Media relations training session plan

From BANwiki

Here is a draft session plan for a media relations training course

• How the media works and the challenges of using the media in Tanzania
  • This would include items on distributing press releases
  • Use presentation and discussion, 1.5 hours
• Media relations strategies
  • Objectives of media coverage
  • Should BMOs use the media at all and, if so, how a media relations strategy ties into a broader advocacy project strategy, and how a project media relations strategy ties into an organisational communications strategy
  • When to use the media
  • Which specific media to use and how to target for specific audiences
  • Expectations from using the media
  • Use presentation and case studies, 2 hours
• Building and managing relationships
  • Including media ‘intelligence’
  • Getting to know journalists
  • Importance of long term relationships
  • Nature of relationships
  • Use presentation, 1.5 hours
• Tools
  • Press releases (case studies, exercises, 1 hour)
  • Press conferences
  • Interview skills (role play, professional interviewer, 1.5-2 hours)
  • Leading articles
  • If possible, use clips from TV and/ or radio of good and bad interviews (does anyone have any good ones?)
• Measuring success
  • Outputs: articles published or slots on radio or TV; column centimetres published or minutes broadcast
  • Outcomes: focus on methods that are cheap and focus on stakeholders that are really trying to influence
  • Use presentation and discussion, 1 hour
• Concluding exercise: prepare a media relations strategy (around 2 hours, with individual mentoring for each BMO)

This doesn't include the opportunity to practise being interviewed on teh radio or in a television studio; if that could be added that would further develop the skills of the participants.

As yet, there are no written materials for this course, but submissions would be welcomed!