How strategic communication turns policy into public trust

At IPRCCC 2024, a high-impact panel delved into the complexities of policymaking and its intersection with public perception—an area becoming increasingly critical in today’s dynamic socio-political landscape.

Moderated by Rahul Kashyap, Executive Director at PR Professionals, the session brought together communication leaders from diverse sectors: Aanchal Jain, Director - Corporate Affairs, MARS Petcare, Aparna Vyas Garg, Vice President, IEX, Amandeep Singh, Sr. Vice President - PNG Marketing & CC, IGL, and Raghavan Sampathkumar, Executive Director of the Federation of Seed Industry of India. Together, they explored the evolving role of communicators in shaping narratives around policy and public trust.

Opening the discussion, Kashyap pointed out how vital it is for any public policy to be understood and accepted by its stakeholders. “Unless people are convinced that a policy is in their interest, it won’t succeed,” he noted. This framed the core question: Is there a disconnect between policymaking intent and public perception?

Sampathkumar acknowledged that such a gap exists, especially in highly regulated sectors like agriculture and biotech. “Well-intentioned policies often fail to resonate with the right stakeholders due to lack of communication or understanding,” he said. He emphasized the need to simplify technical policies into relatable narratives for the public.

Singh offered a balanced perspective, asserting that most policies are formulated with good intent. However, he noted that external factors—like political pressures or media leaks—often distort public understanding. “Execution and communication are critical. Even the most robust policy can fail without a well-thought-out engagement strategy,” he said.

Taking the conversation forward, Garg highlighted the critical role PR professionals play in managing perception, using the government’s COVID-19 vaccination drive as a successful case in point. “Initially, there was public hesitation. But clear, targeted messaging helped turn it into a mass movement,” she said. Garg also emphasised that communicators today need to back narratives with data and tailor messaging to different stakeholder groups.

The panel also discussed the growing importance of data literacy among communication professionals. “PR is no longer about column inches in newspapers,” said Sampathkumar. “Today’s professionals must understand numbers, analyze policy impact, and translate those into public stories.”

Meanwhile, Jain touched on how technology and trends like AI are reshaping communication strategies, and that communicators must stay ahead of the curve. “With misinformation spreading faster than ever, organizations can no longer wait to respond. Immediate, platform-native countermeasures are the need of the hour,” she stressed.

Adding to the insights, the panel also emphasized the importance of collaboration between policy-makers, communication professionals, and grassroots stakeholders. Jain pointed out that community engagement is often overlooked in the rush to launch or defend a policy. “When you co-create narratives with the people they affect, you reduce resistance and build long-term credibility,” she said. The speakers collectively urged brands and government bodies alike to invest in listening tools, regional outreach, and feedback mechanisms. This, they said, would ensure a two-way flow of communication, making policies not only better understood but also more inclusive and impactful.

The session concluded with a consensus that communication must become a strategic function in the policymaking process, not an afterthought. As public trust becomes central to policy success, communicators have a pivotal role to play—not just in storytelling, but in shaping how those stories are created and received.

The panel served as a reminder that while intent and design are vital to policymaking, it is the clarity, timing, and authenticity of communication that ultimately determine its public legitimacy.