TACTC Messaging Training

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TACTC Messaging Training

• Trustees Training
• Renton, Washington
• September 7

Trainers Suzy Ames Mauri Moore Chris
Reykdal Carl Young
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Overview of Agenda

• Review basic rules of engagement for working with
  reporters
• Discuss messages for community and technical
  colleges
• Practice sound bites
• Participate in various media scenarios
• Playback and critique of work

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Rules for the training

• Interrupt when needed
• Please stay with us throughout the session -
• What goes around comes around
• Be kind with your criticism and suggestions
• Have fun!

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Basic Rules of Engagement for Dealing With
Reporters

• Its not the questionits the answer.
• You never see the question on TV.
• They never play dead air.

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Basic Rules of Engagement for Dealing With
Reporters

• Its not the reporterits the audience.
• Your primary relationship is with the readers,
  listeners and viewers.
• Use and be used.
• You are the source.
• You are entertainment.
• Get something for your organization.

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Basic Rules of Engagement

• Frame or be framed.
• They cant use what you dont say.
• Frame the issue in a way that works to your
  advantage.
• Never lie.
• Reporters get even.

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Basic Rules of Engagement

• Never say no comment.
• There is always something you can say.
• Never go off the record.
• Anything you say can and will be used against you.

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Basic Rules of Engagement

• Say I dont know.
• You can always refer them to your website or send
  them an e-mail or fax later.
• Making up facts or guessing is like lying.
• Pass them on.

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Basic Rules of Engagement

• Be a good source.
• Get back to them quickly.
• Speak in sound bites.
• Conform to the rules of engagement.

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An Interview is NOT a Conversation

• You should
• Have your own agenda.
• Come prepared with your messages.
• Be prepared to repeat yourself.
• Not allow the interviews questions to dictate
  the entire interview.
• Not expected to be asked the right questions.
  Be ready to say whats most important.

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Rules of engagement when dealing with legislators

• Remind legislators of the issues in their
  district and the role of two-year colleges
• Which two-year colleges are in their district?
• What college do most students in their district
  attend?
• Whats the workforce situation in their district?
• Is there a high unemployment rate?
• Has a major employer recently left the district?

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Rules of engagement when dealing with
legislators (cont.)

• Make YOUR priority relevant to the district the
  legislator represents.
• Make the issue one of relevance for the
  legislator politically.
• Know where the legislator is electorally
• Is there are election coming up?

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Laying out the connection

• Since Tacoma is in your district, Senator Smith,
  you know very well that students have been
  struggling disproportionately here..
• As a parent of a college student, you can
  understand that
• As a product of the community college system,
  you fully understand the importance of our 2 year
  colleges.

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The Dos and Donts

• Do
• Refer to them by their title
• Let them finish their, often long-winded,
  questions
• Thank them for hearing your testimony, whether
  you wanted to give it or not
• Acknowledge concerns, whether in fact you believe
  they are valid or not.

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The Dos and Donts

• Do
• Answer to the best of your recollection and as
  I remember it.
• State you dont recall if you are uncertain or
  not sure of anything.
• Try and take control of the hearing by getting
  the points across that you were hoping to
  regardless of the questions being asked.

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The Dos and Donts

• Dont
• Answer definitively, unless you are prepared to
  stand by the statement indefinitely.
• Deal in hypotheticals or set up straw men.
• Do not provide answers to questions that were not
  asked.
• Get defensive.
• Interrupt.

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Values and Community Colleges

• Successful messages call up values
• We know from our survey that people identify with
  major value opportunity
• Most commonly used word opportunity
• Better than others we tested
• Community
• Fairness
• Work
• Access is a close second and a part of
  opportunity

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Suggested national message platform

• Opportunity
• Access
• Expansion

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WSCTS Problem Statement

• Too many native Washington residents lack the
  skills and credentials necessary to meet the
  demands of employers and as a result are unable
  to fully contribute to the states workforce and
  economy.

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WCTCS Solution Statement

• The Washington Community and Technical College
  System provides an opportunity for residents to
  gain the skills and credentials necessary to
  positively contribute to the states economy.

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WCTCS Action Statements

• By supporting the Washington Community and
  Technical College System, residents are provided
  with the opportunity to gain the skills necessary
  to positively contribute to the states workforce
  and economy.

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Question Answer Sessions with Legislators

• When helpful, repeat the question.
• Watch your body language.
• Address the entire audience.
• Pass, if need be, to an expert.
• Plant key questions.

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Bridging

• Use tough or off the mark questions you are asked
  to bridge back to a message you want to give.
• Do NOT repeat the negative frame. Restate the
  question to set up a different frame.
• Good bridge language
• You may be interested to know
• Lets look at this in context
• The purpose of the study was
• Our experience tells us that

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Highlighting

• Signal the reporter and the audience that your
  main message is coming. Use highlighting
  language.
• Good highlighting language
• It is important to note that
• Our key message is that
• Id like to stress that
• The real issue is
• The bottom line is

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Practice, practice, practice