What are my experiences with press conferences?

Press conferences are an influential part of a public relations practitioner’s job within the workforce. During my college years I ran a mock press conference, which I found to be a important learning experience.

Press conferences hold specific roles in the public relations world. These events bring attention to the organization by presenting the happenings of an organization. On a more strategic point of view, positive attention and newsworthy events about the organization can be brought forward.

These events allow the organization to present a message to the public. This message and information is then brought forward for the public to question. The questions can span from basic facts about the news, to allaying questions that could reflect negatively on the organization. The people managing the press conference have the job of managing the news as well as determining the message that gets sent out publicly. The public is generally there to gather any “newsworthy” information. The public may be seeking to get clicks on their articles or other forms of news outlets that has a chance of reflecting negatively on an organization.

This leads to the question, how can a press conference go wrong? At the most basic level, information gathered can be negatively construed about an organization. However, many causation factors potentially leading to an event going wrong can more than likely be foreseen by management and contained. One potential way to alleviate negative press and information is through positive relations with the journalists around nearby areas and within the scope of the field. Understanding the needs of the journalists can facilitate positive relationships. Public relations practitioners need to make it an essential goal to grasp and help facilitate journalist relationships. Without positive relationships, a press conference can lead to disarray and negative publicity .PR Daily goes further depth on the journalists needs.