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Amplifying Your Union Message: Effective Communication Strategies for Labor Engagement

In today's fast-paced digital world, it's essential for unions to convey their messages effectively. This presentation, delivered at the AFL-CIO Utah State Convention, emphasizes the importance of utilizing modern communication tools. With the growing online readership and the ease of social media, unions have a golden opportunity to share their powerful messages. Learn how to craft impactful news releases, advisories, and utilize social media and texting to reach your audience. Engage your members and the broader community in this challenging economy.

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Amplifying Your Union Message: Effective Communication Strategies for Labor Engagement

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Presentation Transcript

  1. You, too, can plant a message How to speak, write and text your power Presented to the AFL-CIO Utah State Convention, June 24, 2011

  2. It’s easier than ever to plant your message • 24/7 news cycle. • More technology, user-friendly tools and programs to aid you. • News organizations are more attuned to electronic information. • And, specifically for labor: You have a strong heart and message to share in this tough economy. The masses need to hear it.

  3. And one more reason… • Reporters spend a lot of time waiting around, being bored, getting a little lazy, expecting news to come to them. (They don’t want you to know this, but it’s true!)

  4. So, why should you try to reach the media (especially electronically)? • Because between 2005 and 2009, newspapers’ online readership traffic doubled—from 1.6 billion page views a month to 3 billion. • Because three out of four people say they get their news from local news broadcasts. • Because Americans spend 11.8 hours a day consuming news and other content on line. (News is in there somewhere. No word on how much time they devote to Lady Gaga videos, cruising on Facebook and killing zombies in Black Ops.) • Source: “The Information Needs of Communities,” Federal Communications Commission, June 2011

  5. So, how should a union local deliver a message? • News release • News advisory • Social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) • Texting messages to members

  6. News Release • Use when you have a general announcement, not dependent on a tight deadline. • Answer the five Ws as you prepare: Who, what, where, when why. • And perhaps most importantly, ask: Who cares. Why should anyone care? • Always include relevant contact information.

  7. News Advisory • Use for a time-sensitive announcement. • Keep this short, with basic facts (5 Ws). No more than one page. • Include all relevant contact information. • Be quick, be accurate, get it out ASAP.

  8. Social Media Facebook, Twitter most widely used. • Benefits: Fast. Widely used. FREE! • Cautions: You put yourself out there. Once it’s out, it’s out.

  9. Short Message Service AKA Texting

  10. Use SMS! • A powerful, quick way to send instant messages. • Useful for organization-wide announcements (Rallies, protests, news conferences). • Consider: The earthquake in Haiti showed the power of SMS as a tool for fund-raising (raising millions in $10 increments in just a few days). In 2009, there were 276 million wireless users in the U.S., and during the first half of 2009, users sent about 740 billion text messages. • Update your electronic and SMS contact lists and use this technology (Vote Builder is an excellent database and available to AFL-CIO members)!

  11. Language is power! • Write it. • Speak it. • Text it. • Live it.

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