You’ve arrived in Washington, DC for your new posting as an embassy press attaché, corporate spokesperson, or NGO public affairs operative. Congratulations!
Now comes the task of adjusting to a new life in a new and foreign city. A barrage of questions run through your mind:
- • Where can I turn for answers to on-the-job dilemmas?
- • How do I start to make sense of the American media?
- • What resources can I use to raise my comfort level?
Finding Answers
As the guide notes, you need to get up to speed quickly on your new job. Your first goal is often to forge connections with reporters who cover your issues. How can you identify them?
Start with your predecessor. He or she may have journalistic connections that you can use. If you are fortunate enough to have your tenures overlap, ask for introductions. If your predecessor has already departed, use the direct approach. Contact reporters from media outlets that cover your issues, introduce yourself, and offer your organization as a resource. If you work for a high-profile group, this may be fairly easy. If your profile is lower, start with an interesting news angle or a recent report capable of capturing the reporter’s attention.
It is also a good idea to seek out fellow communicators who can help pave your way. How can you meet them? Welcome to a uniquely American invention: The networking event, held for the express purpose of meeting colleagues, exchanging business cards, and forging professional connections. More later on organizations that might be of value here.
Making Sense of American Media
Let’s talk about media trends that are useful to keep in mind as you settle into life in Washington. The biggest trend is the steep decline in revenue and readership of newspapers and magazines. More than a few have gone out of business while those remaining are seeking to survive this industry-wide calamity.
This dwindling number of media outlets and the reporters they employ has increased the number of freelance reporters, who may be writing for one publication today and another next week. They need to hustle for work, so you may find them able to help you reach a wider variety of media outlets. The key here is, once again, to build relationships.
It is also helpful to recognize that media in the U.S. is not government owned. A free and privately held press is a hallmark in the U.S.
Blogs tend to be a more widespread phenomenon in the U.S. than in the rest of the world, but need to be considered with caution for they are often not journalistic outlets. Some can prove valuable in getting your message out, though the vast majority are not worth your time.
A Roundup of Resources
You will no doubt confront numerous puzzling situations as you adjust to your new Washington environment. Some examples:
- • I found a television for my office on sale for $999. In Euros, I’d know how much that costs. In the U.S., is that a good deal?
- • My bathroom scale shows that I weigh 150 pounds. Does that mean I’ve gained or lost a kilo?
- • What is Thanksgiving, and why does everyone eat turkey on that day?
To help you address this type of cultural question, it is vital that you build your network of professional colleagues and of friends quickly. There’s nothing like a team of chaperones to help you navigate your new home. How to find them?
- • Get involved with organizations where other communicators spend time. Some examples include the National Press Club, Public Relations Society of America, and Washington Women in Public Relations.
- • Attend events at Washington think tanks. You can find a calendar of programs at DC Linktank.
- • Identify contacts at some of the many associations headquartered in Washington that deal with your issues. Check the web site of the American Society of Association Executives for ideas.
- • Work to develop non-business relationships with neighbors, parents at your child’s school, and people you simply meet along the way.
Get to work on developing these relationships without delay. The value of having support systems—both professional and personal—cannot be overstated.
Consider Those Who Follow in Your Footsteps
Certainly, these suggestions are far from all encompassing; I encourage you to send me any suggestions you have for making life easier for those who will follow you to Washington in the weeks, months, and years to come. Who knows, your ideas may appear in a future edition of “The Global Communicator’s Welcome to Washington Guide”!
Ed Barks is President of Barks Communications, author of The Truth About Public Speaking: The Three Keys to Great Presentations, and a member of the National Press Club’s Board of Governors.
Photo: Richard Ricciardi (cc).
a global affairs media network
A Welcome to Washington Guide for Embassy Communicators
August 15, 2014
You’ve arrived in Washington, DC for your new posting as an embassy press attaché, corporate spokesperson, or NGO public affairs operative. Congratulations!
Now comes the task of adjusting to a new life in a new and foreign city. A barrage of questions run through your mind:
- • Where can I turn for answers to on-the-job dilemmas?
- • How do I start to make sense of the American media?
- • What resources can I use to raise my comfort level?
Finding Answers
As the guide notes, you need to get up to speed quickly on your new job. Your first goal is often to forge connections with reporters who cover your issues. How can you identify them?
Start with your predecessor. He or she may have journalistic connections that you can use. If you are fortunate enough to have your tenures overlap, ask for introductions. If your predecessor has already departed, use the direct approach. Contact reporters from media outlets that cover your issues, introduce yourself, and offer your organization as a resource. If you work for a high-profile group, this may be fairly easy. If your profile is lower, start with an interesting news angle or a recent report capable of capturing the reporter’s attention.
It is also a good idea to seek out fellow communicators who can help pave your way. How can you meet them? Welcome to a uniquely American invention: The networking event, held for the express purpose of meeting colleagues, exchanging business cards, and forging professional connections. More later on organizations that might be of value here.
Making Sense of American Media
Let’s talk about media trends that are useful to keep in mind as you settle into life in Washington. The biggest trend is the steep decline in revenue and readership of newspapers and magazines. More than a few have gone out of business while those remaining are seeking to survive this industry-wide calamity.
This dwindling number of media outlets and the reporters they employ has increased the number of freelance reporters, who may be writing for one publication today and another next week. They need to hustle for work, so you may find them able to help you reach a wider variety of media outlets. The key here is, once again, to build relationships.
It is also helpful to recognize that media in the U.S. is not government owned. A free and privately held press is a hallmark in the U.S.
Blogs tend to be a more widespread phenomenon in the U.S. than in the rest of the world, but need to be considered with caution for they are often not journalistic outlets. Some can prove valuable in getting your message out, though the vast majority are not worth your time.
A Roundup of Resources
You will no doubt confront numerous puzzling situations as you adjust to your new Washington environment. Some examples:
- • I found a television for my office on sale for $999. In Euros, I’d know how much that costs. In the U.S., is that a good deal?
- • My bathroom scale shows that I weigh 150 pounds. Does that mean I’ve gained or lost a kilo?
- • What is Thanksgiving, and why does everyone eat turkey on that day?
To help you address this type of cultural question, it is vital that you build your network of professional colleagues and of friends quickly. There’s nothing like a team of chaperones to help you navigate your new home. How to find them?
- • Get involved with organizations where other communicators spend time. Some examples include the National Press Club, Public Relations Society of America, and Washington Women in Public Relations.
- • Attend events at Washington think tanks. You can find a calendar of programs at DC Linktank.
- • Identify contacts at some of the many associations headquartered in Washington that deal with your issues. Check the web site of the American Society of Association Executives for ideas.
- • Work to develop non-business relationships with neighbors, parents at your child’s school, and people you simply meet along the way.
Get to work on developing these relationships without delay. The value of having support systems—both professional and personal—cannot be overstated.
Consider Those Who Follow in Your Footsteps
Certainly, these suggestions are far from all encompassing; I encourage you to send me any suggestions you have for making life easier for those who will follow you to Washington in the weeks, months, and years to come. Who knows, your ideas may appear in a future edition of “The Global Communicator’s Welcome to Washington Guide”!
Ed Barks is President of Barks Communications, author of The Truth About Public Speaking: The Three Keys to Great Presentations, and a member of the National Press Club’s Board of Governors.
Photo: Richard Ricciardi (cc).
