Communications, Social Media, - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Communications,

Social Media, Sensitive Information and You!

Stéphane Levesque, DG of Operations, PCO

13 June 2017Slide2

2

Outline roles and responsibilities for Canada Beyond 150 participants

Outline roles and responsibilities for classified or sensitive information

Share tips and tools for safely and effectively communicating with traditional and social media

Session GoalsSlide3

Congratulations!

You are a member of the Canada Beyond 150 cohort!In this capacity, you have several roles:

Engaging with each other and government officials on Canada Beyond 150 workshops and your areas of

focus.

Being a role model in your community and a role model for new public servants.

Sharing knowledge you acquire about the government’s programs and

policies.

Engaging your communities and other groups across Canada for input and discussion on Canada Beyond 150 workshops and your areas of

focus.

In the eyes of others, you may (rightly or wrongly) also be viewed as:

An unofficial spokesperson for the Government of

Canada.

A source of information on the Canada Beyond 150

themes.

Someone who’s “in the know” – a point of access to privileged

information.Slide4

Your Role

For Canada Beyond 150 and as you progress in the public service, it is important to keep in mind your real and perceived roles when engaging with others, and when handling sensitive information.

Sharing knowledge you acquire about the government’s programs and policies

Information you share should always be already publicly

available.

You will not be handling classified documents, but through your work and interactions with government officials, you will likely have access to information that is not yet public information.

Example

: A deputy minister shares that she will be announcing a new initiative in a month. This is privileged information that is not yet public.

Engaging your communities and other groups across Canada for input and discussion on the Canada Beyond 150 themes

People may share personal or private information with you in your discussions with

them.Slide5

Communications and the

Government of Canada

Who communicates on behalf of the Government of Canada?

Elected Officials (Members of Parliament, Ministers, the Prime Minister)

Designated media spokespersons

Departmental officials and subject matter experts

Other leaders, like you!

What do communicators have to consider as part of their role?

Privacy rights

Security needs

Non-partisanship (i.e. should not reflect the views of an advocacy group or political party)

Consistent messaging

Being clear and responsive to the diverse information needs of the publicSlide6

Communications and

Canada Beyond 150

As members of this cohort of Canada Beyond 150, you are its primary ambassadors.

In this role, you have the opportunity to raise awareness and engage with communities on issues that Canadians care about. This involves communication!

There are different types of communication that relate to Canada Beyond 150:

Official

public communications, such as news releases, website updates, and tweets from the CanadaBeyond150 Twitter account. The projects you work on for Canada Beyond 150, your learning journey, and the methods you employ may be featured official communications.

Unofficial

public communications by individuals, such as tweets and posts about the Canada Beyond 150.

Quasi-Public

communications, such as engaging with community groups and participating in events and workshops in your capacity as a member of Canada Beyond 150.

Private

communications, such as talking to friends and family about your activities in Canada Beyond 150.Slide7

Communications and the Media

Reporters and journalists may be very interested in learning more about the work of the Canada Beyond 150 and about yourselves.

However

, the Government of Canada has official media spokespeople that are trained to answer reporters’ questions in a timely and accurate way.

Members of the media may approach you, your family and friends for information. Talk to people who are close to you about what to expect.

You may be contacted by someone without providing credentials or who misrepresents themselves for another motive.

There are online trolls and commenters who may say provocative things (positive or negative) about Canada Beyond 150.Slide8

If you’re contacted by the media

DO…

…Identify yourself in the language of your choice

…Ask for their details (name, news outlet)

…Ask what they’re calling about

…Let them know someone will get back to them soon

…Inform an official ESDC spokesperson or someone in the

comms

shop

DON’T…

…Discuss

what others

said

…Share secret or sensitive information

…Speculate

…Respond to questions based on second-hand information

…Respond to comments made by someone who isn’t there

…Be tempted to answer speculative questions (what if…) Slide9

Handling Sensitive Information

While participating in Canada Beyond 150, you may be privy to secret or sensitive information

Be cautious about the type of information you share with family and friends, including what you discuss with government

officials.

Confirm

it is ok to do

so.

Assume that if you have learned something that is not public knowledge, it is safer to not talk about it until

you.

Take a “follow your instincts” approach. If it doesn’t feel right to share, then

don’t.

Your work on Canada Beyond 150 is subject to the

Access to Information

and

Privacy Acts:

The purpose of the

Access to Information Act

is to provide access to government information under the principle that government information should be available to the public. Your emails and documents could be released into the public domain.

The purpose of the

Privacy Act

is to protect the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves held by a government institution .Be careful when sharing information about individuals – if you were in their shoes, would you want it shared?Slide10

Engaging on Social Media

As a member of Canada Beyond 150, you are expected to serve as social media ambassadors to amplify your learning with the broader public service.

Be polite and constructive in your discussions; remember your comments are

public.

Be cautious about how much personal information you share. The more information you post, the easier it may be for someone to use that information to harm you or damage your reputation.

Consider making an “edited” version of your profile visible to everyone. That way, you have the option of revealing more information to people you choose as online friends. However, edited or protected social media spaces are never fully secure

.

Please *DO* communicate and share responsibly