Earlier this month, Atalanta hosted a masterclass for trainees from the Taylor Bennett Foundation focused on the role of stakeholder engagement in advocating for outcomes in global health processes at the United Nations (UN).
Using Atalanta’s work with the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board as an example, our CEO, Elizabeth Ames, and Account Executive, Lizzie Lloyd, started the session by exploring the purpose and global significance of UN processes and the dividends an organisation can yield by investing in a high-level advocacy campaign.
Lizzie and Elizabeth then discussed the role played by strategic communications and stakeholder engagement in shifting global narratives and driving outcomes at the UN. They outlined Atalanta’s work in developing and executing a comprehensive communications, stakeholder engagement, and social media strategy to build the GPMB’s reputation with senior policymakers in global health and influence outcomes at the UN High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response.
Moving into the practical part of the masterclass, the Atalanta team tasked the trainees to develop a strategy for an organisation aiming to influence the outcome of an upcoming High-Level Meeting during the UN General Assembly. Walking the trainees through the initial stages of a campaign, Elizabeth stressed the need for early alignment on goals and potential redlines – a critical step to enable a campaign's successful narrative development.
The trainees then considered which tactics they might employ to mobilise action and at which stages of the campaign each might be used to most effect. Among the ideas mooted were positioning senior leadership as thought leaders, providing membership with sufficient resources to engage their networks, and mounting organic and paid social media campaigns to galvanise momentum and reach new audiences.
Hosting and attending events were also discussed as tactics that can serve multiple purposes: public events often generate earned media coverage and material for owned social media content, while closed events can create the environment for open and frank discussions with key stakeholders, fostering more productive and effective conversations as a result.
Closing with a networking session between the trainees and Atalanta, the event was a great success, and we look forward to collaborating with the Taylor Bennett Foundation again in the future.
If you are interested in learning more about the Taylor Bennett Foundation and their work supporting young people from diverse backgrounds pursue careers in public relations and communications, click here. If you would like to discover more about Atalanta's work with stakeholder engagement, click here.
