PR: LEADING THE CONVERSATION HFA ADVOCACY INSTITUTE | MARCH 2019 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

PR: LEADING THE CONVERSATION HFA ADVOCACY INSTITUTE | MARCH 2019

AGENDA ‣ Building Your Narrative ‣ Overcoming Challenge ‣ Speaking With Authority ‣ About Group Gordon 2

THE LANDSCAPE 3

Pitfalls Stakes are up Engagement is up Partisanship is up 2019 Media stability is down Middle ground is down 4

But… 5

Opportunity is abundant. 6

BUILDING YOUR NARRATIVE Strategy + Messaging 7

STRATEGY + MESSAGING Discovery Planning Execution Measurement Interviews + documents Strategies Media relations Targets Media audits Messaging Social and content Metrics Landscape analysis Tactics Events Ongoing assessment 8

STRATEGY + MESSAGING What’s your objective? 9

STRATEGY + MESSAGING What’s your objective? organizational/programmatic first … then PR 10

STRATEGY + MESSAGING 1 3 AWARENESS DIFFERENTIATION 2 4 CREDIBILITY INFLUENCE eyes leverage action reputation 11

STRATEGY + MESSAGING Who are your Public audiences? Developers Legislature Community Orgs 12

STRATEGY + MESSAGING What’s your message? 13

STRATEGY + MESSAGING What’s your message? Start with why (not what). 14

STRATEGY + MESSAGING 15

STRATEGY + MESSAGING E V R R A T I A N 16

STRATEGY + MESSAGING Vision Solution Challenge Ask (your org’s role) (why / context) (call to action) (opportunity) 4 3 2 1 17

STRATEGY + MESSAGING Challenge - Vision - CORE Solution - Ask - Manager 1 SUB 2 SUB 1 SUB 3 proof point 1 proof point 2 proof point 3 18

STRATEGY + MESSAGING Keep it simple and concise Focus on what’s unique to your org Leave stuff off the table Eliminate jargon Be bold 19

STRATEGY + MESSAGING Most importantly, humanize. 20

STRATEGY + MESSAGING “We intervene not because of stories of desperate circumstances 1 but when we can be cheered up with positive stories of success and transformation.” “What matters is saving a high proportion of people, not just a large 2 number of lives.” “Storytelling needs to focus on an individual, not a group. … One 3 Nicholas Kristof death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic.” Source: Kristof, Nicholas D. Nicholas Kristof’s Advice for Saving the World. Outside . November 30, 2009. 21

STRATEGY + MESSAGING 22

STRATEGY + MESSAGING “When we try to raise awareness and offer potential solutions, we often find ourselves largely in a conversation with ourselves.” “To advance support for policies and programs that need scale, we must do a better job of navigating the three dominant narratives ( individual responsibility, mobility, and racial difference ) that complicate our ability to communicate why solutions matter.” Tiffany Manuel Source: Manuel, Tiffany. Who Gets to Live Where, and Why? Shelterforce. January 30, 2018. 23

STRATEGY + MESSAGING “Move from an affordability frame to a fairness frame.” Source: Enterprise Community Partners and Frameworks Institute. Piecing It Together. 2018. 24

STRATEGY + MESSAGING Source: Enterprise Community Partners and Frameworks Institute. Piecing It Together. 2018. 25

STRATEGY + MESSAGING Source: Manuel, Tiffany and Nat Kendall-Taylor. “You Don’t Have to Live Here”. October 2016. 26

STRATEGY + MESSAGING Source: Manuel, Tiffany and Nat Kendall-Taylor. “You Don’t Have to Live Here”. October 2016. 27

STRATEGY + MESSAGING How are you delivering the message? MEDIA EVENTS SOCIAL PUBLISHING Directness Engagement Control Credibility Authority Depth Reach Flexibility Control Scaling Reach Cost 28

STRATEGY + MESSAGING Publicize property events and deal closings. Gaining Be a resource for commentary. traction in Write letters to the editor. affordable Partner with an unlikely ally on an op-ed. housing Release new data. 29

OVERCOMING CHALLENGE Crisis Communications 30

CRISIS COMMS What’s a PR hazard? 31

CRISIS COMMS GLOBAL An external circumstance that runs counter to your mission and affects many organizations. DIRECT An external circumstance that specifically threatens your organization — often related to funding or operations. INTERNAL An internal circumstance that has the potential to produce unfavorable public outcomes. 32

CRISIS COMMS Create a plan. 33

CRISIS COMMS Preemptive Measures TEAM Response Steps PLAN PROTOCOL SCENARIOS Standby Statements RESOURCES Third Parties 34

CRISIS COMMS Contain the root problem. Convene your team. Act fast. Be transparent, factual, and non-defensive. Show contrition when warranted. Take the long view. When in doubt, do the right thing. 35

CRISIS COMMS Proactive or reactive? ‣ Generally, communicate first — on your terms. ‣ How likely is the situation to be covered? ‣ Can you better tell the story and balance the public record a proactive approach? 36

CRISIS COMMS Engage or don’t? ‣ Most times, some form of engagement — even if off- record — will improve the outcome. ‣ How likely is the reporter to write the story regardless? ‣ Will your perspective positively influence the outcome? ‣ How will your inclusion in or absence from the story impact the perception of your organization? 37

CRISIS COMMS Every crisis is a challenge to do better. 38

SPEAKING WITH AUTHORITY Media Training 39

MEDIA TRAINING Formulate three concise Develop Address Ensure your answers address statements that communicate your target audiences, who may Concise Target your message well and use not be as knowledgeable on Statements Audiences them throughout the entire your issues as the reporter. interview. Assume they have less information on your topic. SETTING THE AGENDA Familiarize yourself with the Always stay focused. interviewer (the Reporters sometimes begin publication/show as well as the interviews with softball reporter). Understand their questions to gain your trust Stay background and the interests and then lead into more hard- Familiarize Focused and concerns of their hitting questions. Throughout Yourself readers/viewers. 40

MEDIA TRAINING 1 Follow your prepared agenda. Insert your key messages into each answer. Do not wait for the reporter to bring up your target topics because it may not happen. 2 Be honest and direct. A minor misrepresentation can become a major problem and convey the wrong message. 3 Speak a common language. Simplify concepts that are difficult to understand and sum up complicated answers in a couple of short sentences. Do not use jargon or overly technical language the audience is unlikely to be familiar with. 4 Be yourself. Give your personality a chance to come across. Speak in your normal conversational tone. 5 Make sure you and the reporter are on the same page. Do not hesitate to ask the reporter to rephrase or clarify the question. 41

MEDIA TRAINING 1 Neutralize and bridge. To answer a difficult question, neutralize the negative frame first, then bridge to one of your key points. This will help move the conversation back to your agenda. Phrases “But perhaps an equally important issue here is....” Useful n n “It’s important to remember….” “It’s too soon to tell, but what we do know is….” n n “Actually, in my experience….” “Well, that’s just part of the story….” n 2 Answer all questions. In nearly all cases, do not answer a question with “no comment.” There is almost always a better response. 3 Be aware of your tone. Tone is key; defensiveness is an immediate red flag for a reporter. 4 Avoid loaded questions. Don’t feel obligated to accept the premise of a loaded question. Don’t get pressured into answering hypotheticals. If you’re asked an “a” or “b” question, feel free to reject both options and state a separate position. 42

MEDIA TRAINING Off the record: WHAT YOU SAY IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION. Many journalists consider off-the-record information fair game if they can independently source or corroborate the information with a third party. While it won’t be sourced to you, you shouldn’t disclose information that you would never want to see published—even if it’s off the record. WHAT YOU SAY CAN BE QUOTED OR PARAPHRASED IN A STORY, On background: BUT NOT ATTRIBUTED TO YOU BY NAME. The reporter might attribute the quote or characterization to “a person familiar with the situation” or “an industry insider.” Since definitions of “on background” vary, you should always clarify the terms and the exact attribution before proceeding. 43

MEDIA TRAINING 44

ABOUT GROUP GORDON 45

Some firms emphasize strategy; others prioritize execution. At Group Gordon, we excel at both. Assertive Dynamic Best-in-Class Tacticians Strategists Writers 46

We are a full-service firm, offering the suite of communications services for our clients. Media Strategy Content Social Relations Features Planning Media / marketing materials Website content Trend stories Reputation management Visuals Blogs Media tours Campaign development Original research Community management Expert commentary Thought leadership Video Campaigns Op-eds Messaging Speeches / presentations Paid social 47