9:00am - 10:30am Essential communication strategies
Best practices that every elected official must understand and execute.
10:30am - 10:45am Break
10:45am - 12:15pm Working with the Media Engaging the Public Effectively Using Social Media, Public Speaking
12:15pm - 1:15pm Lunch
1:15pm - 2:45pm Participants practice communication skills by engaging in mock interviews and other scenarios common to elected officials.
2:45pm - 4:30pm Developing a Comprehensive Communications Strategy
4:30pm - 5:00pm Q & A
City Summit | Annual Conference of the National League of Cities
November 15, 2017
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
NLC University: Communications Bootcamp
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Honorable James Mitchell
Charlotte City Council
Conversation with
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What are sanctuary cities?
They are cities and counties (and in some
instances, states) that have policies in place that
limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement.
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Who has one?
Who doesn’t have one?
Who doesn’t know if you have one?
Sanctuary Cities
▪Politics▪Disasters▪Sex; Crimes▪Babies; Elderly▪Race ▪Animals▪Natural Disasters▪Sports
Elements that Drive Stories
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Philosophy
• Any media opportunity is a Golden opportunity
• The objective is to influence the story
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Effective Messaging
Clear• Pronunciation: Articulate
and enunciate your words for
them to be clearly heard.
• Grammar: Use correct
grammar when speaking.
Do not drop off words from
sentences.
• Speed: Speak in a normal,
steady pace.
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Effective Messaging
Concise
• Main Points: Highlight the
main points first. Limit the
details to only the most
important ones.
• Germane Points: Only state
points that are relevant to the
topic at hand.
• Time Management: Try to
make presentation fit
comfortably in allotted time.
Do not make it too long or too
short.
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Effective Messaging
Consistent
• Repetition
• Paraphrase
• Repeat…Repeat…Repeat
Confident/Compassionate
• Sensitivity: Mutual Respect, mutual trust.
• Understanding: Be empathetic. Some concepts
may be difficult for the person(s) to grasp.
• Non-intimidating: Try to be on the same page as
your audience.
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Communications Research
UCLA Study (1970)• 50-55% Look➢ Importance of How You Look• 30-35% Sound➢ Importance of How You Sound• 5-10% Message➢ Importance of What You Say
Vistage Research-50% of message NOT heard• Misunderstood • Misstated• Misinterpreted • Forgotten• Ignored
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How You Sound By Telephone• 80% How you Say It
• 20% What you Say
• Harness your nervous energy and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm.
• Sound interesting, stimulating and informative.
• Make sure your voice is loud enough, clear and assured.
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What You Say- The Message
• Answer –
• 3 Message Points
• 10-12 seconds in length
• Repetition –
• Repeat…Repeat…Repeat
• Paraphrase
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Prepare, Practice, Prepare
Know Your Audience
Anticipate Tough Questions Reporters Will Pose
Know Your Program or Publication
Know Your Point, Purpose
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What Reporters Want
• Stories that attract attention• Stories that beat the competition• New Angles/New Leads• The Last Word
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Before Speaking- Ask Questions
• What is the story?
• Who are the other players involved?
• What variety of media outlets are involved? (i.e.
traditional media, social media)
• Do we understand the background?
• What is the expected length, who will conduct
the interview?
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• Know your audience
• Ask about audience expectations
• Select appropriate location
• Invite and encourage interaction and feedback
• Keep it short; to the point
“The Best Communicators are Great Listeners”
Communication Do’s and Don’ts
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Vision - Mayor Terrence D. Culbreath
Truth and Honesty
Entrepreneurship (Jobs)
Increased Tax Base
Preserve Small Town Quality of Life;
Family and Recreation
Bailey Bill
Historic preservation trend has room to grow, industry insiders say
The Bailey Bill is a state law allowing local governments to grant tax
abatements to rehabilitated properties that qualify as historic. In Columbia
and Richland County, buildings can be assessed at their pre-rehabilitation
value for up to 20 years, as long as 20% of the property value is spent on
renovations.
• Communication Advisory Group – Social Media
Ambassadors
• Testimonials/Humans of Your City/Faces Of
• Celebrity Connections
• Activities/Current Events/Promotions
• Hashtags to Link the Vision
• Powerful Pictures
• YouTube Virtual Tours
Message Managing Strategies
YouTube – (Drone)
Famous Connections
William Johnson, Harlem Renaissance artist
http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/south-carolina/20-famous-people-from-sc/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_South_Carolina
Shoeless Joe Jackson
James Brown
Joe Frazier
Chris Rock Leeza Gibbons
Eartha KittLauren Hutton
Website Ad Sales
It may feel like putting the cart before the horse, there are many good reasons and ways to sell ad space on low-
traffic websites. What you need to always keep in mind is that, while advertisers are drawn to high traffic numbers,
they desire something else even more: high conversion rates. There are plenty of success stories of websites that
have limited traffic but sell a ton of advertising. These websites succeed because they do one thing well: they deliver
the right type of customer to the right type of business.
National Day Data
On December 20, 2016, TSC launched a multi-media campaign the National Day of
Racial Healing using platforms on FaceBook, Twitter and a Website/Landing page.
TSC’s target audience was national in scope. Below are the statistics garnered in
less than 30 days.
Facebook Twitter Website/Landing Page
Impressions2,178,473
Total Reach1,527,228
Impressions48,700
30 Day Active Users13,019
January 17, 2017 Active Users4760
Blessed Experiences:
Genuinely Southern,
Proudly Black
by Congressman
James E. Clyburn
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Website clicks from social media – 334
Twitter - @ultimatebizexpoReach – 44,108Impressions – 84,332
Facebook – The Ultimate Business ExpoPage likes - 197Page reach – 78,812Post engagements -7,703
Social Media Stats Day before event
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Crisis Media Management
• Correct the Problem IMMEDIATELY!• Get Your Side of the Story Out First.• Choose Your Medium; Moment of Release.• Maintain Focus.
For more on media training, media relations, public outreach or crisis
management contact Carolyn or visit our website
Carolyn Sawyer
Phone: 888-729-9373
www.CarolynSawyer.com
https://squareup.com/store/tom-sawyer-productions
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