Lesson 5 Conference
Introduction
Now you have finally come to the part where you will write a complete conference report on your own. In this lesson, you will learn how to write a conference report, and will have the opportunity to practice it in the field. An introductory video and some tips about an open meeting will be provided.
The Learning Objectives
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You will learn the key elements of writing a report.
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You will know what a good lead is.
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You will demonstrate the inverted pyramid structure by completing a report about a conference.
Basic Reporting Skills
Before you start writing, you need to know some basic news reporting skills. Below is a video introducing key elements, the inverted pyramid structure, and leads for reporting.
Tips for Conferences
First, the conferences here refers to open meetings. You do not want to report under the risk of being sued. So chose an open meeting, or get permission to report before attending and recording.
Before the conference
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Get the schedule of meetings. Find out when, where, and who will attend.
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If possible, get the agenda from the holder. Knowing what the conference will discuss in advance, and doing some research will help you.
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Make sure you are not a stakeholder of this conference. If you are part of the organization, or you already have a strong point of view on the topic of the conference, then do not go this one. Because these issues are likely to make your report very subjective. Even if you are not very subjective, you will be viewed as subjective and untrustworthy in the eyes of readers.
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The last thing to do before attending the meeting is to check the equipment you are going to use, such as a laptop, voice recorder, camera etc. to have enough battery power. Sometimes tools do not work and cause frustration.
During the conference
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Introduce yourself at the beginning. Let people know you will recording if you plan to do so.
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Become an observer. No matter how much you want to participate, do not participate.
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You can take notes or record if they will help. My suggestion is to do both. You will not know if you will miss some information. These can be your safe net.
After the conference
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Request contact information from the meeting moderator. This is so you to have someone to contact, when you want to confirm the information in the future.
Practice
It's time for you to go out and practice. As mentioned above, gather information and choose an open meeting.
Meetings can be boring, so it's important to have an emphasis. A good meeting reporting is focused and layered. Some unexpected things or discussion results may be very attractive or even become your lead.
Requirements:
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Use inverted pyramid structure, including a title, and a lead.
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1 to 2 pages in total length, double spaced
After finishing, there will be a rubric below to assist in your self-evaluation. If you have any questions, you can contact me by email or the Chat tool in the bottom right corner.
Evaluation
Rubric Quality: 6 criteria areas, 4 points possible on each, with 24 points possible.
Do not forget to add 6 points when you finish writing as requested for a total of 30 points possible!
27 points or higher = Well done! You got an A.
24-26 points = Good job! You got a B.
18-23 points = Average! You got a C.
6-17 points =Room for improvement, check the assignment again.
0-6 points = Try to finish the writing.
Summary
In this lesson, you practiced the basic elements of news reporting, writing a good lead, and using an inverted pyramid structure through absorbing activities and practice. From this lesson, you will have more assignments requiring you to practice being a journalist. Don't worry, practice makes perfect.
In the next lesson, you will learn how to report live events. Real-time reporting mainly exercises your scene description skills. See you next lesson!