Mission Statement - To support the stated mission and goals of AMSSM in matters of public
relations and publications, act as a liaison between AMSSM and other medical (and professional)
organizations. It will advise and assist AMSSM in increasing its presence in
the medical and lay communities, and assist its members in developing enhanced
public relations opportunities.
II.
Public Relations and Publications Committee Members
Chairperson: Andrea Pana, MD (publicrelations@amssm.org )
Past Chairperson: Fran O'Connor, MD, MPH
Powerpoint presentations with 3 audience format. These follow the printed brochures available under publications:
General public: regarding What is a Sports Medicine Physician?
Insurance: regarding the specialty of Sports Medicine
Resident or medical student: Career as a Sports Medicine Physician
IV.
Ongoing
Projects
Hyperlink with websites
Writing group with Publications Committee for Consensus Statements
Collaboration with Economics Committee for Marketing issues in Sports Medicine
Overseeing committee for public relations partnership projects: (currently)
Triathletes group
Press Releases
Maintaining organizational and academic contact list
Maintaining public/media contact list
Assisting in promoting PPE Third Edition
Media reference how-to for members
V.
PR Pearls For The Sports Medicine Physician
At the 2003 AMSSM annual meeting, public relations expert Sue Castorino, president of “The Speaking Specialists” in
Chicago
, gave a lively presentation on the topic of media interaction. Many of us have fairly regular contact with reporters but no training in the best way to do so. The following are several highlights from her discussion on this topic:
Find out in advance who will be interviewing you, the nature and format of the interview, their publication/station (which also informs you about the audience), live vs. recorded, length of the interview, when interview will be aired/printed, etc.
Do your homework. With the above information, you should be able to anticipate much of the information the reporter is seeking. If you are representing a team/institution, make sure you are aware of any relevant positions the organization has taken on the issue. Do not offer a personal opinion that differs from this
Keep the message short and simple. Condense your primary message into a 10-15 second sound bite, and avoid medical jargon.
If questions have a negative spin, re-frame them to suit your message.
-Personalize your message. If appropriate, use the reporter’s name when answering questions, but remember the reporter is not your audience. Answers that include anecdotes, especially those based upon your personal experience, add to your credibility and provide a desired “human touch.” This can be helpful, especially if the reporter is contentious.
-Be comfortable with silence, you do not need to “fill in” the reporter’s pauses.
Know what you know, but know (and admit) what you don’t know. Try to stay away from speculation and “what if…” types of questions. If you do not have information, steer the reporter to someone who does, or bridge to a topic you are comfortable discussing.
Do not make statements “off the record,” no matter how well you know the reporter.
Avoid “no comment”. This almost always has a negative connotation, and often prompts reporters to dig harder. If you cannot give the reporter the information they want for their story, tell them why (ex. confidentiality, security).
If answers are getting off-track, use a “but” to steer back to your message, and try to restate your primary message as the interview closes.
