Assessing communication practices [starter activity]
This activity is designed to enable the participants to look at their communication practices (the topics that they communicate about, who they communicate with, their channels of communication) and assess where their risks are.
This activity is meant to be a diagnostic tool that can be used to prioritise training topics, and / or for the participants to use in assessing their communication practices.
Learning objectives
This addresses the understanding the concepts that underlie risk assessment.
Who is this activity for?
This is for participants that are beginners and intermediate.
Time required
Introduction to the activity: 15 mins
Individual time to assess: 15 mins
Group work: 30 mins
Plenum wrap-up: 30
Total: 1.5 hours
Resources
- Soft copies of the table. Or printed copies of this table
Mechanics
Ask the participants to fill in the table below.
| Topic of communication | Who do you communicate with about this topic | Is it sensitive?(Y/N) | Who will target you for this communication? | Communication channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Y/N?) | ||||
| (Y/N?) | ||||
| (Y/N?) | ||||
| (Y/N?) | ||||
| (Y/N?) |
After each participant has done their table, ask them to share their results with each other in groups.
At the end of the group work, ask each group to discuss with the bigger group the following questions:
- What are the topics that you communicate about that are sensitive?
- Who are the groups / communities / individuals that will target you for your sensitive communications?
- What is the most used communication channel that you use? Do you think it is secure and private?
This activity can then be used to prioritise which communication channels to focus on for the rest of the workshop, or to present alternatives to less private communication platforms.
