7.14 Statistical communication

7.14 Statistical communication#

In today’s world, it is no longer enough for an NSO to simply make official statistics available to users, but it is also necessary to communicate in order to reach both existing and potential new users.

The practice of communication is a relatively new field for many NSOs. With limited resources and in an increasingly competitive environment, however, communication can no longer be viewed as ‘nice to have’ but as a ‘must-have’. To stay relevant, NSOs need to communicate the value and importance of official statistics consistently and clearly through a strategic approach to communication to ensure that the NSOs products and services are reaching the right audiences at the right time using the most appropriate channels.

7.14.1 Statistical communication strategy#

A communication strategy should create sustainable communication systems, processes and skills that will ensure a consistently high quality of communication between the NSO and its stakeholders.

This includes adapting communication outputs to suit particular communication channels.

An NSO needs to communicate that the data it disseminates meets requirements of timeliness, disaggregation and reliability. NSOs need to build internal expertise in the field of communication. To meet these challenges, an NSO requires appropriate dissemination and communication strategies.

The following text in this section is summarised from the UNECE in-depth review of emerging issues in statistical communication (🔗). Communication is essentially about targeting and messaging key audiences. An effective dissemination and communication strategy are essential for maintaining the relevance of official statistics.

A communication strategy is not covered in the Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM) because this would normally be handled at the corporate level rather than the individual process level. It is covered in the Generic Activity Model for Statistical Organizations(GAMSO) that describes and defines the activities that take place within a typical organization that produces official statistics, under the topics Corporate support Manage consumers.

A dissemination and communication strategy will need to address the following issues:

  • tailoring and framing messages to suit particular audience cohorts;

  • designing tools and channels that suit a particular audience’s needs;

  • audience engagement initiatives and outreach programmes;

  • customer consultation;

  • media relations programmes;

  • creating issue management response protocols; and

  • measuring the results and impact of communication.

Measuring the effectiveness of communication strategies is essential in order to ascertain whether implemented communication activities have enabled an NSO to meet its goals and enable it to face future challenges. The use of web analytics (such as Google Analytics) to monitor use against defined goals and objectives is fundamental to any communication programme, whether it be a single campaign or an on-going effort where the results are incremental over time.

7.14.2 External communication#

Communication to the users of official statistics can be divided into two types: proactive and reactive communication.

Proactive Communication

Reactive Communication

Proactive communication includes holding press conferences, releasing videos to the media and improving statistical release material. Such communication techniques can strengthen the public image of the NSO and improve its perceived credibility.

Reactive communication involves the chief statistician having to publicly explain an issue concerning a release of statistics and asking for correction. Many statistical laws in these cases make such reactions an obligation of the chief statistician. This is necessary in order to preserve the public image of the NSO and to prevent misuse or misinterpretation of official statistics.

Press conferences can be held by the chief statistician or subject matter specialists and are an easy way to give additional explanations to the public without extra cost. Some NSOs produce commentaries on statistical releases and make the video material available to the media. This can improve statistical releases by making them more informative and more understandable to the general public.

To help meet the needs of dealing with the media, an NSO could ideally maintain a pool of statisticians and other analysts who are trained to answer media queries and give broadcast interviews.

Statistical releases may also be redesigned with the aim of capturing attention, encouraging users to continue reading and making it more likely that a release will get media attention. As a precondition to such communication, the training of staff involved in writing releases is needed.

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Links to guidelines, best practices and examples:

  • UNECE Recommendations for Promoting, Measuring and Communicating the Value of Official Statistics (🔗).

7.14.3 Internal communication#

Official statistics are usually organized into subject areas, and even though statisticians in an NSO may use similar methods, quite often they are unaware of activities such as modernisation or new developments in other subject areas. In order to encourage knowledge sharing and cooperation, an NSO can promote methods of internal communication such as regular meetings with the chief statistician and management to discuss current issues. Many statistical offices use their intranet pages to inform employees of their activities. Internal communication is also an important tool for change management within an NSO (See Chapter 6.6 — Change management).

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