• Illia Manzan Laura Géraldine

• Illia Manzan Laura Géraldine

• Clausen Anika Kamilla
• Tardin Grégoire

This course is designed to lead the students into the fascinating world of how companies and institutions relate to the media on a day-to-day basis. In present day the media is ubiquitous. Knowing how to communicate effectively and navigate safely in relation to media is therefore of the utmost importance. Companies and institutions need to invest heavily in the whole process of communication, from the planning of communication strategies to the crafting of messages and the actual communication situation, in press releases, press conferences, interviews, or their own media productions.

The course consists of two parts. The first part, will focus on the strategic management of media relations. During the course, we will combine lectures by the professor, discussions on various topics according to the book " On Deadline, Managing Media Relations", case studies and the preparation of plans and other working documents for efficient Media Relations within an organization such as a Media Relations Annual Plan. The second part, is a more practical, hands-on Media Training. It is designed to give the students an understanding of how to go through the process of crafting a message and presenting it in different situations in front of a camera. For this part of the course, students will refer to the book “The Media Training Bible”. They will be divided in sub-teams and will play different role playing. Students will be asked to get out of their comfort zone and prepare for different media situations such as interviews, press conferences, tv debates, in the DCM tv studio.

The course teaching methodology will include lectures (the professor presents concepts, models and tools), case studies (discussed to apply theoretical concepts), team work (i.e., present a media plan for a specific company) and class simulation (e.g., simulation of a press conference). Students are therefore expected to participate actively in class and to read in advance material indicated by the professor.

Part 1: Media Relations

• To understand the role that Media Relations play in Corporate Communication strategy
• To get an understanding of what is news and how journalists think
• To learn the principles of how the media work and how to communicate with journalists
• To know the basic tools to be used by a media relations professional
• To become ready to start managing media relations within an organization ◦By developing tools in order to research and understand the needs of the organization regarding media Relations and respond positively to these needs
• To know how to develop a media relations plan for a specific event or “pitch”, as well as an annual media relations plan

Part 2. Media Training

• To learn how to communicate in the most effective way ◦To learn how to distil what you want to say into a few concise key messages
• To learn how to craft catchy and memorable message points
• To get an understanding of how to dress and present the messages.
• To understand how the media works and how to communicate with journalists ◦To get an understanding of what news is and how journalists think
• To learn how to prepare effectively for an interview
• To become familiar with the “rules of the game” during an interview and learn how to get key messages across
• To be able to reflect on and discuss the mechanisms at work in practical media relations
• To understand what it takes to speak and act comfortably and in a relaxed manner in front of a camera
• To become aware of the potential pitfalls when the camera zooms in

Mandatory readings:

• On Deadline. Managing Media Relations, by Carole M. Howard & Wilma K Mathews (Waveland Press) 5 edition (March 11, 2013)
• The Media Training Bible – 101 things you absolutely, positively need to know before your next interview, by Brad Phillips (SpeakGood Press)

Other recommended readings

• Made to Stick, by Chip and Dan Heath (Random House)
• Media Training A-Z, by T.J. Walker
• Handling the difficult interview -some advice from media relations professionals, by Tom Krattenmaker. Newsletter from Harvard Business School, Article reprint C0003E
• Making news in the digital era, by David Henderson (Star)

Recommended tv-series and films

• The West Wing: Whichever season you watch, this television drama gives a realistic portrait of White House inner life. CJ Cregg (actress Allison Janney) is a very talented press secretary who usually manages to get positive headlines. It is also a very interesting exploration of the relationships between corporate-politics, communication professionals and reporters.
• The Thick Of It: This comedy tv-series offers a satirical view of the inner workings of modern British government and its recurrent problems with communication. One of the main characters, Malcolm Tucker (actor Peter Capaldi), the government’s director of communication, is said to be based to a large degree on Tony Blair’s legendary top spin doctor Alastair Campbell. The feature film In the Loop is a spin-off of this tv-series.
• Ides of March: In this 2011 political drama, directed by George Clooney, we follow Stephen Meyers (actor Ryan Gosling), an ambitious junior campaign leader for candidate Mike Morris (Clooney) during the final sprint of the Democratic primaries. The film gives an insight into how the different players in the election campaigns relate to and try to use the media to their own benefit.
• And remember to watch a lot of different interviews and press conferences on tv and YouTube…

Students will be subject to an ongoing evaluation, following the scheme below:

Part 1 (50% of final grade)

• Attendance and active participation in the class (20%)
• The quality of the group projects presented and developed during class (30%).

Part 2 (50% of final grade)

• Attendance and participation in the class discussions (10%)
• Attendance and performance in the media practices (40%). The grades for the exercises will be based 2/3 on the students’ performance and 1/3 on the students’ evaluations of and reflections on their own performance.

Given that the course follows an ongoing evaluation, we will apply the following rule: students who do not reach a minimum attendance to 70% of sessions will be asked to do an additional graded exercise during the last two sessions of the course.

Exam duration: 90 min.

Re-take exam only