ENGAGE: Now spend some time with your child and encourage them to make a story of their own. Use the pictures below as prompts. Allow your child to first look at the pictures and then ask them to tell you what’s happening. Remember, don’t tell your child what to say, but instead listen with interest and ask simple questions if needed. We encourage you to share and discuss your child’s narrative in the provided comment field. Or, film your child telling the story and upload it to the Facebook page for all to see! Enjoy and let the narratives begin!

Below, 12 tips for effective lobbying:

1- Be transparent about your interests:
Your target demande transparecy as a mandatory condition before discussion.

2- Be part of the process:
It is easiest to influence a policy in its infancy, and important to follow through during all stages of policy development.

3- Understand the legislative process and its technicalities:
It helps to ensure that you arrive with the right arguments at the right time.

4- Think politically:
Identify the focus of political argument, the values and interests involved and the potential basis for consensus.

5- Back up political arguments:
With independent evidence and sound science in order to convince politicians and regulators.

6- Identify your ultimate audience and set clear and realistic objectives:
At the beginning of your campaign. Be prepared to adapt your strategy in response to both external and internal changes.

7- Know the wide range of people that you need to talk to:
But target the decisionmakers and influencers that matter at the right time.

8- Mobilise people to act:
Search for allies and work within coalitions whenever possible. Ad hoc and temporary issue specific coalitions can be just as influential as longstanding alliances.

9- Use all relevant channels of communications:
Digital information is widely seen by politicians, regulators and their assistants and influences their thinking.

10- Recognise and respect diversity:
In culture, language and thought and where possible work with it to your advantage. Always keep in mind the local dimension of a policy issue that reflects the interplay of influence in policy and decision-making.

11- Remember you will not always get 100% of what you want:
Those who craft the compromise often win.

12- Be creative and memorable:
From start to finish. Briefing materials and events that draw attention to your messages do help achieve success.

From “A guide to Effective Lobbying in Europe – 2009″ by Burson Marsteller

Mustapha Bouzeguia, The PRist…

Nowdays, every company can find itself suddenly in what’s called “Crisis situation” whose origins may be various. Conjuctural, economic, social, technological or financial, a company crisis can take many aspects. A crisis can be defined as an unexpected happening or situation endangering the reputation and the stability of an organization.

Here are some traps and errors to avoid, while dealing with the media, during a crisis:

- To remain silent and not take the initiative;
- To distort or to hide the truth;
- To reassure the public by all the possible means ;
- To use a technical language;
- To omit the secondary consequences;
- To not communicate with the media in a regular basis.

Consequently, it’s more suitable to:

- Talk regularly to the media;
- Choose a good reliable and credible spokesperson to be the company speaker to the media;
- Take the initiative but not in a “higgledy-piggledy” way;
- Inform frequently and reliably;
- Meet the expectations of the concerned public;
- Assume the committed errors.

These attitudes are logical, simple and easy to adopt and it will show that the organization is responsible and if it’s well applicated, these attitudes can make the media the best allies in a crisis.

Mustapha Bouzeguia, The PRist

People may think that media is something to be feared and tolerated. Guess what? Journalists don’t bite!

Imagine that a journalist asked you for an interview on your company’s new product or project. Congrats! This is a golden opportunity that you should not miss.

At first contact you have to find out what medium is (radio, TV, press…), what story you have to tell and what subject the journalist is interested in. Then ask yourself 3 simple questions: Am I the right spokesperson for this subject? Can I say something interesting on that? Am I fully available and motivated to do this interview? If YES, let’s see how you can work all this out.

First step is “Homework”:

• Know your most important message
• Add additional messages (one or two), but stay focus
• Rehearsal few key sentences to shape the story
• Think of some concrete and inspiring examples to build up your story
• Prepare some data facts and figures
• Think more of what could interest your audience rather than the journalist in front of you

Second Step is “Meeting the journalist”:

• Be presentable, you have to look “good”. At this level, you are representing the image of your company
• Be helpful – give relevant facts and numbers, journalists swears by numbers and facts
• Answer the questions and take initiative to build bridges for your story parts
• Repeat your most important message
• Be short, concise and concrete
• Say it with conviction and joy, using humour is good but with caution
• Minimize business jargon
• Make a balanced use of all three communication methods: words, voice, body

Here’s some No – No’s:

• Don’t bluff or tell lies
• Don’t use “No comment”
• Off the record remarks unless you want that on the coverage
• Never ask the journalists to approve their articles
• Don’t assume the interview is over until the journalist is gone
• Don’t use a word too much

For more details read “Journalists don’t bite” by Hans Kruyzen