Guide to Serving as a Member of the NCTE Spokespersons Network

What Does It Mean to Be a Spokesperson?

• NCTE members are the best, most knowledgeable people to speak out about NCTE’s positions and how those positions look in practice.
  
• Spokespersons bring NCTE policies and positions to life when they share their knowledge and experience as educators.

Members of the NCTE Spokespersons Network Speak. . .

• To and through the media
• To legislators at the national, state, and local levels
• To the public at local meetings and social events
• To their friends, neighbors, and colleagues

Speaking to the Media -- What to Do before the Reporter Calls

• Know your audience -- find out about the media outlet and, perhaps, the reporter.
• Develop 2-3 main talking points along with the policies and practices that support them. Consult NCTE policies: NCTE Executive Committee Focal Issue Motions (bottom of page) and NCTE Positions & Guidelines.
• Practice by responding to the toughest and best questions you guess the reporter will ask.

Speaking to the Media -- What to Do During the Interview

• Keep your “crib sheet” of 2-3 points plus examples and policies nearby.
• Be positive, honest, and straightforward -- think of the interview as a good conversation, not a debate.
• Use personal stories to illustrate your points, and analogies when possible to clarify your points.
• Use everyday language; don’t use jargon.
• Admit when you don’t know the answer to a question; never say “No comment.”
• Listen, Empathize, Pause to Gather Your Thoughts, and Don’t Allow Words to Be Put in Your Mouth.

Speaking to the Media -- What to Do after the Interview

• Before you hang up, ask the reporter when the story will run.
• After you hang up, send a two-sentence note to NCTE about the interview.
• Email or the NCTE staffer who set up the interview.

A Few Words about the Press

• They are not our enemies.  They are a sister profession, whose work is anchored in the First Amendment, many of whom are professional writers and researchers.
• Their job is to get a story out.
• They are looking for an angle and some good quotes.
• It’s their job to ask tough questions.
• They have word limits.
• They are coming to you because they know you are an expert and they want you to share your expertise.
• They are bound by ethical standards.
• They sometimes come to a story with false assumptions which they willing give up when you give them proper evidence to the contrary.

Procedures

• When NCTE receives a request from the press for an interview, we contact the spokesperson who seems best for the job -- usually by email.
• Often reporters are on tight deadlines, so your timely response, even to say “No,” is important.
• We’ll send you links to the positions and policies we send the reporter.
• We’re available to you as a resource for background on the media outlet, the reporter, the stated angle of the story, and the NCTE positions.
• Note: if you don’t agree with the topic of the interview or the NCTE policies, please don’t accept the interview.

Members of the Spokespersons Network Are Vital to Getting the Word Out

• Your ability to clearly explain why students should read “tough” literature or why high stakes tests aren’t the answer to leaving no child behind articulates NCTE’s mission for members of the greater education world and for the public.
• Your words even in a local paper will go to thousands people -- tens of thousands in a large city, and millions if that paper is The New York Times.
• Changing the conversation about literacy education so we can change education policy is our goal.

NCTE Communications Division,
Millie Davis, Division Director:
1-800-369-6283, ext. 3634;