Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is not always the easiest topic to engage with, but it is an essential one. In fact, it was one of the most requested themes from our Advancing Strategic Ocean Communication project’s community of practice, now comprising more than 600 communicators worldwide. In response, we hosted a focused webinar to explore how M&E can help ocean communicators assess and improve the effectiveness of their campaigns.
This session was not about academic, peer-reviewed evaluation methods. Instead, it focused on practical, accessible approaches that can support communications professionals in generating meaningful insights and shaping more impactful work.
Why does M&E matter in ocean communication?
At its core, M&E is a structured process to answer key questions: Is your communication achieving the changes in attitudes and behaviour you set out to influence? If it is, how can you demonstrate this impact? If it isn’t, what should be adjusted?
While these questions can seem daunting, the webinar provided reassurance that M&E does not need to be complex or technical to be useful. It can and should be integrated throughout the campaign cycle, from planning, to delivery, to reflection. Crucially, it also allows teams to refine their messaging in real time, rather than simply evaluating performance after a campaign concludes.
The session covered three core areas:
- Why M&E is an important and valuable tool for communicators
- Common challenges communicators face when approaching M&E
- Two practical frameworks to help structure M&E activities
A key concept discussed in the webinar was the distinction between causal attribution and causal contribution. While attribution seeks to establish a direct link between an intervention and an outcome, contribution recognises the broader ecosystem in which communications take place. For communicators working in complex, real-world environments, contribution analysis is often a more realistic and actionable way to understand impact.
We also heard that M&E supports more than just campaign optimisation. It strengthens internal reporting, supports funding proposals, improves efficiency, and situates projects within a wider landscape of environmental and societal change.
This webinar forms part of a broader effort to support ocean communicators in adopting strategic, evidence-based practices. The content draws from the Better Practice Principles for Strategic Ocean Communication, a resource developed collaboratively by expert working groups within the community of practice. The inclusion of M&E across multiple chapters of this document highlighted its significance as a foundational element of effective communication.
Learn More
If you missed the live session or would like to revisit the content, the recording is now available here. We encourage all ocean communicators, regardless of experience level, to explore how basic M&E principles can be applied to strengthen the impact of their work.
For further guidance on creating impactful ocean communication, explore the Better Practice Principles, a set of co-designed principles to help the ocean community enhance their communication efforts. Read them here.
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