Training at the Workshop
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The Studs Terkel Community Media Awards
Wednesday March 14, 2011, 5 pm, Film Row Cinema, 1104 S. Wabash, 8th floor
We honor journalists who go the extra mile to report news “from the people who made Chicago, news that’s bottom up rather than up, down,” as Studs said at our 2007 awards event. “That’s what this is all about.” Presented annually, the Studs Terkel Media Awards honor outstanding media professionals for excellence in covering and reflecting Chicago’s diverse communities. Terkel Awards highlight reporters who take risks in covering social issues by offering new or unusual perspectives on topics of general concern, from housing to neighborhood safety and beyond. The awards reward a body of work rather than a single article or series, and go to journalists at any stage of their career. Read More
PROFESSIONAL MEDIA RELATIONS
Fridays, January 20 & 27; February 3, 10 &17, 9:00 AM to 12 Noon
With Thom Clark, Community Media Workshop
For 20 years, Professional Media Relations has been the Workshop’s cornerstone training. This intensive training session is designed specifically for nonprofit communicators to plan media campaigns around one of their own stories, while learning basic public relations skills. Participants in the course also have the opportunity to develop a story and pitch it to journalists. The course includes one free hard copy of Getting on the Air, Online & into Print 2012, our indispensable directory of area media contacts, plus many valuable handouts. REGISTER TODAY!
SOCIAL MEDIA BOOTCAMP
Mondays, January 30, February 6 & 13, 2PM to 5PM
With Demetrio Maguigad and Marissa Wasseluk
Are you struggling to create a social media strategy and policy for your organization? In this basic three-day course you will have ample time to dig into social media strategy and social media engagement. Participants will walk away with a concrete online communications plan and social media policy for their organizations. This hands-on social media boot camp is designed for communications staff looking to learn essential tools and tactics to advance their organization’s social media efforts.
WORKSHOP IS NOW FULL.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOOTCAMP - SESSION II
Thursdays, March 8, 15 & 22, 2PM to 5PM
With Demetrio Maguigad and Marissa Wasseluk
Are you struggling to create a social media strategy and policy for your organization? In this basic three-day course, an encore of our sold-out winter session, you will have ample time to dig into social media strategy and social media engagement. Participants will walk away with a concrete online communications plan and social media policy for their organizations. This hands-on social media boot camp is designed for communications staff looking to learn essential tools and tactics to advance their organization’s social media efforts. Don’t wait to grab your seat for this session! REGISTER TODAY!
CREATING AN EFFECTIVE WORDPRESS WEBSITE
Monday, April 9th, 9:00 am to Noon
With Demetrio Maguigad, Community Media Workshop
Are you trying to figure out how to use WordPress but have no idea where to begin? WordPress is a user- friendly, powerful platform you can use to create a blog, campaigns or a new website for your organization. Mastering the basics of WordPress will help you communicate more effectively with your audience online. In this workshop you will learn to set up a WordPress website, as well as best practices for selecting themes, plugins and widgets. REGISTER TODAY!
VIDEO BASICS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012, 9AM to Noon
With Bruce Orenstein and Bill Glader, Chicago Video Project
This workshop will examine when and when not to use video to achieve your organization’s communication goals, including: how you choose a good producer and what should it cost; how you create a fundraising/banquet video to be much more than just that; tips on lighting, sound, composition, interviewing techniques and editing for projects you produce yourself; how to make your video more effective on your website, and how to make a successful presentation with video in live meetings. REGISTER TODAY!
GET YOUR STORY ON AIR, ONLINE, & INTO PRINT USING THE WORKSHOP’S 2012 MEDIA GUIDE
Tuesday, February 28, 2:00 to 3:15 pm (CST)
With Demetrio Maguigad, Community Media Workshop
For more than 20 years, the Workshop’s media guide, Getting On Air, Online & Into Print, has been the number one tool to help nonprofits get their stories to the right reporters. This FREE webinar will help you learn how to use our online media guide. It will cover everything from the contact database, searches and creating custom lists, to understanding the dynamics of the media landscape in order to target producers, reporters and bloggers in Chicago.
REGISTER FOR THE FEBRUARY 28TH WEBINAR
BECOME A SPOKESPERSON SUPERSTAR!
Thursday, February 23, 2:00 to 3:15 pm (CST)
With Thom Clark, Community Media Workshop
When the media calls, will you be ready to interview like a professional spokesperson? This webinar will show you how to stay on message and in control while being interviewed. Learn interview performance tips like “bridging” and “flagging,” find out what to wear on camera, and get advice on how to prepare. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a five-minute mock interview and critique on the webinar. REGISTER NOW!
LEVERAGING LINKEDIN FOR YOUR NONPROFIT
Tuesday, March 20, 2:00 to 3:15 pm (CST)
With Marissa Wasseluk, Community Media Workshop
Did you know that LinkedIn is the second largest social network next to Facebook? This powerful online tool allows you to raise the profile of your organization and connect with potential donors, volunteers and employees. In this webinar you will learn new ways to reach out to advocates in the social media arena, how to create and optimize your nonprofit’s company pages, and causes along with tips for using LinkedIn groups effectively. REGISTER NOW!
INCREASE MEDIA COVERAGE – PITCH REPORTERS LIKE A PRO
Tuesday, March 27,2:00 to 3:15 pm (CST)
With Nora Ferrell, Community Media Workshop
To make news, you need to understand what reporters are looking for and how to reach them. This webinar will help you increase the chances of seeing your story in print, broadcast or online news by reviewing what’s newsworthy, tips for preparing to contact reporters, and how to make the pitch and follow up. Participants will have the opportunity to write a pitch and practice it during the webinar. REGISTER NOW!
Experts share insights on the latest communication trends in traditional and social media. Brown bag workshops are free but registration is required. Space limited register today!
MAKE THE MOST OF THE MEDIA DURING THE G8 SUMMIT
Thursday, March 22, Noon to 1:30 pm
The G8/NATO summits are coming to Chicago in May and thousands of reporters from around the country and the world will descend on the city. Are there opportunities for your nonprofit to attract media coverage and tell your story? Find out how your nonprofit can start to brainstorm news hooks to tap into the media frenzy and get your issues covered in the news. Panelists TBA
Learn to tell your stories better, using all the tools of communications, advocacy, outreach, and marketing, such as: media relations, using new media/technology, developing print materials, planning strategy, holding events, and other types of public relations. We are known for:
- Hands-on, practical training
- Emphasis on how to create compelling stories to increase visibility among media,funders and other audiences
- Providing tools to integrate Web 2.0 and social media into your communications and fundraising efforts
- Leading workshops that honor the ways adults learn, are interactive, and engaging
- Providing handouts you can use, not put on a shelf
Learn more about real people’s successes using what they learned from us by viewing some recent success stories
Our workshops are for nonprofit communicators–staff and volunteers responsible for telling their organizations’ stories. They come from grassroots and community organizations, arts groups, hospitals and universities, social-service agencies, philanthopry, and other types of nonprofit.
While we do not turn for-profit communicators away, for popular workshops we may wait-list them to make sure there are seats for all the nonprofit communicators who wish to attend. If you are in corporate communications or at a for-profit PR firm, we encourage you to visit the sites of our colleagues in PR, such as Ragan Communications, the Publicity Club of Chicago, PRNewswire, or the Public Relations Society of America.
To learn more about our participants, you can download a list of groups who accessed our services last year.
We are half grant-funded and the rest of our revenue comes from selling workshops, trainings, and our Chicago-market media guide, Getting On Air, On-line, & Into Print to other nonprofits.
This allows us to keep the costs of our workshops at a fraction of the price of equivalent sessions in the private sector. Workshop prices take into account fees for our trainers (typically much-reduced from what they typically charge as a service to the nonprofit community), other fixed costs such as serving coffee, water, and meals during workshops.
Scholarships are always available to organizations with budgets under $100,000—please view our Scholarship Policy. You may also want to check the details of our Cancellation Policy.
We are happy to provide custom sessions that respond to specific needs or to reinforce core messages at your organization.
Organizations we have worked with recently include ACCESS, Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management at North Park University, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Latinos Progresando, Local Initiatives Support Corp., Michigan Nonprofit Association, National Association of Charter School Authorizers, Progressive Technology Project, and Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
To learn more about our custom training view our services and contact Nora Ferrell, Nora@newstips.org or Diana Pando, Diana@newstips.org, or call us, 312-369-6400.
Unless noted elsewhere, our trainings take place in our classroom at our walk-in location at:
Community Media Workshop
at Columbia College
218 S Wabash
Chicago, IL 60605
Tel: 312-369-6400
Fax: 312-369-6404
Email: cmw@newstips.org
