media, advocacy and communications
TRANSCRIPT
How to package your messages and improve media visibility
MEDIA, ADVOCACYAND COMMUNICATIONS
In April 2014 SEE Change Net organized a media/advocacy/communication workshop for members of CSOs who are a part of SEE SEP (South East Europe Sustainable Energy Policy) network.
CSOs have developed the art of protest communication, aimed mainly at institutions, using conventional media sources and standard website posting.
However, in terms of the aim to “go beyond protest” and present “fact based policy alternatives”, CSOs find this approach new and challenging, both in terms of their approach to conventional media, and other utilization and lack of understanding of the impact of new forms of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.
The SEE SEP network engages with policy makers at all levels in its work, and simultaneously reaches out to media.
To maximize the success of our advocacy activities, we need to create messages which can be digestible for ordinary consumers and relate to quite complex and abstract issues – implementation of new energy policies, climate change, divesting from coal…
Because of that, an advanced media/advocacy/communication workshop was designed to empower the already established CSO leaders in the art of how to think about becoming persuaders rather then objectors.
This was achieved through a 3-day set of learning activities led by media and communication experts.
The workshop gathered 18 participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Romania and Poland, with lecturers from Great Britain, Montenegro and Albania who provided useful knowledge and insight on the way the media works and how CSOs can improve their media presence and relations with media professionals.
The overall goal was to strengthen and protect freedom of information and encourage professional media rep orting on energy and environmental issues and rights through an improved CSO and media dialogue and cooperation.
In other words, we learned how to give the media what they need in order to improve the media visibility for our campaigns and messages.
THIS WAS ACHIEVED THROUGH 2 THINGS:
1. Understanding how media works and learning
how to apply that in advocacy strategies; How the
stories get “picked up”, who chooses or decides which
stories get att ention, how do the “insiders” provide
information to the media, how to pitch stories, etc.
2. Learning how to make messages newsworthy,
and “package” them into att ractive, digestible,
understandable and creative forms; Transform
messages that are mostly unatt ractive, but still
important, into interesting and informative,
arresting content that everyone will want to know
about.
The training covered interviews, press releases
and pitching (“I’ve got a story for you”), related to
two messages connected directly with campaign
activities.
Message 1: Links between corruption, energy and
fi nance in the energy sector in South East Europe
Message 2: High Level Conference on energy
policies in South East Europe
Participants also took part in short interviews –
2 minutes Q&A, and in a panel discussion with fi ve
people, which included role playing as on live TV
shows – 2 campaigners, 1 community activist, 1
member of government and 1 businessman.
On the last day, all videos were reviewed and honestly
criticized.
At the end, you will fi nd a cheat sheet which you can
print and use, as well as a small card with reminders
you can bring with you and remind yourself what
is most important before, during and aft er your
interviews and media appearances.
We hope the diff erent strategies and advices
given in this manual will be of benefi t to
you, your organizations and your advocacy
campaigns and wish you the best of luck in
trying them out in the future!
NO
TC
UD
Lead Facilitator:
GEORGE MARSHALL,
Director of Projects, Climate Outreach
Information Network,
United Kingdom
Lecturers:
MIHAILO JOVOVIĆ, Editor-in-Chief
of daily Montenegro newspaper Vijesti
BESAR LIKMETA, editor and media
trainer for Balkan Investigative
Reporting Network (BIRN) in Albania
SANKHA GUHA, journalist and TV
presenter from United Kingdom
Media, advocacy and communication workshop for CSO members of SEE SEP network, April 2014.
“IF WE DON’T FIND A MESSAGE THAT THE MEDIA CAN USE, WE ARE ALREADY DEAD”
GEORGE MARSHALL, COIN
Why do the campaigners fail to get their messages into the media?
What can we do to have a stronger voice?
Communication should be built around something that brings people together!
What do you need help with? What do you do well? What to do you do poorly? What needs to change?
“Renewable energy can bring people together as a nation” “Pollution doesn’t recognize borders”
Main questions to pay attention to when the message fails to get across are:
FOR EXAMPLE:
We don’t have time to change values, but we have time to change what people can do with their values.
WHAT/WHO MAKES THE CHANGE?WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE?
THINK ABOUT
BUT Keep it technical just
enough for credibility.
Maintain a message
regarding technical details
and policy details.
Expose things and
challenge them.
If you’re working with
specialized media, provide
them with technical details
if needed.
DON’T THINK IN THIS WAY
This is not a message for conservative Christians
This is not a message for people without university education
AUDIENCE Who are you talking to?
MESSAGE What do you say to them?
MESSENGER Who is saying it?
MEDIUM How is it said?
ACTION What do you want them to do?
Communicating climate change / coal / sustainable energy policies
IS NOT like selling a product. We can’t aff ord to alienate anyone.
Content provided by presentation of George Marshall (Climate Outreach Information Network), presented at Media, advocacy and communication workshop for CSO members of SEE SEP network
THE MESSAGEThe message should contain: Values, Rewards, Threats, Positive Story
ValuesValues are the most important part of the message – does it speak to the
values of the people we are speaking to? If you speak strongly to one side,
you undermine the other. Values present an answer to the question what
makes you proud of who you are.
When creating a message, think: Is it a message that causes problems with one of the groups I want to talk with?
USE TESTING, AND FIND OUT: what people care about
what people think of us
what messages will work with them
which messages will alienate them
AUDIENCE AND VALUES
EXAMPLE Campaigns for coal
frequently don’t include
coal miners, or are missing
the image or presence of
people who are actually
doing the work. This
refl ects the absence of
communication that
refl ects our values.
Who are you speaking to?A clearly defi ned audience generates an eff ective narrative.
Every group has its own values and identity markers. These are
expressed in the narratives and the words or images they use.
To be eff ective we need to understand the values, narratives and
words of our audiences and speak to them.
STRONG COMMUNICATIONS speak to
people’s values, with the primary reward
being validating and reinforcing people’s
identity and sense of belonging.
WEAK COMMUNICATIONS do not speak to people’s
values – and if they do, they speak mostly to left
wing/green/campaigner values – not those of the
people we are talking to most of the time.
Do your communications consider their impact on all these audiences? Or do they just look at one audience and ignore the rest?
POLICY: responsibility,
rules, reliability
ACTIVIST: empathy,
wellbeing of the
environment, will
for change
BUSINESS: ambition,
profi t, reputation
TRADITIONALIST:
religion, tradition,
moral values
WORKER: family,
responsibility, hard work,
community
How do you fi nd out? TEST IT!
When you meet people, talk to
them and ask about their past
and what they care about. Testing
messages is critical and it alerts us
to potential disasters.
THE ACTION
THE MEDIUM
THE MESSENGER
PEER NETWORKS CAN BE:
• political parties
• trade unions
• religious communities
• activist groups
• women’s groups
• schools
• sport groups
… and many others
People’s views are formed by the people they know and trust – their peers.
Who do you trust?
EXAMPLE – REPORT Is a report the
best medium?
Will anyone read
it?
What is it hoping
to achieve?
Could this be
done a diff erent
way?
And fi nally, depending on your message:
What are you asking these people to do?
RewardThis is who YOU are. Other people like YOU agree with this. When you do this you become MORE part of your group.
Belonging is the primary reward – to belong bett er to the group and to the values of the group, to validate and reinforce people’s identity.
A powerful story has a beginning and an end, a struggle and heroes.Positive story
To get into a serious conversation with people, be careful to use language which builds
bridges. Don’t play into an enemy role. Rather then saying STOP THIS!, say Do this!
The typical storyline:
A terrifying future is coming. Whatever we do will
be a disaster. You must immediately give things up
to prevent it from being even worse. And even then
it may be too late.
A diff erent version
Big changes are already happening. We are resilient,
creative and proud of who we are. We can work together
to prepare and protect ourselves. When we do, we can
make the future cleaner, fairer and happier.
• Violence• Familiar enemy• Intention to harm• Threat to values, security,
loved ones / community…
EXAMPLE – THREATS REGARDING COAL INDUSTRY: Here, now Visible Enemy Harm to people we care about
The only people who are motivated by facts and fi gures are the people who understand them. That is why you use a diff erent language when you speak to
policy makers then the one you use when you speak to ordinary
people.
MANY PEOPLE DISTRUST ENVIRONMENTALISTS AND CIVIL SOCIETY ACTORS. You should be careful with words that are
identity markers for environmentalists:
green eco save stop defend protect
STORIES VS. DATA People are motivated by
socially held stories, not by
data.
People are motivated by how
things feel, not by how they
are.
People are motivated by what
people they know say, not by
the objective scientifi c truth.
Threats
Does your communications strategy decide on the best medium for your audience? Or does your medium determine the audience and lead the strategy? Examine the possibilities!
Mediums for channeling messages can be diff erent: radio, TV, internet, newspapers, reports, word of mouth, presentations…
HOW TO WIN JOURNALISTS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLEGet to know and analyze your media to fi nd allies on all sides.GET TO KNOW JOURNALISTS AND EDITORS
Journalists are brave, dedicated, workaholics,
curious, interested, but can also be
lazy, underpaid, underrated, overworked,
disinterested.
Pay att ention to their vanity.
Get to know the editors of the newspaper
sections you want your news to be
published in.
BUILD PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS – BUT NOT TOO PERSONAL!
Approach and get to know journalists/editors
who are writing about your topics.
Call them on the phone and off er stories.
Let them know what is going on/share
information on anything that might be of
interest to them: facts, events, rumors...
Keep promises, don’t lie and you will establish
mutual trust.
Keep in touch! Invite them for a coff ee/
lunch, even when you don’t have something
important to say.
Listen to them.
If you had coff ee with a journalist/editor, don’t
expect to have your press release published
just because of that.
KNOW YOUR MESSAGE! Write it as if your grandmother needs to
understand it: short, simple and interesting.
There should always be a ‘hook’ in your story,
something people will read fi rst that will make
them read the rest.
Think about how it aff ects an ordinary citizen/
group/company.
Give concrete examples/people or help the
journalists fi nd them.
Use facts and diff erent angles.
PRE-PACKAGE YOUR MESSAGE! Make your own photos/video/infographics for
TV, print and digital media.
You should know your strategy, tacticts and
timing. Start planning your campaigns right
now!
Decide what and when to off er to whom.
MIHAILO JOVOVIĆ
PUBLISHING/BROADCASTING/POSTING YOUR MESSAGE
Tailor your package to the type of media/
individual outlets/platforms.
Inform journalists/editors in person well in
advance about what’s going on and what you’re
planning to do. Explain the whole picture, then
feed them on litt le bits of it.
Talk to journalists/editors on the record, about
the background of your message, to explain
what’s behind it, but also off the record, since
you have the best knowledge of the topic.
Most journalists are lazy. You should really
try to do their work for them. It makes a good
journalist go even further.
Prepare well for interviews and questions from
journalists.
Make experts/documents/facts available.
Carefully negotiate space they will give to your
story, but also agree on the timing.
Make sure your story is going to be published
on the needed day, but be fl exible if something
changes: don’t hold it against them if the story
doesn’t get published because they might not
be the ones to blame.
Balance the exclusivity – make sure you
respect the deal if you promise the story to
someone exclusively.
AFTER PARTY Aft er the story gets published, call them, and
tell them what you honestly think about it.
Give them a 70% positive and 30% negative
critique.
Share your objections.
Remind them what is to follow.
SMALL TRICKS AND NOT TO DO’S Weekends are slow days for the media. If
you want to make sure your message gets
published, do your press conferences on
weekends, but make sure somebody appears.
Read the newspapers and watch TV – you
should know what’s going on in the media if
you want to place your message.
Check if something is happening on the day of
your event. Call the journalists and ask them
what are they doing that day.
Use phrases like: “I think I have a front page
story for you!” or “You know, competition is
running a story on...” to catch their att ention.
“DON’T OFFER THE JOURNALISTS ‘VEGETARIAN’ MATERIAL. THEY WANT ‘MEAT’!”
JOURNALISTS SHAPE THE PUBLIC DEBATE
PRIMARY FACTORS THAT DETERMINE THE NEWSWORTHINESS OF A STORY ARE:• Impact
• Timeliness
• Prominence
• Proximity
• The Bizarre
• Confl ict
• Currency
• Human Interest
FRAME YOUR MESSAGE FOR MEDIA ACCESS BY USING:• Confl ict, injustice, controversy
• Broad interest
• Importance or signifi cance
• Timing
• Breakthrough
• Local peg
• Visual aspect
• Irony
• Milestone
FRAME YOUR MESSAGE FOR CONTENT BY:• Translating an individual
problem to a social issue
• Assigning primary
responsibility
• Presenting a solution
• Developing story elements
(images, multimedia, available
sources)
BESAR LIKMETA
WHEN TALKING TO JOURNALISTS, REMEMBER:• A reporter is not your
friend, pal or enemy, but a
professional trying to do
his/her job.
• An interview is not a
conversation.
• Consider everything you
say to be on the record or
don’t say it.
• Know your opposition’s
arguments as well as your
own.
• Never compromise your
credibility.
• Keep your statements
short.
• Stay focused on your
subject.
• Keep stressing the policy
solution.
• Avoid jargon and slang.
• Use relevant facts if you
can.
MULTIMEDIA ACTIVISM• Use social media, like
Facebook, YouTube or
Twitt er.
• Organize activities and
promote your message
through social media.
• Use the real time coverage
possibilities that social
media provides.
• Use social media to bring
down the editorial barrier
and sideline gatekeepers.
“A KILLER QUOTE IS A SENTENCE THAT TELLS
YOU PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING.”
Be careful to distinguish between advocacy and public relations.
PUBLIC RELATIONS MEDIA ADVOCACY
PurposeNurture the professional and social environments that support the organization’s mission.
Put pressure on policy makers and reframe public debate.
Focus Promote the organization.Set the agenda and shape the story to include policy solutions in news coverage.
Target Donors, supporters and the public.Policy makers, other advocates, community members.
TactictsDevelop media relationships, generate press releases and fact sheets, get in the news.
News coverage, editorial page access, social media.
Media is important because it sets the agenda – once a good story is recognized, other media tends to follow.
DEBATEE IS A
T TELLS UCH
J
Bear in mind! ✔ All journalists should be taken seriously.
✔ Respect their att ention, because if they
are listening to you, they are choosing to
ignore other people’s messages.
✔ Journalists publish stories. They’re not
just there to publish your words like
machines.
✔ You should be aware of how your message
is going to look in the story. Don’t be
angry at journalists if they change it –
they need to fi lter information and also
produce something readable.
✔ NGOs oft en refrain from saying who is
responsible, because they don’t want
problems with the ones in power. Don’t
refrain from this. Journalists need to
quote somebody to write a story.
✔ Don’t forget the reporter is still there to
protect public interest.
✔ A good reporter will not come to you
unprepared.
✔ If you see something good published in
the media, follow up on it and research it.
✔ Journalists are online all the time and
actively use social networks. If they
have you in their contacts, you can keep
updating them all the time.
SHOW, DON’T TELL!SHOW, DON’T TELL!
SANKHA GUHA
PITCHING STORIES FOR TVWhen you’re pitching an idea, be aware of what kind of story the journalists might be looking for. TV has large audiences, so it can never aff ord to take their att ention and time for granted.
TV is a visual medium. When you’re pitching ideas,
help editors and decision makers visualize your
story. “Show, don’t tell”, a mantra of Hollywood
pitching, is also true when it comes to TV.
Making life easier for the poor, overburdened news
editors and producers will help any pitch for TV. If
you can come up with a “treatment” – i.e. if you think
like a TV reporter/producer, you will be half way
there. Try and make diffi cult stories accessible.
FILL IN THE GAPS – FIND THE OTHER ELEMENTS A REPORTER/PRODUCER WILL NEED:
CASE HISTORIES Humanise the story. If
there are victims who
will illustrate the human
cost of the story – you
could fi nd them and have
them on stand by to be
interviewed.
CREDIBLE EXPERTSLikewise.
EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO LOCATIONS OR INTERVIEWEESIf you have a great story,
you can win over an
editor by promising them
exclusivity. You make
them look good and they
will come back to you for
more. Build relationships
with reporters and
producers.
EPKs (Electronic Press Kits) Think about footage
that might help the pro-
ducer. If it’s an essential
component of the story,
but requires money and
resources to fi lm, think
about fi lming it your-
selves (e.g. a national park
in another part of the
country, under threat of
damaging development).
EPKs are still underu-
sed, and they are a very
valuable tool for NGOs,
especially advocacy gro-
ups. EPKs are a good way
of facilitating your story
and they don’t cost a lot to
make. The idea that tele-
vision costs a lot of money
to make is no longer true.
“DON’T WAIT FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN – MAKE IT HAPPEN!”
ADAPT YOUR STORIES TO THE MAIN GENRES OF FACTUAL PROGRAMMES:
News – reactive, accurate,
immediate, urgent, event based,
drama, confl ict, short, fast
turnaround.
Current Aff airs – agenda sett ing,
revelatory, investigative, higher
production values, longer lead
times, documentary single subject
or magazine format.
Features – soft er edge, but can
have serious message (travel
programmes, wildlife shows,
constructed reality).
Journalists are not lazy, but
they certainly appreciate a
bit of a hand since they’re
pressed for time. Put
yourself in the shoes of the
reporter/producer/editor.
Remind yourself that they
are busy, or lazy, or both!
So – do their job for them! The more you can do their
research up until the point
it engages their interest
and they can see a way to
produce a story – the bett er
chance your story has.
Look for drama/confl ict in
a story. Find an angle. The
top line needs to be short,
catchy and interesting.
And – don’t be afraid of humor.
The ‘Sound Bite’
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU WANT TO GET YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS?
The AmbushYOU MAY FACE HOSTILE OR UNWELCOME QUESTIONING WHEN YOU APPEAR ON TV.
• Lesson 1: Be prepared for awkward questions. Just because you don’t like a question doesn’t mean it won’t be asked. And the more you try to suggest the interviewer is being unreasonable, the worse it looks for you.
• Lesson 2: Do not obfuscate. You will be found out. A squirming interviewee is a gift to TV producers.
• Lesson 3: Do not lose your temper. Ever.
Body Language Non-verbal
communication is
an important part
of any TV interview.
People will see if you’re
squirming and if you’re
uncomfortable. It
makes a perfect point
for a journalist. The
good news is that body
language is something
you can be tutored in.
Looking RidiculousBeware of the set up.
This isn’t radio or print
– pictures tell their
own story, so make
sure they tell the story
you want them to. Pick
a background that
helps your story – or at
least doesn’t damage
it. You can ask to be
interviewed where it
suits you.
HOW TO DEAL WITH AN AMBUSH: No matt er how unreasonable you think the
interviewer is being – show respect and deal with
their questions politely.
The interviewer is there to do their job – you must
accept that is the deal. If you don’t – you risk looking
like you’ve got something to hide or that you are
extremely egocentric and arrogant.
If you’re worried about an ambush, ask for the
questions before doing an interview. It is standard
practice.
While facing hostile interviewing, be prepared.
If there is something controversial about what you
want to say, do your homework.
Most decent journalists will outline the questions,
but they won’t stick to the lett er of the questions.
Be ready for supplementary questions.
Always be ready for an ambush – i.e. new data or new
killer fact. If this takes you by surprise – don’t be
evasive. Be reasonable. Say you weren’t aware of this
information – and once you have had a chance to see
the data/report or examine the new facts you will be
able to comment, but until then you can’t. Don’t ever
try to make up some counter argument on the spot.
Don’t make up an answer. If you don’t know the
answer, coming up with something that you’ve
fi gured out in a moment of stress will make it worse.
If you’re unsure of yourself, refuse the interview.
Treat the journalist as an
intelligent sentient human
being – even if you really
think they are not.
He/she is not a microphone
stand. They will not take
kindly to being patronised,
ignored or belitt led.
Answer the question they ask
– not the one you would prefer
they had asked, then shift the
subject to what you want to say.
Never forget the journalist
will have the last laugh
(especially if it’s recorded
material as opposed to live)
because they control how
the material is edited.
Lazy journalists ask for sound bites –
good ones demand a conversation. Of
course, there are some reporters who are
under deadline pressure – or just don’t
have any real understanding of the story
– and who will demand a sound bite. So
have one ready at all times – but don’t just
stick to the script regardless. The danger
of the sound bite is to repeat the same
message over and over again.
HOW TO PRESENT YOURSELF ON TV
HOW TO PRESENT YOURSELF ON TV
TV TIPS
GOOD CAMPAIGNERS NEED TO KNOW THE FOLLOWING:• how media works
• how social media works
• how important media contacts are
• how to link their themes with current issues and politics
• how to simplify messages
4 SIMPLE STEPS TOWARDS SUCCESSFULL MEDIA CAMPAIGNING1. Determine the value of the primary target group and develop
your campaign messages according to that information.
2. Think about how to present something in a catchy and interesting way.
3. Make friends with journalists.
4. Create a human touch to the story.
HOW TO PREPARE
FOR INTERVIEWS
• Package what you’re saying
att ractively or you will lose
your audience.
• Use the inverted pyramid. Say
the most important things
fi rst, in a very simple way.
• Get a good fact.
• In your own life, things which
annoy you happen. Use them
as reference, because they
happen to other people too.
• Rehearse your answers!
• Always humanize the story.
Don’t just give data.
• Don’t be stressed before the
interview. Take time to relax.
• Editors will cut long
statements, so try and speak
in shorter sentences.
• Bear in mind that reporters
also say things in the voicover
for description.
• Take into account the
description below your name,
and give the journalist the
info you want presented. (e.g.
name and surname + name of
organization)
• Ask for details before the show
– how long is it going to be,
what are the questions going
to be, who are other guests...
• Think about what you are
going to wear. It is more
important then we like to
think.
HOW TO SPEAK DURING INTERVIEWS• Try and speak about things like you’re speaking to or explaining it to a friend.• If you need time to rethink an answer, stop the interview and ask “Can I think about that?”. Aft er you do, start over.
• Avoid a lawyerly presentation. If it is aimed at policy people who understand this language, it is very convincing, but it will not work as a soundbite for a bigger audience.• Don’t talk extensively about planning and changing regulations. You don’t have time to explain why, for example, a protected area is the anchor of the eco system.• Remember to pause for breaths – for editing.• Try to humanize the NGO speech with a few stories.• Be careful to fi nish your sentences.
• Don’t take up offi cial language or jargon.
y
•U
t
•
GOOD CAMPAIGNERS NEED TO KNOW THE FOLLOWING:•how media works
•how social media works
• how important media contacts are
• how to link their themes with current issues and politics
•how to simplify messages
TIPS ON PHRASING YOUR WORDS
• Don’t use ‘our citizens’. Instead, use ‘we as a
civil society’.
• Try the message: ‘We are not saying we
are right. We are off ering facts, so you can
make a choice’, which is a good example of
not being confrontational.
• Use the words ‘local community’ and
emphasize its protest.
• It is important for the journalist to know
your expertise. Say, for example, ‘As an
environmental lawyer, I think...’
• Try replacing the word ‘consumers’ with
‘we are paying more bills’ to be the voice of
the person who is sitt ing in the living room
and viewing the program.
• Use the words ‘in my opinion’ – making it
personal is good.
• Answering ‘I don’t know’ adds to the
authority, if you can continue saying
something about things you do know
something about. Don’t answer anything
out of your area of competence.
• Avoid words like ‘executive director’,
‘engineer’, ‘expert’, ‘activist’... Instead, try
saying ‘we showed results’, or ‘results are’...
• Never say ‘As I told you’, or ‘As you know’,
since you’re locking the possibilities of
editing in that way.
• Tell a story! Don’t just repeat ‘We have this
project, and it is fi nanced by...’ or ‘Here is
another report’, etc.
Remember! ✔ Find people who can say what you want them to say for you in order to get your message across.
✔ Practice positive messaging. Not everything needs to be a protest. People don’t like negative messages. ✔ Bringing someone prominent into the
story will get you to the news. ✔ Engage in active and frequent meetings with journalists. Make them your allies and connections who will pick up on your stories if you give them good ideas. ✔ Simplify! Journalists are not experts and
it will make your message bett er! ✔ Fight for your space and use it well. Be as concrete as possible. ✔ Be more assertive and persuasive. ✔ You are not powerless against politicians.
Prepare well and bring arguments and facts with you.
✔ If the journalists hand the agenda to you, it should not be a problem, but an advantage you should use. ✔ Start building your relations with the
media TODAY! Don’t postpone it! Pick 10 journalists, and if you manage to have success with 3 of them, you’ll be fi ne. ✔ Try creating photogenic or telegenic
events and use your advantage as advocacy groups!
HOW TO ACT DURING INTERVIEWS
• It’s always good to look at
people who are interviewing
you.
• Try to control your speech and
don’t repeat yourself.
• Nervous laughter takes away
from the authority.
• Always look at the reporter.
IN AN INTERVIEW Do not give a sound bite unless the
interviewer wants one. If so, keep it punchy –
no more than twenty seconds.
Do not answer a question with anything that
can be edited out: for example do not say
“Yes, that is absolutely true...” or: “As I said
earlier...”.
Never be angry or rude. Never patronise the
reporter (or the audience).
If you don’t know the answer, fi nd a way of
saying so without looking foolish and don’t
avoid the question.
Keep relaxed but stand still – maintain eye
contact with the interviewer and smile when
appropriate (but not weirdly in the wrong
places!)
PRACTICE AND FEEDBACK Keep working on it. Practice using a
smartphone or camcorder and ‘interview’
each other.
Review your performances and ask other
people to provide honest criticism. This is
a diffi cult skill, like acting or performing,
and there is no shame in fi nding ways to do
it bett er.
WORKING WITH THE MEDIA Cheat sheet for act ivis tsWORK WITH JOURNALISTS
Get to know journalists personally. They are
real people doing a diffi cult job.
Call them up, meet them, supply good stories
and witnesses and be honest and reliable.
Try using EPKs (Electronic Press Kits) to
supply video TV networks cannot get – like
interviews in Brussels.
PRESS RELEASE
Write it like a ‘pyramid’ with a strong
headline and the most important
information at the top.
Send it to several people in the same
newsroom.
Send it to web portals that will usually post
it directly onto the site.
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE Ask: who am I speaking to? Who are they and
what do they care about? Imagine that you
are speaking directly to a person like this.
Find words and stories that speak to their
concerns and values (and not just the things
you care about).
Find ways to connect to the audience. Talk
about common values – what we want in our
country.
Talk about the things you have in common
with them (as a mother/an engineer/son of
a farmer…).
DEVELOP STRONG MESSAGES Keep messages simple, clear, based around
a headline with a human interest and clear
‘bad guys’.
Talk about how good things can be with the
right changes – not just how bad they are now.
Be optimistic and assume you will win – say
“things will change” and “when things
change”.
Try not to repeat your opponents’ words or
arguments even when you criticise them –
promote your own arguments.
Always avoid NGO jargon and technical
language unless you are speaking to a high
level technical or NGO audience. Remember
– one third of people do not understand even
simple mathematics!
For television: Think visually and fi nd good
pictures or unusual new angles. Strong video
clips can also be used on social media.
BEFORE INTERVIEWS Dress in the right way for your audience
– look smart and well groomed for
conservatives and mainstream people.
Ask the journalist what she/he needs –
especially how long a reply – and supply to
meet that need.
Ask the journalist who else she/he is
interviewing – and anticipate that they
will say.
Prepare a few key points, but do not repeat
them like a parrot!
I
P
tstsChChW
P
K
A checklis tBEFORE AN INTERVIEW
• Look clean and smart
• Practice with a friend/smartphone
• Think: Who am I speaking to?
• Think: What do they care about?
• Prepare three main points to say
• Ask the journalist what they need
• Ask the journalist who else they are speaking to
• Ask the journalist for his/her contacts for follow up
DURING THE INTERVIEW
• Look at the interviewer
• Be relaxed but stand still
• Smile a litt le (but not weirdly!)
• Provide short, clear and complete sentences
AFTER AN INTERVIEW
• Contact the journalist and suggest further work
• Obtain a recording for your social media and records
• Watch your performance and get feedback
With approximately 25 million potential new EU
citizens in South East Europe, who are all energy
consumers, energy is perhaps one of the most
complex issues which is facing the region. It has
inter-related and far reaching impacts on several
areas, including society, the economy and the
environment, particularly as South East Europe
faces the imminent deregulation of the market in
2015 in a less than ideal governance environment.
The South East Europe Sustainable Energy Policy
(SEE SEP) programme is designed to tackle these
challenges. This is a multi-country and multi-year
programme which has 17 CSO partners from across
the region (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croa-
tia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) and
the EU. It is fi nancially supported by the European
Commission, Balkan Trust for Democracy and UNDP.
The contribution of the SEE SEP project will be to
empower CSOs and citizens to bett er infl uence
policy and practice towards a fairer, cleaner and
safer energy future in SEE.
NOVEMBER 2014
Contributors
George Marshall, Climate Outreach Information Network,
United Kingdom
Mihailo Jovović, Vijesti, Montenegro
Besar Likmeta, BIRN, Albania
Sankha Guha, United Kingdom
Editor
Masha Durkalić, SEE Change Net
Additional Editorial Input
Garret Tankosić-Kelly, SEE Change Net
Cover Design
Ana Lukenda
Typesett ing and Layout
Ivan Hrašovec
This publication has been produced with
the assistance of the European Union. The
contents of this publication are the sole
responsibility of SEE Change Net on behalf of the SEE SEP
implementing partners and can in no way be taken to
refl ect the views of the EU.
Media, advocacy and communication workshop for CSO members of SEE SEP network, Skopje, Macedonia, April 2014
Supported by