Setting the stage: PR professional finds meaning in 'Doing the Job' for farm aid

Communication World, May-June, 2004 by Phillip Raskin

But I do know one thing: that darn stage looks great.

PRESS CONFERENCE PREP

> Make Friends With Cassandra. Repeat this to yourself: something will go wrong. It's not a reflection on you. It's just the nature of a large event. Your job is to make sure that what does go wrong falls into one of two areas: something you've planned for or something you can work around. Be ready for major issues: schedule changes/conflicts, crises, venue problems. You may not need to use your back-up plans; if you do, you'll be glad you made them.

> Know When to Panic. There are problems, and then there are problems. We've had video feeds go out, we've had artists show up late and we've also run out of Diet Cokes in the press tent. You cannot treat every single glitch with equal urgency. Not only are you likely to get a headache or an ulcer, you're also going to disperse the only real resource you have--you. Get a grip on what is critical and what is fluff, and act accordingly.

> Plan, Plan, Plan. Even though missteps are likely, your chances of having a major crisis are reduced if you've applied the old "TTT" adage--Think Things Through. Yes, you've reviewed the staffing roster four times, but sometimes the fifth time through you may finally realize you've double-booked someone. You probably won't catch everything, or something will unexpectedly change, but if you're prepared, it's far more likely you'll experience small-scale crises rather than large-scale brush fires.

> Keep Your Balance. OK, this is important stuff. It's really important. But that doesn't mean you should let it throw you off too much. Maintain a sense of perspective, and don't get caught up in the moment. It'll help you make better decisions than if you let yourself get tossed from emergency to emergency.

Phillip Raskin is the vice president of professional development for IABC/Washington and an account supervisor at Vanguard Communications, a Washington, D.C., public relations agency specializing in social change campaigns for foundations, nonprofits and the federal government. He can be reached at phillip_raskin@yahoo.com.