Public Relations Spokesperson Training

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Public Relations / Spokesperson Training

• CEI 2008
• Scottsdale, AZ

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Public Relations 101

• Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing
  the flow of information between an organization
  and its publics. Public relations - often
  referred to as PR - gains an organization or
  individual exposure to their audiences using
  topics of public interest and news items that do
  not require direct payment. Because public
  relations places exposure in credible third-party
  outlets, it offers a third-party legitimacy that
  advertizing does not have. Common activities
  include speaking at conferences, winning industry
  awards, working with the press, and employee
  communication. (source Wikipedia)

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PR 101

• 5 absolutes for a News Release
• Who?
• What?
• When ?
• Where ?
• Why?

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P R 101

• Simple is better
• Nickel words are better than quarters
• Is it newsworthy?
• Must be accurate and factual
• Avoid jargon and acronyms
• Do not use all capital letters

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P R 101

• Means end of press release
• -more- means go to second page
• First few sentences need to convey who, what,
  when, where and why

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P R 101

• No typos
• Grammatically Correct
• No misspelled words
• Associated Press Stylebook is the standard

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P R 101

• Pyramid style of writing

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P R 101

• FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Logo
• Date
• ContactContact PersonCompany NameTelephone
  NumberFax NumberEmail AddressWeb site address

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P R 101

• Headline
• City, State, Date Opening Paragraph (should
  contain who, what, when, where, why)Remainder
  of body text - Should include any relevant
  information to your products or services. Include
  benefits, why your product or service is unique.
  Also include quotes from staff members, industry
  experts or satisfied customers.
• If there is more than 1 page use
• -more-

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P R 101

• (The top of the next page)
• Abbreviated headline (page 2)
• Remainder of text.(Restate Contact information
  after your last paragraph)
• For additional information or a sample copy,
  Contact (all Contact information)

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P R 101

• (indicates Press Release is finished)

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P R 101

• Fact Sheet
• Company History
• Interesting background information
• Information that is not included in News Release

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Spokesperson Training (source Jim Dublin,
Dublin Associates)

• The Rules
• The interview is an opportunity
• The job of the media is to go get a story
• Your job is to tell your story, your way

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Spokesperson Training (source Jim Dublin,
Dublin Associates)

• Everything communicates
• Anything you say anytime- can be used
• You dont have to answer the question asked
• Rehearsal is the key to a better interview

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Spokesperson Training (source Jim Dublin,
Dublin Associates)

• Face to Face Communication
• Body Language 55
• Voice 38
• Words 7

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Spokesperson Training (source Jim Dublin,
Dublin Associates)

• Bridging
• Use phrases to move you from the question to the
  essential message

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Spokesperson Training (source Jim Dublin,
Dublin Associates)

• The real and important issue is .
• Whats really critical is .
• A question we hear sometimes is .
• I dont know . but what I Do know is .

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Spokesperson Training (source Jim Dublin,
Dublin Associates)

• Types of Interviewers
• The Machine Gunner lots of questions all at
  once. Pick one or two and ignore the rest.
• The Interrupter either ignore the interruption
  or say, Ill come back to that question later
  or Excuse me, let me finish

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Spokesperson Training (source Jim Dublin,
Dublin Associates)

• The Dart Thrower Take exception if you are
  being unfairly characterized. Show indignation
  if you or your company are subject to an unfair
  accusation. Dont overreact or lose your
  professional demeanor.

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Spokesperson Training (source Jim Dublin,
Dublin Associates)

• The Dumb-Dumb - Hasnt done his homework or just
  isnt interested in the topic. So assume the
  role of both interviewer and interviewee by
  feeding yourself dialogue I think your
  audience (reader) might be interested to know .
  Or Are you aware of the fact that.

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Spokesperson Training (source Jim Dublin,
Dublin Associates)

• Practice makes perfect
• Mirror is good
• Video camera is better
• No hand gestures