For immediate release Contact: Ed Barks
Tuesday, September 22, 2020 (540) 955-0600
Any company’s success hinges on its outreach efforts through the media and presentations its spokespeople deliver to key audiences. That was the message Barks Communications President Ed Barks delivered in a series of recent talks before the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics (NILE).
Spokespeople must be equipped and energized to deal with reporters, he emphasized during his “Media Insights” presentation. He recommended a focus on three main elements — message, technique, and attitude. When discussing technique, Barks offered advice on how to appear professional on a video conference, a format that has been, until recently, foreign to many executives. Many of the media relations principles discussed form the basis of his latest book, Reporters Don’t Hate You: 100+ Amazing Media Relations Strategies.
He also participated on a NILE panel titled, “How Capitol Hill Consumes Media & Its Impact on Advocacy.” Since media outlets help set the public policy agenda for issues, he advised attendees to institute a process for assessing which media outlets influence the Capitol Hill offices that matter most. Foremost, he underscored, is the need to integrate advocacy efforts into a company’s media plan and, of course, to have such a plan in the first place.
Barks also weighed in as a panelist during NILE’s “Creating Persuasive Presentations in the Virtual World of Advocacy” program. In this session, he explained that, while there are logistical differences from in-person presentations when delivering remarks on Zoom and other video conferencing services, speakers still need to abide by tried and true public speaking principles. The centerpiece of those principles are his Three Keys to Great Presentations: Preparation, Performance, and Assessing Feedback, which he covered as part of his remarks. Those three elements set the foundation for his first book, The Truth About Public Speaking: The Three Keys to Great Presentations.
Due to the pandemic, all of the programs were held via video conference.
Barks provides his services on a pro bono basis to certain non-profit, educational, and charitable organizations. He donates his time and talents to causes he believes in and organizations he views as effective advocates. Contact Barks to learn if your organization qualifies.
Ed Barks serves as an advisor to communications executives to improve their companies’ messages and how they deliver them, and to government relations executives who want to reach their public policy goals. They gain an enhanced reputation, more opportunities for career advancement, and achievement of long-term business and public policy goals. He is the author of three books: Reporters Don’t Hate You: 100+ Amazing Media Relations Strategies, A+ Strategies for C-Suite Communications: Turning Today’s Leaders into Tomorrow’s Influencers and The Truth About Public Speaking: The Three Keys to Great Presentations. As President of Barks Communications, he has taught more than 5000 business leaders, association executives, and other experts how to succeed when they deal with the media, deliver presentations, and advocate before policymakers.
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