Como. Ted Neale, Jr. DC-A ----- Vol 97. MAY, 1997 No. 6 ----- Otis W. Littleton, BC-ANN

PA ACTIVITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY

We want to stress that in order to be mentioned in this column, we must receive information either through your unit's publication or by letter. If you don't tell us, not only do we not know, but there might be some question about the effectiveness of your PA program.

Mary Pokart, FSO-PA, Flotilla 12-8, 7th District has done an outstanding job of reporting. Marguerifte Bishop promoted the Flotilla's Public Education efforts on a local TV show, Mid-Day, They had a successful booth at the Northwoods Mall Boat Show with lots of help from scores of members in which they provided information to some 1,264 mall visitors and collected the names of 67 potential candidates for their PE Class. They are also planning to participate in the Charlestown International Water Boat Show and will have a booth at the Charleston Yacht Club.

Dick Clarke, SO-PA, Div. 12, 7th District, made an excellent suggestion to their members, When planning a boat show or other PE booth, don't forget to contact your local Coast Guard Recruiting Office. Not only are they a part of the TEAM, they can also help out with literature, staffing and recruiting promotional material. Also, if you are going to leave your booth to "stretch" your legs, take some literature with you so you may becoming a roving Coast Guard ambassador at large.

John Evers, FSO-PA Flotilla 13-01, 7th District reported an article published in the Key West Citizen and a public lecture held at the NAS. In addition, Flotilla 13-7 published a most colorful news letter, FIRST CALL, which provides the reader with lots of interesting and useful information. A great little publication.

Switching to the West Coast, Mary Lou Maruca, RN, Commander, Flotilla 71, has established that a nurse knows about more than taking your vital life signs. She has had a great article on the core programs or missions of the Auxiliary published in The Santa Barbara News-Press. She has gotten PSAs published in the California Sun, a local environmental newspaper with 60,000 circulation, and has even taken the time, working with the Santa Barbara Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to sponsor a monthly raffle with the proceeds going to the acquisition of safety and environmental equipment for the local commercial fishing fleet. The objective is to maintain a proactive campaign to encourage more local fisherman to voluntarily participate in the dockside commercial fishing vessel courtesy marine examination. It is noted that Santa Barbara features one of the oldest fishing fleets in Western North America and draws tourists from around the world, adding to the town's unique character. Great Effort!

Some Concepts of Giving or Conducting an Interview

The United States Coast Guard has a general policy that says, "If you did it or have responsibility for it, you can talk about it - if not, DON'T." Before you agree to the interview ask yourself the following:

• Am I the right person?
• Is the question or subject within my area of expertise?
• Am I prepared to answer, Who?, What?, Where?, What?, Why?, and How?.
• What 2 or 3 points do I want to get across? Write those points down.

• Avoid personal opinion or speculation;
• Answers should be in good taste;
• Have courage to say, "I don't know";
• Ensure next of kin requirements have been met if there are deaths involved;
• Don't answer questions that may interfere with an ongoing investigation;
• Don't answer questions that may violate federal privacy act regulations;
• Don't release classified information;
• Keep answers concise. On average only 20 sec. of interview will be used;
• Answers must meet the SAPP requirements: Security- Accuracy - Policy-Propriety
• NEVER MAKE ANY COMMENTS OFF THE RECORD - ALL COMMENTS SHOULD BE FOR THE RECORD!

Tools of the Interview

• Bridging: Making a smooth transition from the question asked to your message. A direct question deserves a di rect answer. But then after touching upon the answer, move on to your message and your agenda.
• HOOKING: Taking advantage of opportunities before and during the interview to help focus on what you want to talk about. The idea is to entice the interviewer into your agenda.
• FLAGGING: Simply a way to underscore, verbally and nonverbally, what is important. Simply come out and say, "it's important that you know" or "What's really critical is that..."
• PERSONAL CREDIBILITY: Never forget that you are the expert - that is why the media is interviewing you. Use words like, "I've investigated many cases like this and found that..." or "I've done hundreds of boarding..."
• Key words and phrases that are good to use: TEAMWORK; COORDINATED; MULTI-AGENCY; CONFIDENT; Say, "We searched an area the size of Connecticut", not "We searched 14,000 square miles.

REMEMBER - The media will get their story. If you don't tell the Auxiliary Story - someone else will!!!

ALSO: Knowing the above may help you to conduct and report better on an interview at some time in your future.

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is still underpublicized! It is important that we continue to work towards achieving total coverage of all Auxiliary programs and the results obtained by the work effort of our volunteer membership. Whether its the PE department, Member Resources, Operations or the CME program, they all need the help of the PA Dept. Our job is not to sit back and watch, our job is to join in and help them blow their horn.

The Change of Watch: We just went through another COW period. We know what it is and why it is important. Does the public? If you didn't report on this years change of watch to the local media, start now to plan for the next one. It would be a good idea to have some photos of the event to submit with your news release, but make sure each photo has a caption. (see guidelines pertaining to photography).

The COW is aiso a good place to invite important elected officials. Their presence may also help to induce the media to attend and report. If properly planned, the COW can also serve to give public attention to members who have received important awards.

Don't waste the opportunities presented.

TALK SHOWS: Radio and TV talk shows have become so numerous they have almost reached the point of being a waste of time because of the show content.

Radio and TV talk shows present a great opportunity for you or other members of your lotilla, division or district to tell the Auxiliary story. It is not always easy to gain access to the shows, especially if you are insistent upon a specific time slot. Contact the talk show producer or guest coordinator. The key to successfully reaching them is to demonstrate that your message has a great consumer value or interest and that it is timely. As we begin to move into the boating season and our aim is to save lives, we meet both of the criteria. Now, you have to make it interesting.

• Keep pitch correspondence to one page.
• Use state, regional local or national data together with well written background material to show why the program audience would find the information important and benefit from it.
• Make brochures and otherliterature available,
• Where possible, use visuals aids and or suitable props that would enhance your verbal message.
• Don't be afraid to suggest some good leading questions to the interviewer to use to "draw out" the message. You are the expert and there is nothing wrong in helping them to help you get the message across.
• Provide your producer or guest coordinator with a list of possible discussion topics and some background material on each. The more informed you can help the Host look to his audience, the greater the probability that his/her and your efforts will be a success.

These shows are important because they can not only be used to inform the public about the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, but they can also promote a change in public attitudes and enhance your personal credibility and that of the Auxiliary unit you represent. Go do it!