SEMINARS Passia Seminar 1999 Media and Communication Skills

 

 

Kathy Sullivan

 

 

 

Tools for Implementing a Strategy

 

Most of the tools described below can be used in combination with others for greatest effectiveness, whether in conducting a concentrated ‘public awareness’ program or just implementing an annual plan. The more differ­ent methods are use to reach the same/different audiences, the more ef­fective the programs will be.

 

Speakers’ Bureaus: sending the best spokesperson out to talk at lunch­eons, professional and other meetings, on TV/radio, etc.; one should not wait to be asked but offer to send a speaker to a group the organization wants to influence or with whom it wants to cooperate. Speeches should be:

 

·          prepared in advance

·          informative, and

·          tailored to the audience (what you want from them?)

 

Publications: including studies, newsletters, project profiles, annual re­ports, etc. - can be useful if chosen for the right audiences and reasons. Before going into details, there should be a word of warning: there are a lot of newsletters, so in launching a new one, one should make sure that there is a clear idea behind it and a certain group of addressees. One should never assume that a newsletter should be produced on a quarterly basis - twice a year is often enough. Another common mistake is that of investing in lots of colors etc. If you are with an organization that is organizing many activities and is keen to promote public awareness, then a newsletter is certainly important, but it really all depends on the audience. If your audi­ence is mainly foreign donors and media, then sending them things by e-mail is often a good idea. Finally, do not hesitate to show colleagues what you write, because someone else might find a spelling mistake or a better word, or that what you have written does not appear to make sense. Be receptive to taking others’ advice and reassess, reevaluate, revise your plan as needed. Finally, when you send out any piece of paper, you have to follow it up, either with a telephone call or a visit.

 

 

Special Events: these are not media events per se but events such as a public awareness campaign, which the media may cover and for which efforts should be made to get the press to attend. They can also be fund­raising events or used for certain marketing purposes at the same time. Basically, two major kinds can be differentiated: social events (e.g., con­certs, dinners, walkathons, auctions, etc.), where people come together to do something enjoyable whilst learning something interesting, and public information events, where the focus is more on information (e.g., seminars, workshops, conferences, study releases, writing/art/slogans contests, etc.).

 

In organizing an event one should think about the mood in the given soci­ety and whether a certain activity would be acceptable or frowned upon. For example, Palestinians here during the Intifada – and for many this is still true – were not used to going out, not only because of the manifold problems, but also because they were simply ‘not in the mood’.

 

Media Events[1]: For each message the appropriate event should be cho­sen and used. News or press conferences, however, should not be con­vened if a briefing or news release would do.

 

Media Materials[2]: These include news releases, news/information kits, appeal letters, fact sheets, quotable statements, brochures, and all kinds of publications that target a certain audience and try to get the organization’s message across. Distribution means include hand outs, mail, e-mail, inter­net (websites), fax, etc.

 

Professionally Produced ‘Social Marketing’ Materials or PSAs: they cost money (maybe you can get donated production services but needs good tight writing/concepts), so it is cheaper to convince people who write and produce popular dramas/comedies for TV, film or theater to include your issues in their scripts in a way that could influence the public! (Media analysis studies are a very effective way to lobby for better coverage of your issue/constituency in the media.)

 

Traditional and Non-Journalist-Oriented Communications Media: the use of more traditional low-tech media like banners, posters, balloons, pins, T-shirts and handbills/flyers should not be underestimated, especially in mobilizing a neighborhood or community. Interesting symbols/logos related to these items may attract the interest of the media, too (as the ‘women in black’ phenomenon has demonstrated). On the other hand, if no one has ever used newspaper inserts in your community, you could try that and gain a lot of attention as a pioneer.

 

 

 

 

 

Making the News and Getting Attention

 

Whatever your medium, spend time thinking of symbols/stories that will make your issue come alive/stay memorable for others. Think of simple visual tags to which you can develop strong written/verbal linkages. Think of the poppy symbol for fallen soldiers in World War I/II; the red looped ribbon that is now an international symbol for AIDS research/cure support­ers; or the yellow shirts/dresses worn by Mrs. Aquino and her supporters as they campaigned to topple the Marcos machine in the Philippines. Choose symbols that resonate amongst your most important key publics (local will be different than international). Use the symbol/logo on every­thing.

 

Take advantage of special dates/places that relate to your issue when planning special/media events. The more aspects of your event directly relate to your issue, the more it will appear ‘worth covering’ and the more it will communicate to your publics.

 

The following are some of the tools or options that can be used in order to make the news:

 

·       Create controversy. Take a stand. Disagree. Issue a provocative but logical statement supported by facts and/or experience.

·       Become an expert in something and promote your expertise among the media.

·       Conduct and release a reliable study, poll or survey on a timely issue.

·       Involve proven media-magnet VIPs in your activities.

·       Turn out the masses. Develop a constituency, serve its interests and represent it well.

·       Open channels to new or rarely heard voices through your mem­bers, volunteers, constituents, beneficiaries.

·       Develop a thoughtful, articulate and visually appealing spokesper­son who can speak dynamically in 20-second bites.

·       Do something unexpected. Stop traffic.

·       Screw up in a big way or perform a miracle.

·       Define a problem or a mystery, then solve it.

·       Create a powerful symbol/identity for your issue/constituency and use it in every communication/activity.

·       Document your work: take photos, slides, videotape; keep good statisti­cal and financial records; publish accurate reports; collect success sto­ries and quotes from people affected by your work.

·       Share reliable information and contacts with media representatives generously, even when your organization is not the focus of a story.

·       Create and maintain the most up-to-date media list in town and follow-up every media contact by phone.

·       Gain a reputation for providing both great refreshments and ‘real news’ at your media events.

 

 

 

Developing a Strategy

 

Methods for developing strategies and plans vary and usually it takes some time for the individual to find out which method works best. There are cer­tain times when you would pay to advertise versus try to get yourself cov­ered as a news event: for example, when it is a political message and you do not have time to organize an event or something in order to get covered as news; when you are putting out a request for services, a bid, a proposal or something like that; when you want to put at a sort of issues-oriented message that is not news, or something that is highly personal or commer­cial; in the case of a vacancy; or if you have a product or service that peo­ple are going to have to pay for, even an event where people are expected to buy tickets. Sometimes companies take out ads to say what they do for the community to boost their image, and for this, of course, they are ex­pected to pay. As in many other areas, you are restricted by how much money you have to spend.

 

The first thing you have to look at always is the targeted audience; the more you know it, the more effective your message is going to be. The contact history is also important: Have you sent these people messages before, even ones that differ from the type of message that you are cur­rently thinking of sending? What does the targeted audience already know or think they know about you or your issue? How do they spend their time and their money? What do they read, listen to, watch on TV? Try to create an image or a profile of the people you are trying to talk to or sell to. It is always helpful to test an idea on people who are representative of the group that is being dealt with before actually going to the production phase. This may involve something as formal as inviting people to a roundtable to comment on what you are trying to do.

 

Once the plan for a the product, service, or event is in place ask yourself what its strengths and weaknesses are and consider the opportunities for pro­mot­ing it and any possible threats. After defining the audience and working environment the next step is the message itself, i.e., the concepts or visual images and key words that shall be incorporated. In the majority of cases, visual and verbal imagery working together serve as a very pow­erful tool.

 

Finally there is also the question of channels/media outlets and timing. When is something to be released, how many times and over what period of time? You need to think about the exact placement and, for example, in the case of a TV ad, whether it shall show up right after the evening news – the most expensive time – when most people are watching television. If you are addressing a women’s issue and a newspaper has a women’s section, then this might be the best place to put the ad.

 

In order to keep to schedules and deadlines, creating a monthly calendar format can prove very useful, in which things can be slotted in like this:

 

·       Look at any known deadlines (annual report or newsletter publication dates, board meetings or VIP visits), special dates (relevant religious or national holidays, international or UN ‘days’, organizational anniversa­ries, openings, etc) and put them into your plan first. Think of the best way to use these hooks to promote your issue among key publics and the media. For example, B’Tselem was very clever in combining the launch of its quarterly Human Rights in the Occupied Territories with the commemoration of the 50^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: they did not just complain about what is happening in Palestine, but instead took one of the articles of the Declaration and pointed to its stipulation that “no one shall be deprived of liberty and se­curity of person…” and then proceeded to prove, with the help of a photograph showing two dead guys in a truck, that the reality of the cur­rent situation in Palestine stands in stark contrast to this demand.[3]

·       Include ‘housekeeping’/administrative work you must do: creating and updating media, donor and other mailing list databases, mission state­ments and other basic pieces; preparing for board meetings.

·       Add one or two new events: one special/fundraising event, one media event, relating to the above, and decide which materials you need to execute them. Back up and create timelines of deadlines for different planning and implementing phases of each event, including committees and other staff who will help.

·       Include targets for visits/outreach to other organizations, potential do­nors, media contacts. Add speeches; ones made by your Executive Di­rector or others will do.

·       Find the ‘slow periods’ when there may be less going on in the organi­zation and in the community. Is there something you could do with the public or media at that time to keep your issues in the spotlight? Maybe now would be a good time to cultivate press contacts, update data­bases of donors/media contacts, or improve your photo files. When is a good time to do some ‘media training’ for your boss or colleagues?

·       Allow some ‘white time’ for the unexpected crisis, event, or occasion that you did not/could not plan for. It will come up and destroy your plan!

·       Take this plan to your boss/executive board. Discuss it and note priori­ties and less critical issues. Revise it and research any special costs/ need for outside resources. Make sure you have the budget/staff to im­plement it. Agree to review the plan on a monthly basis with your boss. You will change it as you go along: remember it is a plan not a contract.

·       Be realistic: do not overload your plate and do not bite off more than you can chew. Allow time to think, write and get approvals of drafts, and printing, etc. If there is something that you have not tried before, try it first on a small scale on a sort of ‘select audience’ and ask them for feedback. Do not pack your year with activities so that if something un­expected happens, everything falls apart; check the plan on a monthly basis to see if any changes need to be made.