machinery vis a viz how our
communication strategies were implemented.
Members of the party’s communication team are always
called upon to defend statements made by some party
members in the media, a task which were not always
pleasant. The party must not be cajoled into responding
to the NDC in manners that can only inure to the
benefits of our political opponents. Effective
communication skills are imperative for political
success. Positive communication will certainly increase
the opportunities to win election 2016.
The NPP had the best candidate, Akufo Addo in 2012 and
he is still our best choice for the 2016 elections. In
both 2008 and 2012 elections, we had the best message
and set of agenda for development of Ghana. Our
manifesto captured many pragmatic and workable policies
and programs intended to transform the socio economic
status of Ghanaians. Akufo Addo’s vision for Ghana was
succinctly captured. The flagship free SHS project was a
huge headache for National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The NDC only desperately resorted to giving responses to
the NPP’s programs. Collectively, our communications
could have been more effective.
Effective communications could be among the plethora of
issues which may have contributed to our losses. The
first point of call in achieving excellent electoral
results may be effective communication.
The working definition for effective political
communication in this context is not how we speak and
conduct ourselves on radio, television and other
political platforms only, but also all the various
campaign messages on billboards, t-shirts, placards,
leaflets and responses to some party members’ arrest for
various “infractions” by state agencies.
Effective communication occurs when a desired effect is
the result obtained from intentional or unintentional
information sharing. Information may be interpreted
between multiple entities and acted on in a desired way.
This effect also ensures the messages are not distorted
during the communication process.
Effective communication should generate the desired
effect and maintain the effect, with the potential to
increase the effect of the message. Therefore, effective
communication serves the purpose for which it was
planned or designed, ie winning votes.
In the political context, the purpose of effective
communication might be to elicit change, generate
action, create understanding, inform or communicate a
certain idea or point of view to the understanding of
the electorate as it must be translated into votes for
the party.
In 2008 and 2012 elections the desired effect was not
achieved. Therefore, factors such as barriers to our
communication must be explored, with the intention to
discover how the communication was ineffective and adopt
strategic planning and implementation programs to
achieve the electoral victory in 2016.
Barriers to effective communication retard or distort
messages and intentions of the message being conveyed
resulting in the failure of the communication process or
an effect that is undesirable.
These include filtering, selective perception,
information overload, emotions, language, silence,
communication apprehension, gender differences and
political correctness. It may also include a lack of
expressing "knowledge-appropriate" communication, which
occurs when a person uses ambiguous or complex legal
words, medical jargon, or descriptions of a situation or
environment that is not understood by the recipient.
Effective communication means the ability to express
political statements well, both verbally and
non-verbally, in ways which are proper to our cultures
and situations. This does not mean only the ability to
express our desires and opinions, but also addressing
needs and fears of the electorates. Effective
communication involves active listening.
Effective communication is the correspondence between
two or more people that allows for beneficial results.
Effective communication consists of understanding clear
information. Recipients of effective communication
should not be given the “mandate” to interpret or
misinterpret our messages.
Effective political communication should be done with
respect, decorum and circumspection.
In addition to a number of statements which could have
been put in a more politically correct manner, a second
look may also be taken at the following, going into the
2016 elections: our campaign slogans and music theme;
Victory 2012; the battle is the Lord’s; ye ni da wu so
among others.
A critical look at these campaign messages could reveal
very real yet hidden ineffective communication methods.
The intentions are excellent and the concept is great.
However, effective communication ends when the
intentions of the originator is received and understood
by the recipient just as the originator had intended. In
communication, the recipients’ understanding is the most
important. Our target audience must not struggle to
interpret our intentions.
A more detailed analysis of the statements made by some
party members that may have contributed to our defeats
at the polls has been compiled and would be shared at
the appropriate forum.
Going into the 2016 election, effective communication is
key.
Let us do something different.
Long Live NPP
Long live Ghana
By:
KWAKU AMANKWAH-SARFO
December 03, 2013
Email: fredy.amankwah@gmail.com
Tel: 0244255525 / 0544331324 |
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Presidency intervened in attempts by
Merchant Bank to recover huge debts from Engineers and Planners
Release, Dec 03, Ghanadot - Joy News has documents suggesting
the Presidency intervened in attempts by Merchant Bank to
recover huge debts from Engineers and Planners, a company owned
by his brother, Ibrahim Mahama ..........More
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Islamic militants attack Nigerian
air force bases,
IndianExpress, Dec 03, Ghanadot - Hundreds of Islamic
militants in trucks and a stolen armored personnel carrier
attacked an air force base and international airport on the
outskirts of a Nigerian city before dawn Monday, officials
and witnesses said, possibly leaving scores of people dead
in one of the insurgent group's most daring attacks...
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China may have overplayed its
hand on the islands
GulfNews, Dec 01, Ghanadot - Not only would it be
enormously provocative to China but memories of the
country’s invasion of the Philippines, in which rape and
civilian slaughter were common, were surely just as raw
in Manila as they were in Beijing and Seoul. Not a bit
of it, he said. “We would welcome that very much. We are
looking for balancing factors in the region and Japan
could be a significant balancing factor.”
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The 18-point proposal
to improve election results
Commentary, Dec 03, Ghanadot -
After almost a year of drama and trauma in 2013, the
Petition Case came to a close. No matter how
unsatisfactory the result, all accepted the decision by
the Supreme Court. But most to this day, are in
agreement that our electoral process is flawed...
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