Beyond Press Releases: Effective Media Relations Workshop

1. Workshop 2.B Going beyond press releases: media relations, how should we tell the story? Guidelines for the organisation of a press office on Structural Funds Brussels, 26 November 2007

2. FORMEZ Formez is an Italian government agency providing • technical support • modernisation • training to the Italian PA. • EUROPA PROJECT: Information, skills, knowledge on SF communication to Info & Publicity Units in ITALY • TWINNING PROJECTS: Training and support on Communication Plans for Accession countries and NMS

3. POLAND CZECH REPUBLIC BULGARIA HUNGARY ROMANIA

4. THREE GUIDELINES Drawing up Communication Plans for the 2007-2013 programming period Organisation of events on Structural Funds Organisation of the Press office for communication on Structural Funds

5. DO WE NEED A PRESS OFFICE? • The most effective way of reaching large audiences • It is cheap and has credibility BUT • It is not always possible to control • Media are not always interested, especially in positive stories • Even when messages are reported, they may be misinterpreted.

6. WHERE SHOULD WE PUT IT? • Better to use the existing Press Office of the Institution thus creating a close relationship with the person in charge of I&P? • Or …. • create a new Press Office within the MA? • And if so … • How to create a communications flow among Minister Press Office, MA staff, MA Press Office, Intermediate Bodies Press Office and local EU Information Points?

7. USEFUL TIPS • Enlisting professional help to make stories more newsworthy • Shaping stories around concrete events highlighting local realities or human interest rather than abstract trend • Cultivating relationships with media and ensuring they are well briefed • Providing a useful, clear background, info, contacts etc., through the use of a straightforward language

8. GUIDELINES CHAPTERS • Press officer job description • Press Office activities • Relationships with other Press Offices • Tools of the Press Office • Writing a Press Release • How to manage interviews • How to organise Press Conferences • How to manage a crisis communication • Check-lists about what to do and what not to do, in dealing with the media

9. Job Description • “Press Officer job description”: main tasks of a Press Officer Press Office must work in close relationship with the Managing Authority staff • “Relationships with other Press Offices” the importance of establishing a well-organised communications flow from the very beginning of the information activities.

10. Press Office Tools • “Tools of a Press Office” are divided into: • oral tools • written tools • a mailing list of EU contacts • a list of experts to beinvolved Particular attention is paid to: • keeping regular contacts with the EU Information Points on the territory • the involvement of Team Europe experts in all the activities organised by the Press Office. • the provision of specific training to the journalists on the functioning of the Structural Funds to avoid the use of mistaken terminology.

11. Press release, Press Conference • “Writing a press Release”: focuses on the format and the content. • “How to manage interviews”: suggests how to carefully prepare the interview, and is subdivided into: • Assessing the interview request • What to do before and after the interview • “How to organise Press Conferences”: provides some advice on the steps to follow.

12. Managing a crisis and Check-list • “How to manage communications crisis”: advises the Press Officer to maintain trustworthy and credible relationships with the media at all the times because they can be possibly more cooperative in crisis cases. • “Check-lists about “What to do and what not to do”when dealing with the media.

13. Thank you for your attention If you wish more information please get in touch with Claudia Salvi Csalvi@formez.it Tel. +39 06 84892220