Section 8. Arranging a Press Conference - Community Tool Box

Holding a press conference is a simple, effective way to communicate your message with the media. Holding a successful press conference can generate news ... Skiptomaincontent Togglenavigation Navigation Submit Home»TableofContents»CommunicationstoPromoteInterestandParticipation»Chapter6.CommunicationstoPromoteInterest»Section8.ArrangingaPressConference»MainSection Chapter6 ←TableofContents12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546 Section8.ArrangingaPressConference Chapter6Sections   TheToolBoxneedsyourhelp toremainavailable. Yourcontributioncanhelpchangelives. Donatenow.   Engage colleagues,shareideas, and reinventthewayyouwork. Learnmore. Togglenavigation ChapterSections   TheToolBoxneedsyourhelp toremainavailable. Yourcontributioncanhelpchangelives. Donatenow.   Engage colleagues,shareideas, and reinventthewayyouwork. Learnmore. Learnhowtoplanandexecuteasuccessfulpressconferencetoshareyourmessageandgainsupportfromthecommunity.   Whatisapressconference? Whyshouldyouholdapressconference? Whenshouldyouholdapressconference? Howdoyouholdapressconference? Holdingapressconferenceisasimple,effectivewaytocommunicateyourmessagewiththemedia.Holdingasuccessfulpressconferencecangeneratenewsaboutyourcauseandawarenessaboutyourproject.Thissectionlooksattheelementsofplanningasuccessfulpressconference,whentoholdapressconference,andhowbesttocommunicatewiththemediaandthepublicatapressconference. Whatisapressconference? Youandyourgroupmembershaveprobablyseenthemontelevision beforeorafteramajorlocalornationalevent,.Ontheeveningnewsthere’sashorttelevisionclipofaspeakersurroundedbyacrowdofreportersaskingquestions.So,youmayknowwhatpressconferenceslooklike,ingeneral. Butwhatexactlyisapressconference?Apressconferenceisatooldesignedtogeneratenews–inparticular,hardnewsthatcanadvancethecauseofyourorganization.Hardnewsisdefinedasastoryintheprintorelectronicmediawhichistimely,significant,prominent,andrelevant. Imagineaflockofmediareporterscomingtoaneventthatyouhaveorganized.Thiscanbeexcitingstuff,andanimportantopportunityforyourorganization.Ifyou'veneverdoneitbefore,holdingapressconferencecanbeintimidating,evenfrightening.Butthematerialinthissectionwillguideyouthroughtheprocess,andyou'llseethatit'snotallthathard. Whyshouldyouholdapressconference? Pressreleases,interviews,andinformalmediacontactsareexcellentwaysofgettingyourmessageacross.Theyarethebreadandbutterofyourmediarelations,andoftenofyourentireoutreacheffort.Apressconferenceisanadditionalmediatechnique,forspecialoccasions,whenyoureallywanttomakeanimpression.Morespecifically,whyholdapressconference?Because: Youcangivemoreinformationthaninapressrelease. Apressconferenceisinteractive;youcananswerquestionsfromthepress,andemphasizepointsyoumightnototherwisehaveachancetomake. Youcanannounceanimportantdevelopment,andexplainitssignificantlocalandwiderimplications. Youcansettherecordstraightifyourgroupreceivednegativepublicity. Youcanoftengeneratethekindofnoticeorpublicity–aspotonthe6:00TVnews,forinstance–thatyou’dotherwisehavetopayalargeamountfor. Whenmanymediarepresentativesarepresent,itmakesyourconferenceseemreallynewsworthy--themediapresenceitselfaddstotheimportance. Asuccessfulmediaconferencecannotonlygeneratenews,butcanalsoboostthemoraleofyourowngroup--thatis,yourgroupcantakeprideinknowingthatthepresswillreallyturnouttohearwhatyouhavetosay. Whenshouldyouholdapressconference? Youandyourorganizationcouldholdapressconferencewheneverthereisaneventyourorganizationwantstoinformthecommunityabout.However,insomecases,youwillwanttoholdapressconferenceforfastbreakingnews.Forexample,ifaneducationfundingbillwereintroducedinthestatelegislature,youmightwanttoconveneapressconferencethatsamemorningtoreacttothebill'simplications.Thiswillleavelittletimeforelaboratepreparations--youshouldjustphonethepressatafewhoursnotice. Remember,youdon'twanttoholdapressconferencetoooften.Itisaspecialevent,andshouldbetreatedassuch.Butherearesomecaseswhenapressconferencemightbeagoodidea: Whentheeventincludesaprominentindividualtowhomthemediashouldhaveaccess. Whenyouhavesignificantannouncementstomake,suchasacampaignstart-uporalobbyingvictory. Whenthereisanemergencyorcrisiscenteredaroundyourgrouportheissuesitdealswith. Whenanumberofgroupsareparticipatinginanaction,andtheshowofsupportwillemphasizethatthisactionisnews. Whenyouwanttoreacttoarelatedevent;forexample,whenanationalreportrelevanttoyourissueisreleased. Howdoyouholdapressconference? Beforethepressconference: Aswe’vediscussed,youmayhavetoscheduleapressconferenceonshortnotice. Ifyoudohaveleadtime,however,youandyourgroupwillwanttostartplanningatleastaweekortwobeforethepressconferenceistotakeplace.Thefollowingstepsshouldhelpyouplanforyourpressconference: Definethemessage. Definethekeymessage(s)thatyouandyourgrouparetryingtogetouttothecommunity.Yourgoalmaybetointroduceorshedmorelightonyourissue,toannounceanewprogramorevent,toreacttoanewsstoryortoacriticismoforattackonyoureffort,ortodrawattentiontoanhonororawardyourefforthasearned. Whateverthemessage,itshouldbesummarizedinclear3-5keypointstothepress. Ifadate,atime,anaddressorphonenumber,orotherspecificinformationispartofthemessage–ifthepurposeofthepressconferenceistoannounceanupcomingevent,forexample–makesuretogiveitmorethanonce,andtohaveitdisplayedprominentlyinyourpresskit(see#7below.) Double-ortriple-checkanysuchinformationtomakesureyouhaveitright,bothinspeechandinprint. Schedulethedateandtime. Youandyourgroupwillneedtodetermineadateandtimeforthepressconference,andmakesureitdoesn'tconflictwithotherpresseventsormediadeadlines.Onewaytofindthisoutistocheckwiththelocalmediaandthewireservices,whowillknowifyourpressconferenceconflictswithanother.Herearesomeothertipsforschedulingyourpressconference: Tuesdays,WednesdaysandThursdaysarethebestdaysforpressconferences,astheyareconsideredslowernewsdays.Trytohaveyourpressconferenceononeofthesedaysifatallpossible. Thebesttimetoscheduleyourpressconferenceisbetween10:00a.m.and11:00a.m,toensuremaximumcoveragebythemedia.Ifyouscheduleitlater,youriskmissingtheafternoonpaperoreveningnews. Remember,youarecompetingwithalltheothernewsoftheday;sodon'tbetooworriedifeveryonedoesn'tshowup. Pickthesite. Makesureyoupickalocationforthepressconferencethathasadequateparkingandisnottoofarawayforreporterstotravel.Also,pickasitethatprovidesvisualinterestandrelationshiptoeachtopic--suchasthestatecapitolbuilding,citycourthouse,oralocalclinicorothersitewheretheactivitiesyou’retalkingaboutareactuallygoingon.Otherconsiderationsincludepickingalocationrelativelyfreefromhighlevelsofbackgroundnoise(e.g.,traffic,telephones,aircraft),andonewhichhasadequateelectricaloutletsandextensioncordsforlighting,etc. Selectandtrainyourparticipants. Atthisstageofyourplanningprocess,youprobablywon'twanttohavejustanyonefromyourgroupparticipateinthepressconference.Youwillwantyourparticipantstobeknowledgeableandarticulateabouttheissue.Theyshouldbeabletohandlepressquestioningandscrutinyaswell.Peoplewithhighcredibility,suchaslocalpoliticians,thedirectorofalocalhealthpromotionorganization,oraphysicianmaymakeeffectivespokespeople.Firsthandtestimonyfrompeoplefromthecommunityaffectedbytheissuecanbeextremelypowerfulandconvincing. Hereareafewtipsforparticipants: Beclearandconcise–avoidusingjargon,rhetoric,orinflammatorylanguage,andstifle"ums"and"ahs."Youwanttodrawattentiontotheissue,notdistracttheaudiencewithyourwords. Assumetheaudienceisintelligent–avoidsoundingpatronizing. Don'tfiddlewithorclutchanything--it'sdistractingandmakesyouappearnervous. Appearancecounts–participantsshouldbedressedneatlyandappropriatelyfortheoccasion. Alwaystellthetruth.Ifyoudon'tknowtheanswertoaquestion,sayso.Don’texaggerateorgivefiguresthataren’tbackedupbyevidence,anddon’tstateopinionsasfact,ormakechargesthatcan’tbeproven. Inadditiontothepressconferenceparticipants,youwillneedtofindamoderatorwhoisexperiencedwiththepressandtheissue.Heorshewillbeinchargeofconveningthepressconferencebyintroducingtheissueandparticipants.Themoderatoralsoanswersquestionsordirectsthemtotheappropriateparticipants. Ifyouandyourgrouparenewatthis,youmaywanttoattendatleastoneotherpressconferencetogetafeelingforwhattheyarelike.Evenifyouareveryexperiencedinthisarea,itmaybeagoodideatoconductadressrehearsal.Speakersshouldhavescriptstomemorizethe3-5keypoints,andtomakesuretospeaknolongerthan3-5minuteseach.Adressrehearsalisveryhelpfulintrainingnewparticipants,andagoodtimetotrytoanticipatetoughorhostilequestions.Havesomeonefromyourgroupplaydevil'sadvocateandseehowparticipantsrespond. Forexample,asuitableresponsetoatoughormisguidedquestionmightbe,"That'sagoodquestion,butitisnotwithinthescopeofthispressconference.Ourfocustodayison...” Ifthequestionislegitimatebutyoudon'tknowtheanswertoit,it'sokaytocallonsomeoneelsefromyourgroupwhomightknow,orcheckouttheanswerandgetbacktothatreporterlater. Contactthemedia. Thefirststepincontactingthemediaistocreateacomprehensivemailinglistofassignmenteditorsattelevisionstations,newsdirectorsatradiostations,andatmajornewspapers,andeditorsatweeklynewspapers.Youmayevenwanttoincludethewireservices(AP,UPI).Othersyou'llwanttobesuretoincludeonyourlistarereportersyouhaveworkedwithbefore,contactsinthemediayoumayhave,andreporterswhomayhavecoveredtheissueinrecentmonths. Ifyourorganizationhashadoccasiontoworkwiththemediabefore,youshouldhavepersonalcontactswithanumberofmediapeople. Ifyouhaven’tmadethosecontacts,thisisagoodtimetostart. Themediaaren’tthings–they’remadeupofhumanbeingsdoingtheirjobs. Ifyoucanmakehumancontactwiththosefolks,andespeciallyifyoucanmaketheirjobseasier,they’llreturnthefavor. Youwillalsowanttohaveapressadvisorypreparedandmailedaboutoneweekaheadoftimetoinformthemediaaboutthepressconference.Apressadvisoryissimilartoapressrelease,withthedifferencebeingthatpressadvisoriescanbeusedforbackgroundinformationtoyourmediacontacts.Theformatisbasicallythesameasthatofapressrelease.Foranexampleofapressadvisory,seetheToolssection. Followupwiththemedia. Afteryouandyourgrouphavemailedthepressadvisoriestothemedia,youwillwanttofollowupyourpressadvisorywithphonecontacttothemajormediaoutlets.Giveyourpressadvisorythreedaystoarrive,thenbeginyourtelephonefollow-upswiththepeopleyousentyourpressadvisoryto(iftheysaytheynevergotone,offertobringoremailonetothem).Also,followupasecondtimethemorningofthepressconference. Developapresskit. Apresskitisafolderofinformationtogivereportersbackgroundinformationaboutyourissueorprogram.Presskitsareveryuseful,ifyourgroupcanaffordit.Ifapresskitisbeyondyourbudget,apressadvisorywilldo.Yourpresskitshouldcontainthefollowing: Alistofpressconferenceparticipants. Apressrelease,whichshouldstateyourgroup'spositionontheissue,highlightsofthepressconference,andafewquotesfromparticipants(formore,seePreparingPressReleases). Backgroundinformationabouttheissue(i.e.,statistics,historicalbackground,casehistories,orreprintsofnewsstories). Afewblack&whiteglossyphotographs(actionphotosaremostinteresting). Short(lessthanapage)biographiesofparticipants. Relatednewsstoriesfromprestigiousnationalpublications(e.g.,NewYorkTimes,WallStreetJournal,etc.). Puttingthekittogether:Thepressreleasegoesintherightsideofthefolder,andtheotherinformationgoesintheleftsideofthefolder. Preparetheroom. Thereareanumberofthingsyoucandotopreparetheroomyou'reholdingthepressconferencein.Herearesometips: Checkthelocationofelectricaloutletsformicrophonesandlights. Setuptheroomwithatablelongenoughtoseatallyourspokespeople,withnamecards. Provideenoughseatingintheroomforreporters,andenoughroomfortheirsupportingequipment(e.g.,cameras,microphone). Displayvisualsasabackdroptoyourspeaker'stable:charts,posters,etc. Haveasign-inpadforattendance. Provideapodiumforthemoderator,perhapswithyourorganization'slogoonit. Havecoffee,tea,water,andanyotherrefreshmentssetup. AtthePressConference: Whenthebigdayfinallyarrives,thereareanumberofthingsyouandyourgroupcandotohelpyourpressconferencerunassmoothlyaspossible.Wewillgothroughthese,stepbystep: Welcomemembersofthepressastheyarrive. Havemembersofthepresssignin,withtheiraffiliation,andgiveeachofthemapresskit. Seatthepressconferenceparticipantsbehindthetablefacingtheseatedreporters. Checkthesigninpadtoseewhichmediaoutletsarerepresented.Youmayalsowanttomakepersonalcontactwithmajormediarepresentativesbeforeorafterthepressconference. Startapproximatelyontime--nolaterthan5minutesafterthescheduledtime. Recordtheevent,foryourownrecords,andforpossiblemediause. Havethemoderatorwelcomethepress,andintroducetheissueandparticipants. Eachparticipantshouldpresentfornomorethan3-5minutes,makinghis/her3-5keypoints. Afterallthepresentations,themoderatorshouldentertainanyquestionsfromthepress,anddirectquestionstotheappropriateparticipants. Afterabout45minutes,bringtheformalconferencetoanend.Thanktheparticipantsforpresenting,andthemediaforattending.Inmanycases,youmaywanttoencouragethemediatostayforfurtherinformalconversationwiththeparticipants. AfterthePressConference Totheextentthatyoucan,makepersonalcontactwithrepresentativesatleastofthemajormediaoutletsrepresented. Inasmalltown,thiscouldmeanoneortwopeople;inabigcity,theremightbe20ormore. Ifyoucanhaveashort,pleasantconversationwiththesefolksandmakeagoodimpression,they’llrememberyouwhentheyneedinformationorastoryaboutyourissue,andthey’llrespondwhenyoucontactthem. Bylookingthroughyourattendanceregister,youshouldbeabletodeterminewhichmajormediawerenotrepresented.Noteveryonemayarrive,asyourconferencemaybepreemptedbysomelatebreakingnewsstoryelsewhere.Youmaywanttohanddeliverapressreleaseandpresspackettothesepeople,sendanaudioorvideo feed,or,trytoscheduleaninterviewwithareporterandoneofthepressconferenceparticipants. Youmightalsoreviewthepressconferencewithothersfromyourorganizationthatattended. Whatwentwell? Whatcouldyouhavedonebetter? Andhowwillyouimprovethenextpressconferenceyouhold? Contributor  EricWadud OnlineResources HowtoHoldaPressConference,fromtheWesternOrganizationofResourceCouncils,isacomprehensiveguidetohelpyouprepareforapressconference.Itincludes10stepsforasuccessfulpressconferenceaswellasotherrelatedchecklists(e.g.,settingupapressconference). PrintResources CenterforCommunityChange.(1996)Howtotellandsellyourstory,Washington,DC. LeagueofWomenVotersoftheUnitedStates(1997) Gettingintoprint.Washington,DC:LeagueofWomenVoters. Martinez,B.F.(1979).Guidetopublicrelationsfornonprofitorganizationsandpublicagencies. TheGrantsmanshipCenter. LosAngeles,CA. Taplin,S.(1993)Holdingpressconferences:Why,when,andhow.PaloAlto,CA:StanfordUniversitySchoolofMedicine,HealthPromotionResourceCenter. Wallack,L.(1993)Mediaadvocacyandpublichealth.NewburyPark,CA:Sage