FACING THE EVENTS : MY THIRTEEN PRACTICAL TIPS by Jacky Degueldre • Take always your inspiration from the key elements of the basic file for its setting in media scene, starting with a carrying name. Imagine the synthetic title of the event on Euronews or CNN. It is your conceptual starting point, the point of anchoring of your guideline, your life line, your “red wire” for the follow-up. Everything will turn around that. • To be chosen between media cover and impact, always privilege the impact. Thus focus on a media vector in particular, or even on an essential and concrete point of the message. It is more effective to stress the event on only one “critical” point than on ten. • Whatever are the supports, clearly structure the contents of your messages, from a simple point of view: from the essential to the accessory, from the specific one to the general. • If necessary for more clearness, modulate the information datas. The more modular your communication is, the more your media device will be flexible and useful. And the larger its adaptability. • Is your message indigestible? Use a strong image to make it pass. Better is worth a single simple idea clearly summarized in a strong metaphor that ten complex - if not confusing - abstracts. • Multiply the concrete examples, which are more alive and “speaking” for any average journalist as well as for the targeted citizen. Only what appears close to him, close to its own concerns, will dramatically interest him. • If possible, systematically give a human face to your communication, let us say the chosen face of a main wellknown witness or a pilot partner from the associative or political field, or even a simply identified and goodlooking citizen (or candidate-citizen!). • What you know, say it precisely and clearly. Thus if you do not know nothing, say it too. Saying nothing means let saying by others, there is nothing worse than the uncontrolled rumour. • Think of relieving the 1st line operational team from the weight of questions and medias. • Help for yourself: create your own open « check list » to be filled with the to-do tasks, written in bulk. Use 1 line by task: entry date- short description in 1 line - by who (initials) – ending date and check (to be notched) • Be careful with the possible escapes if infos are under embargo! Envisage an inspecting device with tight doors, valves and… taps. A well organized escape can give a scoop! In the event of uncontrolled escape, apply the samourai stratagem: to strike grass to flush out the snake. • Do not allow you panics, irritation, indecision (‘crisis’ means decision !), blocking or dumbness, which are never the good answers. Be wary of opacity - as it is more attractive for the journalist than clearness! Thus clarify the zones of shade and,if possible, privilege transparency… • But do not forget: “It is my aim to be as transparent as possible with all stakeholders, but an appropriate balance must be struck between transparency and our ability to negotiate in a atmosphere conducive to frank and open discussions.”(EUTrade past-commissionner Pascal LAMY,2002).Speak not too much!