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how to become a successful media relations officer (G041)

Workshops > Complete List > Successful Media Relations

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

Media relation in the public sector can encompass a wide range of activities, including Ministerial communications, briefings, spokespersons, extranets, media kits, strategies, and action plans, and much more. Is media relations art or science? And if it is both, as most practitioners believe, how can we define and achieve the desirable results? Developing and integrating media relations strategies into overall communications plans are important skills for public sector communicators. The difficult part is the process of actually translating media strategies into reality, of building professional relationships with members of the media and perhaps most important, achieving a recognition of the organization and its media relations officers as credible sources of information. This workshop is designed for communications practitioners and others in the public sector who are tasked with developing and implementing media relations strategies and who would like to expand and deepen their media relations knowledge and expertise.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

The Do's and Don'ts of dealing with the media
How to negotiate an interview - how to prepare and stay in control
How to prepare decision makers to meet editorial boards
Identifying and managing issues in a media context
Crisis communications and dealing with the media
Increasing media relations effectiveness through integration with strategic communications planning

Agenda Day 1
8:45 - 9:00 AM	Registration, Coffee and Introduction
9:00 - 9:30 AM	Media Relations The do's and don'ts of dealing with the media. Tools and techniques of media relations.
9:30 - 10:15 AM	Negotiating the Interview Interviewing techniques using video playback illustrations. Understanding media needs and defining your needs. Setting ground rules. How to prepare and how to develop an agenda - themes and key messages.
10:15 - 10:30 AM	Break
10:30 - 11:45 PM	Exercise: Participants will prepare for and complete a taped on-camera media interview and receive feedback.
11:45 - 12:30 PM	Preparing Decision Makers for Editorial Boards Defining objectives and determining the themes and key messages to be transmitted. Working up a backgrounder and preparing briefing and speaking notes for decision-makers. Dealing with the "dirty questions".
12:30 - 1:30 PM	Lunch
1:30 - 3:00 PM	Crisis Management and Media Relations Defining, recognizing and preparing for a crisis. The elements of a crisis communications plan. Designating and briefing key spokespersons. Monitoring the media. Responding to errors and inaccuracies. The Do's and Don'ts of crisis communications.
3:00 - 3:15 PM	Break
3:15 - 4:15 PM	Exercise: Dealing with a crisis scenario and developing a media relations approach. Identification and discussion of information sources in the context of your organization's operational and communications environment.
4:15 - 4:30 PM	Feedback

Agenda Day 2
8:45 - 10:15 AM	Effective Media Relations and Strategic Communications Integrating media relations into strategic communications planning and implementation.
10:15 - 10:30 AM	Break
10:30 - 11:30 AM	Issues Management and Media Relations Issues identification and the media. When do issues reach the media? Media and public opinion. Reporting and its impact on decision-making. Managing issues and the media context.
11:30 - 12:30 AM	Exercise: Participants will prepare for and complete a second taped on-camera interview as a follow-up to the interview done on Day I and receive feedback.
12:30 - 1:30 PM	Lunch
1:30 - 2:45 PM	Exercise: Participants will further refine and develop their crisis communications media relations approach from Day I and prepare for interviews as spokespersons.
2:45 - 3:30 PM	Exercise: Participants will complete taped interviews as spokespersons and receive feedback.
3:30 - 3:45 PM	Break
3:45 - 4:15 PM	Exercise Continued
4:15 - 4:30 PM	Wrap-up and Workshop Evaluation

Instructors

Josef Jurkovic

Josef Jurkovic is a CEC director and founding partner. He has over 35 years of public and private sector experience across diverse areas of internal and external communications, public consultations, branding and marketing.

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Daniel Daigneault

Animateur journaliste bilingue, Daniel Daigneault, un associé du CEC, cumule plus de vingt cinq ans d'expérience dans le domaine des médias.

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When, Where How much?

September 15-16, 2010 -
Accepting Registrations

Suite 205, 223 Colonnade Road
South, Ottawa

$ 1350 (+ tax)

Register for a workshop

Online

By mail

The Centre for Excellence in Communications
Suite 214,
223 Colonnade Rd South
Ottawa, Ontario,
K2E 7K3

By email

registration@comcec.com

By telephone

(613) 233 2175

By fax

(613) 233 7617

E-mail Updates

Receive bi-weekly workshop schedule updates by e-mail

Testimonials

"Very informative and practical"

"Very knowledgeable instructors"

"Good dynamic among the group"

"Helpful and easy to take back to the office"

"This course was highly complimentary to my existing knowledge"

"The excellent luncheon with the superb Veuve Cliquot was a highlight of the day and provided specific experience of dealing effectively with the media world"