Presentation at the Capacity Building Workshop on Communications
APEC 2015 Strategic Communications Committee and the APEC Secretariat
The Philippines’ Key APEC Messages for 2015
Venue: Social Hall, 4/F Mabini Hall, Malacanan Palace, Manila
by Manuel L. Quezon III
May 28, 2015
“It’s not a slogan, it’s a basic truth.”
“Our logo and slogan are your first keys to getting the job done. Other people will be intimidated to hear what this is about, but you can latch onto something here to strike a conversation. Always go back to the central message.” “We will be doing many different things to bring it [slogan] forward, and find unique ways to do it. But we should be in-sync with the national team. It’s the little details that tell people we are in-sync or not.” “If everything has meaning, then we are committed to uphold that meaning. We have to do it, and do it right.”“The hurdle we have to get over is: don’t get lost in translation. In trying to put forward what we want to communicate, that is the challenge we face.”“Show that Fun Works – you can do it in a way that makes your country proud. You can do it in a way that makes people happy to be a part of it. Make it happen in a way that it is memorable, together with the Filipinos.”“A picture paints a thousand words. It can draw you in and make you human. Always remember that the first impression counts, and it can tell a story.”“Keep it short, simple and consistent. A document usually has meaning for those who produced it. Your challenge is to make it meaningful for someone who has never heard of it. Despite jargon, you have to find ways to get the meaning across. There has to be certain standards and what your team is doing cannot contradict another team. It requires familiarity with what we’re doing.”“Be inclusive, not exclusive. People often take this as a unique moment in time, where we can contribute in unique ways. This may cause us to be exclusive, out of pride. But you don’t want to drive people away. We need to be inclusive. We may all be parts of different teams, but we are also part of a national family. It begins with your approach, if you understand what its about, then what an accomplishment it is, then you can bring in others to be a part of that good news.”“Using the APEC Page as an example, it is clean, easy to access, easy to read and organized. You can measure what the team is doing and give feedback.”On Facebook posts – “It’s about finding the right photo, the right information of the facets which need to be known, using the right hashtags and captions.”
“Use every opportunity to present. Don’t throw everything at the wall, make it look effortless. If you have the basic framework in mind, your effectiveness will be enhanced.”“Our audience is the young professionals, the academe, journalists, owners of Small-to-medium enterprises. If they can be attuned to what you’re doing, you can engage them and expand your reach.”