On and Off the Job Training - Danish Experiences By Leon Østergaard, Statistics Denmark UNECE/OECD Work Session on Statistical Dissemination and Communication 14-15 February 2005 Henley-on-Thames, UK
Dec 17, 2015
On and Off the Job Training - Danish ExperiencesBy Leon Østergaard, Statistics Denmark
UNECE/OECD Work Session on Statistical Dissemination and Communication
14-15 February 2005Henley-on-Thames, UK
Introduction
• We have to become better at telling the story behind the figures
• Statisticians are not well equipped to do just that
• We cannot let journalists take over this task entirely
• Hence, we have to train statisticians to conduct (part of) the task
Principle of Equal Professional Rights
• ”In the dissemination of statistical products - with particular reference to News from Statistics Denmark - statistical professionalism and communication expertise are regarded as equally important”
• Statistics Denmark Strategy 2006
News from Statistics Denmark
• 550 issues each year
• 2 issues on an average working day
• 250 different statistics
• The media are the primary target group
• Revised guidelines issued recently
News from Statistics Denmark
• Statistical Division writes first draft manuscript
• Must have news focus, headline and one comprehensible graph
• Forwarded to Dissemination Centre 10 a.m. on the day before publication
1st Strategy: Daily dialogue
• Communication professional suggests improvements
• Dialogue via e-mail, telephone or face-to-face
• Communication professional may re-write parts of the text
• Dialogue continues until agreement is reached (by noon at the latest)
• Both parties learn from the process, provided they argue their points
Procedure in case of disagreement
• If disagreement is a matter of principle…• …Head of Communication meets Head
of Statistical Division• If disagreement can’t be settled…• …the version of the Statistical Division is
printed…• … and the involved parties are
summoned on a later date to find a solution
Disadvantages
• The short deadline (10 a.m. to noon) is not well suited for major changes in format, focus etc.
• The short deadline makes it difficult to produce new graphs etc.
2nd Strategy: Recurrent workshops
• Recurrent offer to all Statistical Divisions• Not compulsory…• 8-10 publications discussed in 3 hours• Heads of divisions participate• Qualitative criticism as well as…• …quantitative facts on the use of the
publications• Written report on agreements• If necessary, two or more workshops
Disadvantages
• Time-consuming• Demands meticulous preparation• Capacity 8-10 workshops a year…• …corresponding to 3-4 Statistical
Divisions a year• 3 years necessary to cover all Statistical
Divisions
3rd Strategy: Internal Courses
• Introduction to dissemination (half day) - compulsory for new staff members
• Press course (one day) - compulsory for staff dealing with the media
• Efficient written communication (two days) - compulsory for all staff members
• To tell with statistics (two days) - compulsory for statisticians
• External courses is used only for communication professionals
4th Strategy: Recruiting
• In recruiting statisticians, communication skills might be regarded as an additional qualification…
• …or even be required!• A suggestion is put forward in our draft
language policy...• …and favourably received
To tell with internal statistics…
• Managing change by making it quantitatively visible
• Measuring media coverage• Relating media coverage directly to each
publication and each Statistical Division• Improving media coverage year by year -
in each Statistical Division• Progress monitored by internal statistics