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Communicating the issues

Communication skills are a much under-rated area, whether used for managing staff or getting a response from the public. Knowing your intended audience and how to reach them is important, but so is remembering that others outside those you are targeting are likely to come across what you are saying too. Do you, for instance, want to convey to health professionals the urgency of some concern, without creating wider panic? Is a contingency plan necessary, in case the message gets scrambled by the media?

Most of this page is about the mass media, but presentations (at events, conferences) can be a way of getting to key people. Try Presentations magazine's web site (which is American but still useful).

Public speaking really needs to be practiced if you want to improve your skills. While reading up on techniques and common problems may help you identify what needs improving, there is nothing like a live demonstration, practice and feedback offered in good courses. There are quite a few around - check out the Management Centre, DSC etc on the Training page. Our Media Services page has some sources of technical training and advice, as well as 'handling the media' stuff.

Communication Resources

See Marketing and Communications publications page for useful books.

Clarity and access

The 1999 Plain English Awards demonstrated that complex research findings do not have to be explained in a complicated way. Using a magazine format that combines clear language and pictures with audio tapes, the University of Bristol series of 'Plain Facts' publications makes research messages accessible to people with learning and literacy difficulties. The topics covered include employment, training, welfare benefits, housing, and crime. Launched in 1997, magazines and tapes are published jointly by the Norah Fry Research Centre in Bristol and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. See Plain English Campaign website.

Reading Effectiveness Tool is a Canadian web facility, to assess if your draft is at the right Grade Reading Level for your intended audience, based on the Simple Measure Of Gobbledegook (SMOG) readability formula (!).

On the Web

Media Trust have some online guides. The list includes: Generating local media coverage; Top PR tips; Writing a PR plan; Writing a press release; Sample press release; Establishing contact with a journalist; Speaking to the media; Writing a marketing brief; Undertaking a design project.

VolunteerGenie (new October 07) has a wealth of material to help charities use the media to recruit more volunteers, produced by Voluntary Action Media Unit. Much of this is applicable to any charity or campaign promotional activity, but has a volunteering slant.

SAVO (Suffolk Association of Voluntary Organisations) has an online Marketing and Media Toolkit, developed with BBC Radio Suffolk.

MediaWise (a charity) provides advice, information, research and training on media ethics. Has advice such as A safety checklist for those entering into a contract with the media and an A to Z guide to Media Bodies.

Sample Online Communications Strategy.

Institute of Race Relations has produced a guide on working with the media, aimed at anti-racist campaigners and refugee rights activists. Download Working with the Media (pdf file, 697kb).

Charity Contact Services

AskCharity is a database of charity contacts to help journalists contact appropriate sector sources of expertise and knowledge for breaking news, developed by Voluntary Action Media Unit (part of TimeBank, closing March 08).

Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom (an independent voice for media reform) can offer advice on the 'right of reply'. Phone 020 8521 5932.

Charitydesk seems to have disappeared, March 07. Was a web site channel to journalists - a (not cheap) virtual press centre. Now subsumed in Pressdesk?

Community Newswire is jointly run by the Press Association and Media Trust, to get voluntary organisations' news releases out to press contacts.

CSV Action Desks work within BBC local radio stations, to get charity and community organisation messages across in their area. Email: media@csv.org.uk

Sector support bodies may have web sites which accept press releases or other news , for example Community NI in Northern Ireland. How well this is then picked up by the media will vary - you may want to check who else is/has used the service - but any cost should be low.

Our own VoluntaryNews site, from March 2006, has a facility to submit your news, whether it is aimed at an audience of other charities or the general public/press.

Also see ePolitix.com entry on Campaign Resources page.

The BBC is well-known for Charity Broadcasts (not just disaster appeals).

Making Contact

Finding the right person, address, even title for a publication you want to target to cover your message, can be tricky.

You may know all your local publications, but no harm in checking at the library - getting the right person, job title and a feel for what stories they are interested in will pay dividends. The specialist trade press, such as Farmers Weekly or Nursing Today, are good places to start researching an industry, for relevant organisations to contact or watch.

While nothing can beat personal contacts, there are a number of 'press guides', with all types of media contacts indexed in different ways:

• Benn's Media Directory (annual). No information traceable at Jan '07.
  
  
• brad intelligence is designed to help research, plan and buy UK media effectively.
  
  
• Editors Media Directories published by Cision. Covers national and regional press, trade and consumer publications, broadcast and freelance writers. In 6 volumes from £215 to £285. Phone 0870 736 0010
  
  
• Global Journalism Review Links to papers and Press Councils globally. A bit patchy, but it is free (online).
  
  
• Hollis UK Public Relations Annual (£145, autumn 04). Also publish Sponsorship & Donations Yearbook (£90 charities), Marketing Handbook. Hollis Directories, Harlequin House, 7 High St, Teddington, Middx, TW11 8EL, phone 020 8977 7711, email: hollis@hollis-pr.co.uk
  
  
• Media Disk from Cision provides press contact management online and on the desktop, with daily updates of its 700,000 contacts. Phone 0870 736 0010
  
  
• Newspaper Society Regional and local press web links, facts and figures on this area.
  
  
• Periodical Publishers Association has a links page for magazines on the net (published by members).
  
  
• Pims UK Media Directory has now become part of CCNMatthews directories. CCNMatthews, 4th Floor, 15 St Helen's Place, London, EC3A 6DF, phone 020 7 562 6556
  
  
• PR Newswire UK Media Directory, bi-monthly. Also publishes UK Media Town by Town, European Media Directory. PR Newswire Europe, Communications House, 210 Old St, London, EC1V 9UN, phone 020 7490 8111, email: info@prnewswire.co.uk
  
  
• PR Planner DVD-Rom, updated quarterly. From Cision (was Romeike), £899 plus VAT for UK (at May 07).
  
  
• Willings Press Guide annual guide to newspapers and journals published by Cision. Three volumes - UK, Western Europe and World. Also available online from £299 for one dataset. Phone 0870 736 0010, email: sales@willingspress.com.

Electronic Journals and newsletters published on the internet are listed by New Jour. Magazines, newspapers, radio and TV with an online presence are all on the 'independent online media directory' Media UK

PRnet is now discontinued.

Press Resources

Before sending out a press release, make sure you have asked yourself 'why (and when) is this news?', 'who might be interested and what will they want to know?', 'what media do they look at/listen to?', 'how do we make contact there?'. A scatter-gun approach may yield results if you have a really hot issue, but otherwise background research helps. A good hook, correctly baited and in the right place, should catch the fish you want!

Press Releases, photos, newspaper sites

PRNewswire has an archive of press releases under various topics (don't just look under Charity). May provide some useful pointers and background for your own releases. Check out PRWeb too - they can distribute your press release via the net for free (but it is US based).

Press Association is the main national news agency for UK and Ireland. Their Mediapoint online newswire has a list of free-to-use UK news web sites, as well as their own editorial contacts.

Media UK reckons it can get you to any section of an online newspaper in 4 clicks.

Also check out the Press Guide websites listed above, such as Pims, for the additional services they are increasingly providing.

Press Cuttings and Media Monitoring

Press Cuttings Bureaux usually work on searching for key words (often your organisation's name but it can be whatever you specify). Some charge for a period, others for a set number of items found.

• Durrants Press, internet, newswire and broadcast monitoring. Discovery House, 28-42 Banner Street, London, EC1Y 8QE, phone 020 7674 0200, email: sales@durrants.co.uk
  
  
• International Press Cutting Bureau, 224 Walworth Road, London, SE17, phone 020 7708 2113
  
  
• Cision (was Romeike) Also offer international monitoring, express monitoring, digital delivery, summaries & translations and a range of media evaluation and analysis services.

Press Association Library, 85 Fleet Street, London, EC4P 4BE, phone 020 7353 7440. Holds over 14 million news cuttings, starting from 1926!

PR

PR Week# is the trade mag for Public Relations people, which covers charities and public sector in amongst the rest.

Public Relations Consultants Association (020 7233 6026) has a free referral service but their members are generally at the costlier end of the market.

Chartered Institute of Public Relations is the professional body, providing training, PR toolkit and other relevant publications.

See Media Services for some specialist agencies.

Alternative and Community Media

Community Media

Community IT info is covered under Voluntary Sector and the Internet, including local technology centres.

'Third tier' community radio stations licences are being issued in stages from summer 2005. Ssee Ofcom for information on the process - there is also details of Community Radio Fund there, designed to help such stations get going. To contact community radio stations, see Commedia's list or check local developments via our Local Contacts page.

Commedia - Community Media Association. News, information, services and a gateway to community media organisations in the UK and worldwide, especially community radio and webcasts. There's an awards scheme giving grants for individuals and small groups to make a video, radio programme or web site of benefit to their community. Also an online archive of streaming media. Community television too.

Community-media.com is a Canadian consultancy with some useful info under Free Resources.

Alternative

Check out Undercurrents - Video Activism. Also BEyONdTV - a media resource for social justice films and screenings, which aims to be an open publishing site and distribution network.

SchNews A weekly update on the "real" news. Also try Squall - activists news magazine - if you want an alternative take on events.

Institute for Alternative Journalism is US based - may be of interest to journalists.

INK (Independent News Collective) is a 'trade association of independent periodicals which tackle issues of social, political and personal change, ... helping its members in areas like distribution and publicity'. Links to member sites and there should also be access to the publications too (still being developed?).

Indymedia UK 'is a network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues'.

Global Vision Only try if you can stand horribly flashing pictures, but this US site aims to be a one stop shop for all progressive media.