On 3 February 2024, the Student Affairs and Professional Development Office organized Professional Development workshop, led by Mr David LODDER, focusing on EU Media and Communication.
Communication has become an increasingly important part of policy-making in the EU. It helps citizens understand how the EU affects their lives and how they can engage with EU democracy. With the upcoming EU elections in 2024, discussions on enlargement, landmark agreements on migration, support for Ukraine, and climate action, the stakes have never been higher. That is why good communicators with specialist knowledge of EU policies and policymaking are in high demand. This workshop taught students the skills needed to deal with the unique challenges of political and EU communication, including:
- Building an effective communication strategy
- Identifying target audiences and multipliers
- Creating content (including videos, factsheets, tweets)
- Communicating about complex topics and processes
- Addressing political sensitivities and the media
- Dealing with the Donald Duck Dilemma
In the first part of the workshop, the discussion was around relevant theories, case studies and best practices. Afterwards, each group designed their own basic communication strategy, focusing on the upcoming EU elections. The second part of the workshop was about EU-media relations and how to write one's own short press release on a topical policy file.
About the speaker:
Mr David LODDER is Lecturer and Communication Specialist at the Directorate General for Communication of the European Parliament. He designs and gives lectures on the functioning of the EU and the European Parliament to a wide array of audiences, including local politicians, industry representatives, students and lobby groups. He also develops communication strategies and organises public events such as Europe Day and the European Youth Event (EYE).
In his previous role as press and communication officer at the European Commission, he worked on communication campaigns and press materials to promote European research and innovation policy. He holds an International Masters in Economy, State and Society from University College London, as well as an Advanced Master Degree in European Interdisciplinary Studies from the College of Europe in Natolin.