COMMUNICATION COMPETENCY IN POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE WORK OF THUNG SONG MAYOR NAKHON SI THAMMARAT PROVINCE

Abstract

This research article aims to present key findings about 1) the communication competency in political work of the mayor. and 2) the communication competency in administrative work of the mayor. The qualitative research method of in-depth interviews was used and the key informants were 36 people directly involved with the communication competency. The results showed that communication competencies in political work comprise 8 areas: Developing urban development policies, Building political popularity, Branding political leaders, Receiving complaints, Solving public issues, Promoting political participation, Establishing political supporter networks, Utilizing digital communication technology. and 2) Communication competencies in administrative work comprise 8 areas: Communicating policy assignments, Building operational teams, Work orders, Coaching and mentoring, Problem-solving and decision-making, Inspiring and motivating, Presenting performance results, Participating in social activities. The findings can be summarized as a communication model called the “C-O-M-P-E-T-E-N-C-Y” model, meaning:          1) C - Clear Communication, concise; 2) O - Openness, revealing all information and giving every opportunity for all people to express their ideas and opinions freely; 3) M - Multilingualism, using all forms of language; 4) P - Persuasion able to induce people for the support; 5) E - Empathy, understanding the expectations, needs and desires of people in every target group; 6) T - Transparency, straightforward, comprehensive and always ready to disclose information; 7) E - Engagement allowing people to join in thinking, decision making, implementing, evaluating and deriving benefits; 8) N - Negotiation: able to forge agreements to build mutual understanding; 9) C - Confidence, firmness and daring to communicate to inform people; and 10) Y - Yielding Results, effective communication to achieve the desired results.