Advanced Media Relations Workshop Best practices for using social media, preparing for interviews, and improving communication strategies. As a public affairs professional, you need to continually assess your communications strategies. Have you updated your media campaigns? Are you using social media sites and the Internet to their full advantage? Do you have a crisis communications … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Optics Optical illusions show how we see | Beau Lotto A “term of art for how a bit of news will be perceived by the public at large, which is only used by people who bill by the hour.” — Troy Senik “The … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms CODEL / Congressional Delegation / Junket Introduction of the U.S. Congressional Delegation A trip abroad by a group of members of Congress, usually bi-partisan. Committees sponsor fact finding travel to countries or regions to obtain first-hand information on foreign policy issues. These missions … Read more
There is a common misconception that there is only one type of communications crises in the world of public affairs and that all crises should be responded to in the same manner. There are essentially three different types of crises: systemic, adversarial and image. photo credit: uair01 A systemic crisis often involves something related to … Read more
It is no secret that your message can be the lifeblood of your advocacy activities. Once you have decided upon a message, it is imperative that you refine it. photo credit: HellN The process of honing your message involves identifying, developing and refining the most compelling arguments, facts, examples and anecdotes. Take into consideration hot … Read more
When faced with an ethical dilemma, public relations professionals ultimately have four choices available to them: avoidance, compliance, ignorance and resignation. photo credit: The Co-operative Avoidance The most ethical choice can sometimes be to avoid answering a question. If you are faced with a question that would require you to make a difficult ethical decision, … Read more
Public relations professionals have an array of tools for attracting media attention. One of those tools is the press advisory. The press advisory is somewhat different from the press release, both in format and goal. photo credit: chuckoutrearseats The goal of the press advisory is to notify the press of an occurrence or event you … Read more
The basic tool used in public relations is the press release. Ultimately, the goal of a press release is to convince the media to do a story. At one time, press releases were printed on paper, however, today press releases are most often exchanged electronically. The email press release is now the format preferred by … Read more
All interviews by a journalist of your principal or organization should be monitored. photo credit: Institute for Government First, you must perform a check on any possible mis-readings or errors by the reporter. Second, monitoring the interview will provide you with a better understanding of the points your principal wants to stress. Finally, you will … Read more
All public relations professionals from time to time have disagreements with the media. You might be asked to research something at a time that is inconvenient or you might be forced to ask your principle a question that ultimately proves to be embarrassing. Something you write might even land you in trouble. The relationship that … Read more