Generate the Right Kind of Buzz: Engaging the Media to Support Homeless Children & Youth

1. Generate the Right Kind of Buzz: Engaging the Media toSupport Homeless Children & Youth Elizabeth Hinz District Liaison, Minneapolis Public Schools (MN) Diane Nilan Founder and Director, HEAR US (IL) Beth Davalos District Liaison, Seminole County Public Schools (FL)

2. Objectives • Learn effective strategies for reaching out to media • Gain tools to raise awareness about the needs of homeless children and youth • Sharpen skills in: • Creating succinct and meaningful messages • Being interviewed and preparing others for interviews

3. Why the Media is Important • Raise awareness • Gain credibility • Attract allies and partners • Influence public opinion and policy

4. How to Engage the Media • Know the beat • Understand priorities and deadlines • Issues and cycles • Identify specific journalists to connect with • Have one point of contact within your organization • Build relationships • Special meetings • Regular contact • They need you as much as you need them • Demonstrate value

5. Boundaries • Confidentiality • Professionalism • Bureaucracy • Communications Dept. • School District message • Your rights as a citizen

6. What’s News? • Special Events • Speaker • Award • Milestone • Community involvement • Services and Programs • Data, reporting • Demand, trends • Response to demographics, economy, tragedy, legislation • Donors –Volunteers – Board • Studies or Research • Internally generated reports • External research information • Released by partners (university, funders)

7. What’s News? • Public Policy • Legislation • Budgets • Litigation • Fundraising • Campaigns • Awards, milestones • Partnerships • New, anniversary • Business, government, university, nonprofits • Based on legislative or budgetary changes

8. What’s News? • Leadership - Operations • New leader, director, staff, expansion • New/revised strategic plan • Board members • Affect on mission • Trends requiring changes • Find angle on major events and issues • Emergency Preparedness/Disaster planning

9. What’s the Message? • Who • Are you • Do you want to reach • Do you represent • What • Is the issue • Is at stake • Are the expected outcomes • Why • Relevance • Significance

10. What’s the Message? • Simple & Specific • One idea, concept, occurrence • Meaningful • Know the audience (who reads the local paper, blogs, alumni magazine)? • Action-oriented • What are you doing, want others to do, or not do? • Relevant • Tied to a significant event or report • Timely • Connect to something happening now

11. The Message:Homeless Children & Youth • What does the audience need to know? • How do you educate a journalist to educate the audience? • Facts • Local and national numbers • Illustrate trends • Don’t exaggerate • Don’t sentimentalize • Context • Uncertainty-Instability • School as normalizing, safe space

12. The Message: Education • Way out of poverty • Boost resilience • Social interaction • Adult and peer role models • Skill building • Big picture: prevention

13. Follow Up • Read/see/hear a well-done article about homelessness • Read/see/hear an article that misses the mark on homelessness • After they’ve joined you for a meeting or training • After the interview to answer questions or go over points • After local/national news event

14. What’s the Word? • Fact sheets • Press release • Short/Snappy/Directive/Action-oriented • Don’t: • Use jargon or acronyms • Assume that your message was heard • Interviews • Be focused/Avoid gotcha/Ask Qs • How to approach families

15. Keep it local • Local data to put national or statewide news in context • Local plans or services to highlight response to a crisis/problem/issue • Connect to what’s happening nationwide, statewide • Local speakers – that’s you! • Be available to journalists • Requests to speak w/families and children

16. Data! Yes, data… • Local # identified children and youth for your school district/community • Time period represented (e.g., academic year, last three months) • Comparative numbers (show local + or - %) • State statistics • Comparative numbers (how do we measure up?) • Tie # to goals

17. Data, cont’d… • National statistics • Kids Count • Urban Institute • National Center for Education Statistics • National Center for Health Statistics • America’s Second Harvest • National resources • NAEHCY, NCHE, HEAR US

18. Press release Let’s practice

19. The Interview • Prepare the interviewer • Fact sheets • Examples of good articles • Communicate about format, style • Prepare yourself • Practice your message • Know the journalist’s agenda • Be informed about what is going on today • Know what you can answer and what you can’t • Stay on message • Use your catch phrases, be repetitive • Make complete statements • Remember who you represent

20. Interview Tips: General • Don’t go: • Off subject • Off topic • Rambling… • Outside your expertise • Speculating • Relate stories that concisely illustrate points • Practice complex answers • Clarify confusing questions and issues

21. Interview Tips: Video-Radio • Don’t look at the camera • Look at the interviewer or other guests • Poker face • Yes smiles and calm • No grimaces, scowls, eye rolls • Practice breathing • Make points in concise statements • 10-20 sec sound bites • Don’t give yes or no answers • Be “on air” at all times • No side commentary • No “off the record”

22. The Interview Let’s practice

23. Beyond traditional • Web site as outreach center • Create a “news” section • Post press releases • Highlight well-written articles • Email outreach/news release • Blogs • Get to know your local blogger • Twitter & Facebook • Followers/friends • Announce events

24. Media Panel What can the experts tell us?