(CC) licensed:secretlondon

Members media training should get your vote

The Local Government Elections in May are almost upon us.

Are you thinking about New Member Training? How many of you have started preparing for the annual (or bi-annual) influx of New Members and all the training needs they will have?

Local Government is not getting any simpler. It is getting ever more complex, with a new White Paper – Strong and Prosperous Communities – published on October 26th 2006 and a raft of legislation to absorb.

Many councils are now web casting their council meetings and it is quite similar to the early days when Parliament was first televised. The need to be media aware and in some cases televisual (or at least camera aware) is even more important today than it has ever been.

Media scrutiny of Local Government is getting ever more sophisticated, thorough and in some cases not entirely ethical. The image of Local Councils is at an all time low – with voting numbers plummeting in Local Elections.

New Members enter Local Government in May, full of hope and fresh ideas against a challenging backdrop and they need a lot of support to get them through these trying times, before their enthusiasm wanes.

The following one-day, half-day or evening training courses have been designed specifically for New Members

• MEDIA SKILLS – to improve their performance with local media.
• PRESENTATION SKILLS – to improve their performance when promoting council business.
• PUBLIC SPEAKING – to improve their skills when speaking to the electorate.
• MEETING SKILLS – to help them manage increasingly rancorous public meetings.
• COMMUNICATING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE – a new training course in communicating with Hard to Reach Groups.
• PROACTIVE PR – How to be more proactive – particularly with the media and recognise what is newsworthy in the work every council does. How to promote everyday stories with newsworthy angles to your local media.
• CRISIS MANAGEMENT – How to deal with the inevitable crises which arise within every council. What to do, what not to do, what is achievable and what is not. How to manage your reputation – long-term and short-term.