JUNKING THE JUNKET MYTH
Hometown reaction scaring you away from conferences?

By NICK GOBLE Reprinted from Texas Town & City

Do you stay home from conventions and conferences that might be helpful to you as a public official because you're worried about criticism from constituents? If the answer is "yes," you may find these tips for a successful conference useful.

Writing for members of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, Nick Goble, public relations director for that organization, offers these pointers for what to do after attending conventions and conferences:

COMMUNICATE what you learn at meetings regardless of where they are held. Current trends, opinions, facts and quotes are newsworthy. Special attention to your local problems — and what you learned about them — is very significant to the news media and various community groups. So, do your homework!

DON'T USE "canned" news releases. Each news outlet prefers original, timely material with a local flavor. So don't fill in the blanks. Rather take whatever paragraphs you want to use, retype them on your own stationery and incorporate your own personal observations and quotes from the convention into a complete news release. Perhaps you may want to consider inviting news representatives to an informal "debriefing" upon your return.

BE PREPARED. Don't apologize for the costs of your trip if you are asked. But be ready to answer these questions: what did this trip cost for your delegation compared to the total budget? What is the cost of this in-service training for you as a council member compared to the governmental unit's in-service training as a total? Check the dollars and the percentages. You'll find it is relatively small. And as elected municipal officials, setting policy and goals for a multi-million dollar public service, are you expected to operate in a vacuum? No, you're not. Don't be defensive, but just lay out the facts. What you learn at such meetings may easily save your municipality thousands of dollars. But more importantly, you're trying to do a better job for your community by learning. And that's what it's all about.

These are a few things Mr. Coble feels will help you get ready to answer questions when you get home:

TAKE TIME to review the entire program carefully. Read it thoroughly. Make notes and map out your time. Allow time for informal discussions. Some of the best thoughts and ideas come from such dialogue.

DETERMINE which workshops you plan to attend. Which will have the most benefit to your community? If there is more than one person in your delegation, get together and try to get the widest possible exposure to the available programs and seminars.

BE PREPARED to take notes or tape various speakers and presentations.

VISIT THE EXHIBITS and gather literature on significant products and services. Ask questions, take notes and allow enough time to cover the entire display.

KEEP A DAILY LOG or diary of what you did each day. You'll be surprised how much you've covered. This will be a handy reference to substantiate your "positive" participation in the convention. Of course, allow some time for rest and relaxation. Learning and leisure are compatible.

MAKE ONE PERSON (if more than one delegate is attending) responsible for summarizing notes, speeches, literature and other items before you leave the conference.

AFTER YOU RETURN home, the various findings should be typed and summarized in a succinct written report.

COPIES of the report should be reproduced for government personnel, other governing body members and key audiences in the community. Certainly, editors and news directors of the local media should get copies.

HAVE COPIES of the report available for the public at the next council meeting. Be prepared to respond to the news media on what the delegates learned that relates directly to local problems.

REMEMBER — conventions and conferences are necessary for local government members. Such state and national conferences are the only places where you can get the background and understanding needed to deal with current problems. The future of municipal government depends on informed public officials. Your participation needs no apologies. •

Page 20 / Illinois Municipal Review / June 1989