Part ii: Define advocacy activities

Though the EO may have to change activities once advocacy efforts get underway, defining them at the planning stage helps put in place the resources needed.

Advocacy strategies usually have to be adapted over time, making it difficult to set a specific activity plan. In advocacy, you will often have to invest in a variety of activities and cultivate a large number of contacts in order to cover a range of potential opportunities for influencing your target audiences. So while it is important to have a sense of the range of activities that you will undertake, you should also keep a flexible activity schedule. Innovating and seizing opportunities that may emerge are critical for successful advocacy, even if you have to make changes to your original plan. A schematic plan, such as the one below, can assist in outlining the "who, what, and where" that needs to be done.

ISSUE: INCREASING SKILLS AND EDUCATION LEVELS
Target Audiences	Key Messages	Activities
Education and Skills Ministry (and other Ministries identified with policy influence)	Poor standards are negatively impacting on  competiveness (e.g., jobs and enterprises) Impacting on investment decisions reevaluate mechanisms for business to input into education policy	Gather data from primary and secondary resources into a position paper Commission report on specific case for increasing the level of private operators in the education market Brief Minster or adviser on the EO’s position
Educationists; Trade unions and civil society	Best and brightest choosing to go abroad for education Demoralised education providers who lack training and materials	Establish discussions on areas of joint interest Explore where joint positions could be presented
General Public & Media	Explore decreasing second level fees Increase ability of private operators to increase choice End brain drain by creating more domestic opportunities	Identify EO spokespersons to front the issue with the media Identify journalists active on this issue