PR BASICS - Dealing with the Media for Board Members

The Alabama Association of School Boards

Dealing with the Public & Media PR Do‟s and Don‟ts:

The School Board's Public & Media Relations Role

Denise L. Berkhalter

Denise L. Berkhalter, Director of Public Relations Director of Public Relations

Alabama Association of School Boards 2011 Roles & Responsibilities, www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org Course Co-sponsored by …

Perdido Resort, Orange Beach, AL July 26, 2009

The Game Plan:  What is Public Relations?  Your PR Role

 Handling Media Inquiries Strategic PR Toolbox (Do‟s & Don‟ts)

What is Public Relations? _________________________________________ Public Relations is about getting the message out AND‌ establishing and promoting partnerships within the community.

Attitude is Everything

“

―Public relations is building relationships that change attitudes and bring about desired behaviors.‖ — Patrick Jackson, a former New England PR counselor

Let‟s Review! School PR is …  Ongoing  2-way Communication  Building & Promoting Community Partnerships  Being a Good Neighbor; Serving with Integrity

Be Ready! Know the Plays BOARD MEMBERS As public information policymaker – Know it – Follow it – Review/Update it

Be a Team Player BOARD MEMBERS • Community liaison – Be strong – Be fair – Follow proper channels

Keep Your Eye on the Ball BOARD MEMBERS • Develop an atmosphere of mutual respect and support – Cardinal Rule: No surprises!

Let the Board‟s Will Be Done BOARD MEMBERS • Supporting “board action” - Win or lose

What Your PR Role is NOT SUPERINTENDENT

• Is the official spokesperson and expert for the school system; handles day-to-day operations

Let‟s Review! Your Role is …  Know, follow, review & update policy  Be familiar with the law  Be fair, strong and a team player

 Know who the spokespersons are

When a Reporter Corners You • • • •

Know whom you are talking to Know what you are talking about Know how to talk to a reporter Know when you should talk to a reporter

TV Wants the Visual Scoop • Be aware of visual / audio background • Limited Time • 15- to 20- second sound bites • Stick to the point & state the facts • Very little detail

Print Wants the Inside Scoop • Respect deadlines • Answer simple questions • State the facts • Provide info quickly • No ―off the record‖ • Be direct & clear

Radio Wants the Sound bite • • • • • • •

Sound bites Short answers Colorful quotes Facts, few details Background noise Varying views Be direct & clear

Social Media Want the Unique • Want unique, interesting and informative news • Sound bites or long interviews • Facts • Sometimes video and audio • Be clear in call to action or message

Donâ€&#x;t Discount Social Media

“

Newsroom employment at newspapers plunged 11.3% in 2008, the biggest drop recorded since ASNE first started conducting its newsroom employment survey in 1978.

However, there was a 21% rise year-over-year in online-only journalists to 2,300.

-- American Society of News Editors

How Our Time is Spent …

• Average Newspaper reader spends 12.4 hours/month reading a Newspaper • Average Internet user spends 56 minutes/month on „News‟ Web sites • Average American watches 153 hours/month of TV at home • 131 million Americans watch video on the Internet, averaging 3 hours of video online/month at home and work • 13.4 million Americans watch video on mobile phones, averaging 3 ½ hours of mobile video each month

Where is your audience?

(Unique visitors or users per month, 2009) Broadcast radio listeners (Weekly, 2008)

235 million

Facebook

144 million

MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, ABCNEWS, CBS News web sites

117 million

YouTube (Google)

100 million

U.S. newspaper web sites

73 million

MySpace

70 million

Twitter

18 million

Paid Newspaper Circulation (Weekday print, 2009)

34 million

ABC, CBS & NBC TV Network News Audience (Nightly, 2008)

23 million

Local TV Evening News Audience (November 2008)

9 million

U.S. News, Newsweek & Time magazines (Weekly subscribers 2008)

8 million

Median Prime Time Cable News TV Audience (Prime Time, 2009)

4 million

Nielsen Net-Ratings, Journalism.org, other sources

4 Questions Reporters Ask • Why do I care about this story?

• Why should my readers/viewers care about this story?

• What is the key source I must have to make this a story?

• If I can‘t get the key sources, what is my fallback position?

Easy & Timely Source of Info Where‟s Wallace? ―The Lansing school board sought to end T.C. Wallace‘s term as superintendent at a closeddoor meeting Monday night but was unable to get Wallace to attend, according to wellplaced sources. ‗That is exactly what happened,‘ one of the sources, who is a school board member, told City Pulse.

Asked if it was true, schools spokesman Steve Serkaian said it was not.‖ — Lansing City Pulse

Managing Media Relationships • • • • •

Not a friendship Don‘t play favorites Be responsive Be timely (know their deadlines) Do not pressure an editor to use or to withhold a story • Do not appear evasive • Do not overreact to bad press

Managing Media Relationships • Prepare by asking about and anticipating their questions/topics • Anticipate contrary points of view • Expect interruptions • Beware of blind sources (don‘t use them and don‘t ‗believe‘ them) • Know your limits • Beware of hypothetical questions (what if..)

• Avoid third-party discussions (critics said..)

Managing Media Relationships • • • • •

Never restate the question Don‘t repeat negatives Reply positively to negative questions Ask for clarification Refute untruths immediately (with conviction but not anger) • Tell the truth (don‘t tell everything) • Be accurate, have the facts • Be brief and to the point

Managing Media Relationships • Beware of yes/no questions – rather state the key point • Practice your answers (in a mirror or with a friend) • Don‘t speak over your audience‘s heads (keep it simple, clear and no jargon) • Keep your eyes on the reporter • Control your temper

Managing Media Relationships • Dress professionally (no patterns, no shiny hair products, no noisy or flashy jewelry, blue is safe) • Relaxed & energized (relaxation exercises) • Watch your body language – No phony smiles – No nervous laughter – No deer-in-the-headlights expressions – Don‘t fidget (keep your hands and feet still, don‘t rock back and forth, control ticks)

Managing Media Relationships • Do not express your personal opinion – stick to the facts • Don‘t bury your points in statistics • Don‘t play games, such as signaling to reporters to keep digging or that they‘ve hit pay dirt. That‘s dangerous and irresponsible.

• Do not use humor or sarcasm – it will not come across well • Avoid using ―always‖ and ―never‖

Managing Media Relationships • Pause when preparing to make your point – don‘t rush to fill void, silence is golden (just remember the venue & respect time limits) • Don‘t accept their words (Wouldn‘t you say that … or don‘t you believe that…) – rather state your point, message or the facts • Call ahead to be sure you‘re on schedule • Relay your Positive Points, but don‘t just talk about the fluff stuff • Think of the reporter‘s perspective

Managing Media Relationships • No such thing as ‗off the record‘ • Use bridging • Don‘t say ‗no comment‘ – say that you don‘t know or direct the reporter to a better source

What is Bridging Bridging is getting your key messages across clearly and repeatedly no matter what questions a journalist asks.

What is Bridging Simplify your key messages (3 or less) into powerful, concise sound bites and memorize them.

What is Bridging Start by answering or at least acknowledging the reporter‟s question.

(That‘s a good question … I‘m glad you asked … What‘s important here is …)

What is Bridging Let your Single Overriding Communication Objective guide you.

Educate or inform • ―Our research shows …‖ • ―You also might want to know …‖ • ―Let me put that in perspective …‖ • ―The real issue is …‖

What is Bridging Inspire or move to action • ―A vote today would …‖ • ―There‘s something equally important to consider …‖ Address fears or doubts • ―As police continue their investigation, our priority is …

• ―As a result of their hard work, … or courageous effort, we can now look forward to …

Avoid “No Comment” If you say “no comment,” the impression is you are stonewalling, aren‟t concerned or have something to hide. Try …

• This is a very complex issue, but what I can tell you is …(state the facts or key points).

• I just learned of this (issue) and don‘t have all the facts, so it would be premature for me to discuss it now.

• Let me find out more and get back to you. (Keep your word.)

Avoid “No Comment” ―I would not say that the future is necessarily less predictable than the past. I think the past was not predictable when it started."

RUMSFELD-ISMS

"I believe what I said yesterday. I don't know what I said, but I know what I think, and, well, I assume it's what I said."

Let‟s Review! Your Role is …  Who, what, how and when  Why should anyone care  Easy and reliable source  Keep staff, parents and students informed

 Don‟t be an unnamed source  No such thing as “off the record”  Avoid “no comment”

CONNECT WITH AASB “alaschoolboards” on Facebook & Twitter or visit www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

E-mail Denise L. Berkhalter info@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org