1. Communication at CERN ENTICE meeting 23 February 2011
The LHC: Citius, Altius, Fortius…
James Gillies, Head, communication group, CERN
27 November 2006
James Gillies, Head, Communication Group, CERN

2. What is communication for?
Methodology
What is communication for?
Paul Holmes: managing the relationship between an organization and all its publics.
Achieving the organization’s strategic goals.
Reputation management.
Helping the bosses look good.
Good communication underpins just about everything.

3. Where should communication live?
Methodology
Where should communication live?
Report to CEO
Need strong information policy (CIO)
Be inside the CEO’s head
The moment the CCO is not, it’s time to go
How are we doing at CERN?
DG-CO reports to CEO
CERN has no CCO or CIO
I haven’t gone yet…

4. Methodology

5. Methodology
Much simpler… much safer…

6. CERN’s communication landscape
Communication group
Education group
IT communications team
CERN’s communication landscape
Four Experiments
20 member states
100 nationalities
Six observer states
CERN’s communication landscape is rather complex. Within the laboratory, we have no fewer than seven entities involved in communication, each with their own agenda to push.
There is the communication group, which I head, the Education group, which was spun out of my group this year, there is a communications team in the IT department, largely related to and funded by EU initiatives, and there are the four major LHC experiments.
We are an international organisation with 20 member states, six observer nations, 85 nationalities represented, and 500 collaborating institutions.
We are well networked through bodies like the European Particle Physics Outreach group, originally conceived by Frank Close as a sort of self-help network for particle physicists in Europe, and the Interaction collaboration of communications officers from particle physics labs.
Finally, we have to be aware that LHC is not the only show in town, and that there is a substantial community of our colleagues involved in promoting a future linear collider.
500 institutions
IPPOG
InterAction
EPPCN

7. Singing in harmony
The challenge we face is to ensure that all these players are singing in harmony. So I see my role as, in part, at least one of co-ordination.
I’d like to say that in this respect, the UK is the easiest of our member states to work with, and that is not because I’m English, but because PPARC has a better communications set-up than exists in many of our member states.

8. Coordination
At a special session in Lisbon on 14 July 2006, the CERN Council unanimously approved a European Strategy for Particle Physics. Communication is integral to this strategy, which states:
"Council will establish a network of closely cooperating professional communication officers from each Member State, which would incorporate existing activities, propose, implement and monitor a European particle physics communication and education strategy, and report on a regular basis to Council."

9. More coordination Methodology Founded 2001 2 meetings/year
Press release protocols
Peer reviews
Photowalk
Indispensable

10. What is comms plan? Methodology
A communications plan is intimately linked to the strategic goals of the organization.
It is time limited, costed, deliverable and measurable.
It can be a single page tied to a specific event (for example the DG’s presence at Davos this year).
It can be a substantial document designed to cover a lengthy period (for example a DG’s mandate).
It is vitally important that all those involved in implementing the plan are fully signed up to it.

11. What is comms plan? Methodology
It has a number of clearly identifiable elements:
A vision
A scope
A number of audiences along with desired influence on those audiences
Key messages
Delivery mechanisms

12. A brief history of communications planning at CERN
Methodology
1992: First communication plan presented to management by Hannu Mietinen.
Result: Hannu Mietinen left CERN to run Heureka in Helsinki.
2005: LHC communication plan presented to Robert Aymar. Result: Approved in 2007 and implemented from 2005 – 2008.
2009: Outline CERN communication plan presented to Rolf Heuer. Result: Approved 2010 and implemented through 2009 and 2010.

13. Lessons? Methodology 1992: CERN was not ready for corporate comms.
2005: DG-CO effectively worked as DG’s personal comms team. Little awareness elsewhere at CERN, though coordination efforts were made between the communication group and the LHC machine and experiments.
2009: Same story.
Today: CERN is a much bigger story than it used to be. Reputational risk is correspondingly higher. The relationship with all our publics requires more careful management. In short – we need a well-defined communication function.

14. Communication strategy 2003-2010
Methodology
Increase the visibility of particle physics.
What next?
CERN strategic communication plan
This plan covers the period , during which the first results from the LHC will be published. Its main objective is to build on the platform created by the public impact of the LHC start-up in 2008 to position CERN’s key message of basic science as a knowledge and innovation driver.

15. What will be in the current comms plan?
Methodology
What will be in the current comms plan?
The vision:
Maintain CERN’s position as a world leading centre for basic research, reinforcing awareness of the importance of basic research for society.
Key messages:
CERN is a world leading centre for basic research.
Basic physics is essential for the progress of society.

16. What will be in the current comms plan?
Methodology
What will be in the current comms plan?
A call for the creation of the CCO and CIO functions at CERN.
A call for adequate resourcing of communications at CERN (benchmark in Europe: 2%, CERN 0.25%, NASA 4%).

17. External Challenges Methodology
Converting the platform into sustained interest in our science, innovation and value to society
Engaging with audiences in a positive and constructive manner through social media
Providing good quality content to supply all our audiences’ needs

18. Internal Challenges Methodology Everyone is an expert communicator
Resources: 15 Staff, budget ~900kCHF.
Lack of visibility and understanding of the communication function.
Departments and groups hiring comms agencies: HR, FI, KTT.
No overall strategy – no CCO/CIO.
Short circuits – e.g. CERN branded exhibitions with no CERN input
Multiple uncoordinated contact points.

19. What to expect from the current plan
Methodology
What to expect from the current plan
Agreed elements from the previous plan will be carried over: e.g result announcement protocols.
Branding to become stronger. In a social media world, no one owns their own brand any more. Almost paradoxically, that means more care needs to be taken to reinforce the brand.
Key areas such as web to be developed with key internal stake holders.
If accepted. Awareness campaign throughout CERN.

20. Next steps Methodology
A group from DG-CO has started the brainstorming process for the plan.
Working group to be established with a communication agency.
Workshop with comms agency proposed to to DG for ED
Wide consultation within CERN
Aim to deliver plan for approval April- May.
JG goes to work at Heureka (or maybe not.)

21. Methodology
Thanks for listening