Credit : Erwin Khairul Ahmad's X
The Information Department of Malaysia (JAPEN) and the Tun Abdul Razak Broadcasting and Information Institute (IPPTAR) have joined forces to sharpen the persuasive communication skills of government information officers, holding a seminar titled “Komunikasi Pembujukan: Menangi Hati Rakyat” (Persuasive Communication: Winning the People’s Hearts) at Menara Komunikasi in Putrajaya on October 22, 2026.
JAPEN Director-General Erwin Khairul Ahmad shared on X on October 22 that the seminar was organised to strengthen skills in strategic communication, the psychology of persuasion and the effective delivery of information as officers face today’s communication challenges.
https://x.com/erwinkhairulahm/status/2113178495463649580
“JAPEN bersama IPPTAR menganjurkan Seminar Komunikasi Pembujukan: Menangi Hati Rakyat di Menara Komunikasi, Putrajaya, hari ini,” he wrote, which translates as “JAPEN, together with IPPTAR, organised the Persuasive Communication Seminar: Winning the People’s Hearts at Menara Komunikasi, Putrajaya, today.” He added that the aim was “to strengthen strategic communication skills, the psychology of persuasion and effective information delivery in facing current communication challenges.”
Photos attached to the post show the opening ceremony, with a senior Ministry of Communications official delivering the opening address from the rostrum in front of a backdrop bearing the seminar’s title. Other images show a souvenir presentation on stage, guests and speakers posing together, and a packed hall, with well over a hundred participants gathering for a group photograph. The backdrop also featured the portraits of eight speakers and panellists who took part in the programme.
The theme reflects a shift in how government agencies are being asked to talk to the public. Rather than simply announcing policies, information officers are increasingly expected to explain them in ways that are clear, relatable and convincing, particularly at a time when much of the public gets its news from social media and is exposed to a constant stream of competing messages, misinformation and rumours.
IPPTAR is the training arm of the Ministry of Communications. Based at Jalan Pantai Baharu in Kuala Lumpur, the institute plans and runs training for media practitioners from the ministry and its departments and agencies in three main fields: the creative industry, broadcasting engineering and strategic communication. Some of its courses are also open to civil servants from other ministries. In recent years its strategic communication cluster has run programmes on media writing for public relations officers and on persuasive, face-to-face communication.
JAPEN, which also comes under the Ministry of Communications, is the government’s main public information agency. Its officers explain government policies and initiatives directly to the public through field outreach, community programmes, publications and digital channels, including its Info on Wheels mobile publicity units, which take briefings and leaflets to markets, housing areas and villages. Persuasion and face-to-face communication skills are central to that work, as officers often have to engage sceptical audiences in person and respond to questions on the spot.
The seminar comes at a busy time for the department. Earlier this week, Erwin paid a courtesy call on the Election Commission to discuss JAPEN’s role in publicising the commission’s new Optical Character Recognition – Voter Attendance (OCR-VA) system and in encouraging voter turnout for the upcoming 16th Melaka state election, where JAPEN’s outreach teams are expected to carry voter information messages to communities across the state.
Programmes such as this seminar form part of the ministry’s wider effort to build the capabilities of its information officers so that government messages reach the public in a way that is accurate, easy to understand and close to people’s hearts.
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