Department of Alabama PUBLICITY How members talk to people about what the DAV Mission and what DAV does!

Department of Alabama

 Words to USE:  Service men and women  Veterans  Heroes*  Defenders of freedom  Defenders of the American Way of Life  Injured heroes*  Words to AVOID:  Members of the Armed Forces, Military or Soldiers  Warriors  Defenders of liberty, the free world, or democracy  Disabled * Use with general public and prospective supporters, not veterans. FROM THE LANGUAGE GUIDE

Department of Alabama WORK THE PRESS AND PROMOTE THE DAV MISSION It has led us to this…

Department of Alabama

THINK OF DIFFERENT MEDIA OUTLETS  Audience and Effectiveness  Newspapers  Magazines  Radio  Internet  Social Media

Department of Alabama PREPARATION REDUCES PERSPIRATION  Research, research and more research  Know the DAV and the Mission Statement  Know what the reporter wants to discuss  Know how to answer questions  Know that the reporter is always a reporter  Know you can correct the record at any time  Know how to get the DAV message out there

Department of Alabama

YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF INTERVIEW  Listen –  Pause –  Think –  Answer –

Department of Alabama MOVING IT BACK TO THE DAV MESSAGE  Remember the media is trying to get the sound bite  Live interviews are difficult to do if you are not well versed  Have someone who knows how to speak to the media do so  Prerecorded interviews are best  You can do another take  You can use the LPTA technique  You can get the DAV message out there by:  Answering their question  Using a bridge (and, but, however, etc.,…)  Promoting our message

Department of Alabama EXAMPLES OF RESPONSE TO MEDIA  Yes there have been some issues with claims at the Veterans Administration, but we in the DAV are dedicated to helping all Veterans by providing free services in filing their disability claims.  It was great to be invited to participate in today’s homeless stand-down event, and we would like to let the community know how the DAV is committed to providing help and support to homeless Veterans and their families during their time of hardship.  We have heard of the hardships faced by the community after the tornado, however we in the DAV are here to support Veterans and their families get back on their feet with free grants.

Department of Alabama EMBRACE THE MEDIA  Remember you are getting coverage for free  Remember the reporter is not trying to embarrass you  Remember to watch a report they have done in the past  Don’t worry about using the LPTA technique  If you misspeak during an interview, correct the record immediately,