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MEETING THE MEDIA: Advanced (G017)

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WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

If you’re acting as a spokesperson and giving media interviews, you have to be able to get your message across effectively – and consistently. This workshop, which builds upon the CEC’s Meeting the Media:the Essentials course, is designed for communications practitioners and others who would like to deepen their knowledge and expertise or who would like to refresh and confirm their skills. It provides participants with challenging interview and media situations that test and develop their abilities and increase comfort levels.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

Ensuring control and success from the start by using an interview communication plan
Using a question response model to get your key message out
Identifying dangers - and dealing with them
Recognizing and responding to conflicting agendas – yours and the reporter’s
Dealing with nasty questions
Giving difficult interviews and working a scrum

Before the workshop participants provide CEC with details of two issues or topics – more if wished, preferably but not necessarily (CEC instructors, like media, can find controversy in anything) contentious, about which they want to be interviewed. These will form the basis for questioning by instructors in simulated interviews and preparation of communication plans.

WHAT WILL YOU TAKE AWAY?

Workbook with checklists, how-to procedures/reminders and templates
Exercise hand-outs
Interview tapes

PRINCIPAL INSTRUCTOR

Ian Parker, a former CBC and CTV journalist and producer, and long-time media relations and communications trainer, is a Senior Associate of the Centre for Excellence in Communications and the principal instructor for this workshop. Mr. Parker, well known as a host of CBC's the Fifth Estate national public affairs show, has many years of experience across all facets of news and current affairs programming and communications. An expert in media and communications training, he has developed and delivered a wide range of courses for government, corporate and institutional clients in Canada and the United States. Mr. Parker will join with other Centre instructors to provide a dynamic, practical and strategic communications approach to dealing with and communicating through the media.

Agenda Day 1
8:45 - 8:50 AM	Registration, Introductions and Course Overview
8:50 - 9:30 AM	Triumphs and … Discussion by participants of any previous media encounters and lessons to be drawn from them.
9:30 - 9:45 AM	Planning for the Interview Using a template, participants will prepare a communications plan for an interview on an issue: review reason for the interview; identify target audiences; set objectives; develop the positioning and key/supporting messages; identify benefits, relevant examples/quotes; identify/prepare for difficult questions; etc
9:45 ‑ 10:30 AM	Exercise Each participant will engage in a taped “sit-down” television interview on his/her issue.
10:30 ‑ 10:45 AM	Break
10:45 ‑ 11:30 AM	Playback and Feedback Interviews will be critiqued in instructor-led group discussion and strengths and areas for improvement identified.
11:30 ‑ 12:00 PM	Response Model Participants will learn how to apply an effective question response model to get a key message up front in an interview.
12:00 ‑ 1:00 PM	Lunch
1:00 ‑ 1:45 PM	Dangers, Conflicting Agendas and Nasty Questions The danger of being taken out of context; rumours and innuendo; answering for others; advising senior staff. How to respond when the reporter’s agenda is different from yours. Dealing with the personal, political and speculative and other “nasty” questions. How to say “no comment.”
1:45 ‑ 2:00 PM	Planning for the “Double-Ender” Each participant will prepare a communications plan for a double-ender interview on a topic and adjust it based on strengths/weaknesses from previous interview.
2:00 ‑ 2:45 PM	Exercise Each participant will to engage in a taped double-ender interview.
2:45 ‑ 3:00 PM	Break
3:00 - 3:45 PM	Playback and Feedback Interviews will be critiqued in instructor-led group discussion and strengths and areas for improvement identified
3:45 ‑ 4:00 PM	The Scrum The scrum - and how to deal with it.
4:00 ‑ 4:30 PM	Exercise Each participant will experience a taped “scrum” with instructors and other participants playing reporters.
4:30 PM	Evaluation