Unit 14: Publicity and Communication Skills
Key points and media activity guide
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Unit 14: Publicity and Communication Skills
Key points and media activity guide
Estimated duration: 20 minutes
Aim •
To get students thinking about the key points they would like to communicate about their project
Outcome By the end of this class, students will be able to: • Succinctly describe their project to different audiences • Write a press release (extension activity) • Take part in a media interview (extension activity)
Resources • • •
Resources are needed for the extension activities only Extension activity handout: media interviews (included below) Extension activity handout: Writing media releases (included below)
Activity Description This activity will help students talk about their project in terms of key points, which is useful for communicating with friends, family and the media. Getting the class’s project in the media is a good way to communicate with large numbers of people and generate interest. While national news might be out of the project’s league, local papers and community radio stations are often keen for news on this scale. This activity was written with the media in mind, but has been generalised to make it relevant to class members who wont be involved in media work, and may be giving these key points to family or peers instead. Extension activities provided below include getting students to complete a media release about their project and completing role plays of a media interview. Key Points Activity Divide the class into groups of three to five students. Give each group one of the scenarios below and have them agree on and write down four key messages they would need to communicate. Make the messages about their actual project, instead of about a fictional project. Then bring the groups together and discuss the key
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messages for the project and how different messages can be appropriate for different audiences. Scenarios: 1. You are aiming to engage other young people in your project, through an article a journalist is interested in writing for the local paper. What are the key messages you will give the journalist? 2. You are talking to your grandfather, who doesn’t understand the point of caring for the environment. You don’t have time to explain the whole project in detail, so what are the key messages you will say to him? 3. You are going to speak on the local radio station about your experience of the Youth Eco‐Challenge and your project and what you have learnt. You know that the presenter is interested in your personal experiences and journeys too. What are the key points to say in the interview? 4. You are presenting a talk to give to another class. The aim of the talk is to get them to get active on reducing their environmental impact. They will need to know the reasons why this is important, as well as some actions they can take straight away. What will you say to them? Extension Activity: Writing Media Releases Explain to students what media releases are and how they are used, then give them the media releases handout. Get them to use it as a guide to write their own media release for the project. If you have several students doing this activity, you might want to get them to compare what they have written and explain their decisions. Extension Activity: Media Interview Role Play Depending on the size of the group you might like to separate the group into smaller subgroups for this activity or run as one large group. If you have the equipment, you might also want to videotape the role play, so students can watch themselves. A handout on media interviews is included below. Get everyone to think of a topic related to their project which they think would be newsworthy. This might have already been decided or you may need time to brainstorm and decide. Divide the group (or subgroup) in two, with half being the reporter group and the other half the interviewee group. Allow then 10 minutes to complete the following: Interviewee group: Develop a list of three key messages they would like to get across in the interview. Also consider questions they are likely to be asked, and come up with some possible responses.
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Reporter group: Develop a list of questions you would like to ask of the interviewee. Once completed, ask for a volunteer reporter and a volunteer interviewee, and have the reporter interview the interviewee. You might have the rest of the class act as observers or you might have a number of role plays happening at the one time. Once the role play is completed, a class discussion can be held on what went well and what both the reporter and the interviewee might do differently next time Possible questions: Did they get the three key messages across? How did they communicate (body language, language, tone, etc.)? Would the reporter have enough information to write a story? Did the reporter ask relevant questions? Did the reporter ask open or closed (yes/no type) questions? You might like to have other volunteers complete the same interview and provide feedback.
Student Roles and Responsibilities Participate in agreed tasks Contribute to class discussions Complete activities and worksheets Work cooperatively with others Seek teacher assistance and support when needed
Level of Teacher Support Facilitate discussion Organise materials and equipment Provide encouragement Introduce tasks and activities Provide assistance when requested
Assessment To use these learning activities as assessment tasks, collect evidence such as: Teacher checklist and observation Student notes Interview notes Teacher checklist for class discussions Page 4 of 7
Unit 14: Publicity and Communication Skills
Media interviews handout (extension activity) Before the interview • •
•
Always ask the interviewer why they want to interview you (this will help you tip find out their motivation) Try to establish how much they know about your project and the issues connected to it. (Who knows, they might be an expert in climate change or know nothing at all!) Ask what else they want to find out and whether they need any further information
•
Find out how long the interview will be
•
Try to think about the audience and the subjects/issues they identify with.
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You might make several points but your audience will only remember two or three at the most.
•
Write down your key messages and the points you want to make
•
Draft a short, sharp phrase to sum up your argument.
•
Think about likely questions – practice!
During the interview • Avoid big words or jargon or waffling on. Try to be clear and to the point. • Try not to get into an argument. Accept that there might be a different viewpoint. • Stay focused and stick to your message. • Reinforce your main points whenever you get the chance. • Take the opportunity to expand your response
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Unit 14: Publicity and Communication Skills
Writing a Media Release Handout (extension activity)
Writing a media release can help you to promote your project and get free publicity. • Write down all the major points. Why will the media be interested? What are the main points that people will find of interest? • Make your message clear. • Include your point of difference. What is it that is makes your project unique? Who is involved? • Try to find a human angle. It is much warmer and far more interesting
The Headline • Put a bit of kick in the headline, a bit of creativity. This will catch the journalist’s attention right from the start. But make sure it still gives a clear idea of what the media release is about! • Keep the headline short. • Under the headline put the date the media release will be sent to journalists. The Content • Include the most important points in the first two paragraphs, including the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and HOW. • List the points of interest in order from the most interesting to the lease. • Use quotes – they make the release more human. • Stick to the facts. • Highlight the benefits. Explain how people will benefit from going to your event, buying your product, seeing your show, attending your school. • Use clear, simple language. • Type the release with one and a half or double space. • Keep your media release to one page • Highlight the location, date and time of your event/announcement etc. • Include your contact details ‐ a name of the spokesperson, a mobile phone number and an email address. Sending it out • Find out what media outlets cover your area. Local newspapers and community radio are particularly likely to be interested in a story about a school sustainability project. • Email or fax your media release to these outlets. If you are sending it to newspapers or radio shows which come out weekly, you might want to send it out a few weeks before hand, and then again closer to the date of your event/project conclusion. • Follow up the media release with a phone call. Ask the editor or the journalist if they are interested in the story or would like more information. It might be scary doing this, but it’s effective!
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Unit 14: Publicity and Communications Skills Writing a media release handout, p.2 Have a look at this sample media release. It’s a real one.
Hume's Turkish businesses going green Tuesday, 17 November 2009 Turkish‐speaking businesses in the City of Hume have jumped at the opportunity to sign up for free green business assessments. The audits are being carried out by local community members who have been trained as GreenTown Sustainability Assessors by Environment Victoria, together with the Alevi Community Council of Australia and the Moreland Energy Foundation. The assessors have delivered more than 60 home sustainability assessments in Turkish and Kurdish family homes since April this year, and are now turning their attention to Hume’s business community. GreenTown Assessors Sehriban Genc and Nurcihan Ozturk today conducted an assessment at Lazoz Kebab and Chicken shop in Broadmeadows. Mrs Genc said she was pleased to be expanding her role as a sustainability assessor. “Today we conducted our first business sustainability assessments and we had some really great results. We showed the business owner how he can reduce his energy and water consumption and how to produce less waste in the workplace,” she said. “I have really enjoyed working as a GreenTown assessor. It has helped me to learn a lot about the environment and how we can live more sustainably, both at home and at work.” Environment Victoria’s program manager Nina Bailey said the GreenTown program was a unique opportunity for Melbourne’s culturally diverse communities. “The GreenTown program trains local community members to be sustainability champions and helps them to share their knowledge with others in their neighborhood,” she said. “Delivering business assessments in Turkish will help Turkish and Turkish‐speaking Kurdish business owners make their workplaces greener and save them money – something every business owner wants to do.” Environment Victoria’s GreenTown program is a Melbourne‐wide program which aims to help people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds learn about sustainable living. GreenTown is funded by Sustainability Victoria’s Sustainability Fund. Media photo opportunity: Two GreenTown Turkish program Assessors conducting a Turkish‐language Business Sustainability Assessment in a kebab shop, together with the owner of the business. Date: Tuesday, 17 November 2009 Time: 9.30am Location: Lazoz Kebab & Chicken, Shop 1A Blair St Broadmeadows, Ph. 9309 XXXX. For further information please contact: Nina Bailey, GreenTown program manager at Environment Victoria, on 0404 XXX XXX; or Suzan Saka, Alevi Community Council of Australia, on 0414 XXX XXX. Page 7 of 7