In the public relations world, this is referred to as "staging" a news conference. For those that have negative connotations of anything "staged", we can shelve those now. The news conference is more than an invitation to media to show up at an appointed time and place; at least it should be.
A number of key items need to be planned, including:
- the moderator's role, signals
- will you be seated or standing
- if others are involved, how will you determine the seating layout and order for speaking
- will you take questions, and if so, when
- your backdrop
- lighting
- audio for you, for media
- seating for guests, media
- locations for video
- entry and exit plan
- facility access, security, escorts for media and guests
- fact sheets, backgrounders, DVDs, image CDs
- guest list
- your prepared statement
- your key messages
- talking points and response lines
- rehearsal, coaching
- event evaluation (continuous improvement)
- the needs of different types of media: video for TV, audio for radio, and an abundance of clear and factual information for print
- whether individual interviews will be granted after the conference
- post-event follow-up with media
If you are speaking at the event, you need to focus on your task. Engage your public relations or communications specialist to "stage" the event and assist you with your preparations for your performance.
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