Broken Telephone – How the Occupy Toronto Movement lost their Message

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By Amanda George

What started off as a movement to address and protest social and economic inequality in the United States of America has found its way up north. While making its Canadian debut, the Occupy movement lost its momentum and flare but, more importantly, its message. The lack of a clear message or concise communications, along with other factors, has made the Occupy movement in Toronto not as successful. This is where a tactical communications plan would be more effective to share their message.

The Oxford dictionary defines communications as the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium or means of sending or receiving information. A communications plan for the Occupy group doesn’t need to be elaborate or corporate. The occupy group could benefit from having a communicator to help them determine their goals and plans.

Communicators are not just friendly faces in the office, they are there to convey a message and maintain a reputation. This all starts from developing and defining the organizations key messages, values and beliefs and who the company is. Communicators then strive to protect that company’s brand or reputation by conveying information through internal/external communications tactics including, spokespeople, media relations and social media. Even in the event of a crisis, a Communicator’s goal is to convey the message of an organization and take the appropriate actions necessary to make sure the organization is still following their business strategy.

Over the years the roles and responsibilities of any communication or public relations professional has expanded beyond crisis management and distributing press releases. Media relations, social media, fundraising, event planning and coordination, photography and even basic graphic design are just a few of the responsibilities that are now being thrown in to the communications mix. Another key function of any communications department is media coaching.

With a vast understanding of the role, functionality and importance of communications, the Occupy group could use the help of a communicator to leverage themselves and get their goals and message aligned. The Occupy movement could be more successful if they created a clear message with proof and statistics to back up the facts and came up with a plan for action or suggestions on how to address the issues at hand. Once a message and a plan are put together, educate the entire group so everyone is on the same page and the message does not get lost. This way, the Occupy movement would be more effective in having their voice heard and message absorbed.

Amanda George is a Pre-Sales Consultant at Marketwire + Sysomos and a member of the International Association of Business Communicators, serving as the Social Media Manager for the Marketing Communications profile. Amanda’s has gotten her hands dirty in marketing, public relations, sales and field marketing, event planning and account management through various positions over the past 3 years.

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