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(7) HOW TO CREATE "MUST READ"

PRINT & ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTERS

      SINGAPORE   l 19-20 October 2009

      K LUMPUR     l 22-23 October 2009

Produce a Newsletter that Your Readers Want to Read from Start to Finish! 

For many organisations, a print or electronic newsletter is one of the most effective ways they communicate to customers, prospects, employees and other audiences. In just two days, this course will help you design, edit and publish a high quality newsletter – whether you’re just thinking about starting a newsletter and want to know where to begin, or if you already have a well-established newsletter and are looking for some fresh ideas.

KEY BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

This seminar is for you, if you'd like to:

• Reap an abundance of new ideas that you can implement immediately.

• Develop content and format that increase your stories’ impact.

• Acquire writing and editing skills that will help you prepare better copy.

• Avoid the common errors that appear in other newsletters.

• Use newsletter design to tell your message more powerfully.

• Ensure you’ll always have plenty of newsworthy material.

• Use photos, illustrations and other graphics to maximum advantage.

• Receive an in-depth, personal evaluation of your current newsletter.

• Produce a top quality newsletter that generates positive reviews from your readers and your colleagues.

• Return with renewed enthusiasm for your job as a newsletter editor, writer and designer.

SPECIAL BENEFIT FOR ALL ATTENDEES!

Your organisation’s newsletter will receive a personal, in-depth evaluation by our newsletter expert.

If your newsletter is print, please bring copies. If it’s electronic, please print several screen captures, and we’ll also review it online during the course.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

• Newsletter Editors and staff members from Government Bodies, Corporations, Associations and Private Organisations who want to upgrade the look and impact of their publications

• Executives and Managers who are responsible for newsletter production and organisational communication programs.

COURSE OUTLINE

Note: This schedule is a guide and may be modified depending on the group dynamics and the needs of the participants.

Day One

Morning Session (9.00-10.30am)

Introductions & Course Objectives

Planning Your Newsletter

·  Determining your purpose, defining your audience, deciding on frequency

·  Using audience surveys to choose content that’s of greatest interest to your readers

·  Reviewing other publications to generate ideas for your newsletter

·  Establishing a style sheet

·  Budgeting: Other funding options

·  Electronic alternatives to print: Web pages, email newsletters, blogs

Coffee Break    (15 minutes)

Morning Session (10.45am-12.30pm)

Staffing: Get the Most & Best Information, On Time

·   Navigating the approval process

·   Assembling your newsletter staff and assigning their responsibilities

·   Soliciting material from volunteers and other sources

·   The advantages of setting up an editorial board

Lunch Break (12.30-1.30pm)

Afternoon Session (1.30-3.00pm)

Content

·  Giving readers what they want

·  Overlooked free sources of fresh story material

·  Techniques to create interest and increase readership

·  How to liven up the “standard and usual” stories

Tea Break (15 minutes)

Afternoon Session (3.15-4.30pm)

Design and Layout

·  Making your newsletter look better instantly

·  Saving time with templates and the grid system

·  Catching readers’ eyes with white space and text flow

·  Better ways to use color

·  The nameplate/banner: Does it give the correct first impression?

·  Using typefaces to better tell your story

Day Two

Morning Session (9.00-10.30am)

Writing and Editing

·  How careful editing can improve any story and increase readership

·  The differences in writing for electronic newsletters versus print

·  Journalistic style and why it helps you communicate more clearly

·  Why you shouldn’t use your computer like a typewriter

·  Writing powerful headlines, subheads and captions

·  Paying attention to punctuation

·  Proofreading tips that catch more errors

Coffee Break    (15 minutes)

Morning Session (10.45am-12.30pm)

Graphics

·  Selecting the right graphics to support the written material

·  Effective photos—when less is more

·  Using text as a graphic design element

·  Sources of high quality graphics

·  Copyright concerns: Who owns what?

Lunch Break (12.30-1.30pm)

Afternoon Session (1.30-3.00pm)

Working With Your Printer      

·  Simple ideas that can lower printing costs

·  A checklist to help you avoid printing errors

Distributing Your Newsletter

·  Ways to save postage costs

·  Expanding distribution to improve your communication impact

Resources for Newsletter Editors and Publishers

·  Low-cost software and equipment to make you more productive

·  Web pages and publications to keep you at the cutting edge

Tea Break (15 minutes)

Afternoon Session (3.15-4.30pm)

In-Depth Evaluation of Your Newsletter by Course Leader

YOUR EXPERT COURSE LEADER

Michael J. Kawleski has nearly 30 years of experience in communications.

He is a marketing leader at Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, a regional electric and natural gas utility that serves more than 400,000 customers. The department he leads reaches key audiences through newsletters, advertising, publicity, special events, media relations and other tactics.

Mr. Kawleski has personally edited 15 separate newsletters during his career. He managed corporate PR at a US$25-million organisation, where the publications he directed won national and state awards.

Mr. Kawleski also served as an Adjunct Faculty Member at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he received his B.Sc. in Journalism with an Advertising Specialization.

Active internationally, he assisted the U.S. Agency for International Development in Poland, leading communications workshops for the Polish Extension Service; helping a new private manufacturing firm with its marketing plan; and advising the regional Governor’s Office on promoting tourism and business development.

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR INSTRUCTOR

In my experience, an organizations' newsletter is the "flagship" of its communication effort.

· Is your newsletter giving the right first impression? 

· Is it communicating clearly through its writing and graphics? 

· Is it getting your message across as well as you'd like?

I look forward to covering these questions and more in this course. And don't forget, please bring copies of your newsletter so we can give it an in-depth evaluation and critique.

I look forward to meeting you!

Mike Kawleski

COMMENTS FROM PAST ATTENDEES…

Overall, this seminar is good. I really enjoyed it!.

Noraishah Abd Manan, Publication Officer,                                                                  Ministry of Energy, Communications & Multimedia, Malaysia

I found this course interesting & beneficial to me as I have no experience in creating newsletters, but now I’m able to do so.

P. Tharanimala, Executive, Public                                                                                    & Corporate Affairs Division,                                                                                  Malaysian Timber Council  

Very comprehensive, detailed session.

Low Chiew Leng, Senior Executive,                                                                     Singapore Land Authority  

The seminar was a needful way to “see” obvious mistakes in producing a newsletter. It was also conducted in an enjoyable manner. The critique session at the end was extremely useful. 

Suria Zainal, Director in CEO’s Office,                                                                     Malaysian Timber Council

Seminar notes were very comprehensive.

Shareen Rahmat, Manager Corporate Affairs Dept,                                                            JT International Tobacco

This course brings to my notice things that I have overlooked or those that did not cross my mind in the process of working on my company's newsletter. I believe I'm in a better position to enhance the quality of our newsletter now.

Michelle Tey, SO Publications,                                                                                    Singapore Civil Defence Force

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