CEMA-Putting a positive face on public service

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Putting a Positive Face… YOURS…on Public Service

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A starting point for all of us…

How often do you talk about your work to friends, family, & strangers?

Rate your readiness to talk about your successes and the value you provide?

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Failure IS an Optionwww.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vo4M4u5Boc

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We can all do this! Take some steps…

In the next 5-7 days:1.Who do we need to talk with? Find our audience and our friends

2.Find our voice & our stories

3.Deliver our key messages and stories early & often

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What guides our communications?

• Passion vs. Getting it Right

• Think 1992 Campaign– “It’s the economy, stupid.”– Focus on what works

• You can’t convince everyone. – Empower your supporters– Educate the neutrals (give them a home)– Ignore (and/or isolate) the hostiles

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Learn from the Pros

Chevron campaign tries to balance need for oil with global warming – SF Chronicle 9/28/07Chevron executives say they know that an advertising campaign, even one this lavish, won't make everyone love them. The company's market research consistently show that some people approve of oil companies and some despise them."And it doesn't matter what we say - they're going to feel that way," said Helen Clark, Chevron manager of corporate brand and reputation.

"But there's a large faction in the middle that really is open."

Learn from the Pros

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Exercise #1:Find out who your friends are

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This can be the face of public service…

• YOUR work impacts lives and communities…for the better

• YOU can tell our own stories better than anyone else

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So…You’re New To This?

• Your skills apply.– You can think.– You can write.– You can use a telephone.

• All of your daily work skills are transferable. – Persuasion– Cajoling– Consensus building

You can do this!

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Public Speaking / Stakeholder Engagement

• Be Prepared• Do your homework• Connect – dry facts

won’t do it• Always come home to

your key messages– Regardless of the

question asked, know what you want to discuss and always come back to them.

Learning from Public Speaking

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YOU are the network

• You know the field and have the “rolodex”

• You have the network & are doing the networking

• You are visible to communities that matter

• You are just a few phone calls or emails away from anyone!

You are the network

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Your work will resonate when you talk about…

• Getting results – You save lives, improve services to the public, and make the County run effectively and efficiently

• Solving problems – You are relied on to spot problems and save money

• Helping find new funds – You obtain funding that helps support local necessities

Key Messages

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The 3 Things You REALLY Need to Emphasize

• Item 1• Item 2• Item 3

No one can tell you what to speak about, what will work for you, or even what issues you “must”

address.

Find your voice, find your issues, find your facts. Then…tell your stories

The Lesson? PERSONALIZE!

Your Messaging

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Exercise #2Becoming our own best Ambassadors for public service

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Thinking about your audiences

What News?

Who Needs to Hear it?List all key audiences

In What Format?Note the comm. channel

By When? From Whom Do They Need to Hear it?

Courtesy of HollyMinch.com

How do we plan for this?

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THE BIG 5 Questions to public outreach

1. What are you trying to achieve? 2. Who is your key Decision Maker?

Who determines your success & who influences him/her?

3. What are our assets / challenges?4. Given that – who is you target

audience & what do they need to hear?

5. What Tactics are in your toolbox (and one is, social media) & what are your timing/milestones?

5 Questions to guide our communications

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Storytelling:Storytelling:Who is the most effective local storyteller?Who is the most effective local storyteller?What is it about him/her that is so What is it about him/her that is so powerful? powerful? Share one of his/her stories. Share one of his/her stories.

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Storytelling (or…how not to end up like this)

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Storytelling – The Importance of Anecdotes

• Storytelling is common thread through all cultures

• Humanizing. Anecdotes are a way of personalizing the issue

• Impact - Anecdotes are a way for others to understand your perspective

• Linkage – a story can personalize an issue much faster than reciting statistics, historical facts or personal biases.

• Credibility – anecdotes allow you to “borrow” someone else’s credibility

Graeme Frost, SCHIP Kid

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Andy Goodman – What makes a good story

Step One: Start with a common assumption and one person

• Find common starting reference point

• Attach details• Evoke well-known

feeling or aspiration• Share / Validate

commonly held belief More info @ www.agoodmanonline.com

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Step Two: Introduce a point of conflict

• Name the conflicts and Show the conflicts

• Barriers promote attachment

• The harder the struggle, the more we remember

• How can you make these real? Describe? Show?

More info @ www.agoodmanonline.com

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Step Three: Make heroes and villians easy to identify

• You are right. Know that. Feel that.• Villains – real or imaginary are essential• You define the terms of the debate


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Step Four: Include granular details and one “takeaway” fact

• Hair color? Glasses? Shoes?

• Tell me one memorable item to take with me

• Can you make me FEEL it? See it? More info @

www.agoodmanonline.com

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Step Five: Show the way to a happy resolution

• You don’t need clear resolution, just a path

• What is the end goal? • What is the path to get there?• Why are you essential?


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A moment of reflection:Am I telling stories already?What is my favorite granular fact?

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Exercise #3Interview a CEMA member & help craft their story

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Congratulations! You now own your own network & newspaper

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Five Things You & All of Us Can Do

• Start where you are: LinkedIn as a starting point• Facebook: Use your Facebook to provide a “home”

for stories & to inform your friends & communities• Become an Informer: Build presence on Twitter to

listen first & then share things only you can• Tell you own story: Make Photos/Videos available

using Flip Cameras, Twitpic, & Flickr• Go home! Use your department’s existing website(s)

to tell your stories

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One thing I learned today…

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Dan Cohen, PrincipalFull Court Press [email protected]@DCSTPAUL & @FullCourtPress510-271-0640

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CEMA-Putting a positive face on public service