Training materials

PowerPoint presentations on communication

Below are various PowerPoint presentations I have developed for training courses and workshops on various aspects of communication. These can be treated as modules, to be combined and adapted as necessary. Some are self-explanatory, but others require a trainer to explain and fill in the gaps.

These presentations were prepared for different needs, so some overlap in terms of content. The numbers are merely a filing code and have no other significance.

Certain presentations are available in Farsi (Persian), Spanish and Indonesian.

If you use these presentations, please credit the authors (in the bottom left corner of the slides).

Please contact me if you would like me to teach a course for you. Let me know your needs so I can tailor a course specifically for you.

Paul Mundy, www.mamud.com

Course outline

026 Timetable 41 kb
Sample outline of 1 week workshop
064 Timetable 25 kb
Sample outline of 1 day workshop on external communication
098 Timetable 92 kb
Sample timetable of 4-day writing course for researchers on socioeconomic development

Public communication

001 Introduction to public communications 130 kb
041 Types of communication 163 kb

Understanding and working with the media

003 Working with the media 120 kb
14 slides. Why work with the mass media, importance of media relations, different types of media organizations, needs of journalists, elements of a news story.
010 Approaching the media 89 kb
11 slides. How to develop and maintain good relations with the media; ethics of delaing with the media.
005 Getting your message across 75 kb
3 slides. Guidelines on preparing and writing the message.

Writing and editing for your audience

006 Clutter and simplicity 91 kb
14 slides. How to write simply. Lots of examples (in English).
008 Writing so readers understand you 320 kb
32 slides. Guidelines on how to write: use short words and simple language, cut out unnecessary words, avoid jargon, avoid weak verbs and abstract nouns, be precise, provide enough information...
009 Matching words to readers 88 kb
13 slides. Exercise on adapting a report to different audiences. Uses a fishing example.
030 Readability 279 kb
8 slides. How to use Microsoft Word's Readability statistics.
043 Levels of editing 125 kb Spanish 97 kb
8 slides. Five levels of editing a manuscript: (1) meaning, (2) structure, (3) content, (4) words, and (5) grammar & spelling
034 Seven Cs of editing 88 kb
10 slides. Seven things to check when editing: (1) is the content relevant, (2) is it correct, (3) is it clear, (4) is it complete, (5) is it concise, (6) is it concrete, and (7) is it consistent?
035 Style 114 kb
036 Jargon 71 kb
10 slides. Examples of jargon and developmentspeak, plus suggestions for avoiding them.
089 Editing techniques 265 kb
095 Editing step by step 891 kb
090 Editorial entrepreneurship 61 kb
091 Sources 112 kb

Language styles

047 Indian English 88 kb
097 Dutch English 325 kb

Outlining

085 3-sentence story 67 kb
7 slides. Summarizing a story in three sentences (the problem, the solution, the results).
077 Finding the story 75 kb
12 slides. Four questions in organizing your writing (what is my subject, what am I trying to say about it, how will I say it, have I said it well enough?). Includes the "elevator pitch" technique: saying what you want to say in 2 minutes.
031 Outlining 750 kb
20 slides. Suggested outlines for a case study and policy brief. Ideas for developing an outline and overcoming writer's block. Brainstorming, mindmapping, outlining in Microsoft Word.
086 Putting information in order 60 kb
16 slides. Twelve different ways of ordering information (in lists, tables and figures, a story, a manuscript): (1) alphabetical, (2) importance, (3) logical, (4) chronological, (5) reverse chronological, (6) result and cause, (7) categorical, (8) geographical, (9) general to specific, (10) specific to general, (11) questions and answers, (12) familiar to unfamiliar.

Writeshops

072 Writeshops 601 kb Spanish 421 kb

Media tools

012 Press releases 134 kb
12 slides. Guidelines on writing press releases.
013 Information sheets 82 kb
014 Press conferences 103 kb
12 slides. How to run a press conference.
015 Events 104 kb
016 Annual reports 84 kb
071 Video Indonesian 38 kb

Websites and the internet

025 Websites 119 kb
051 Website techniques 121 kb
048 Nutrition information on the internet 048 kb
067 Microsoft FrontPage tips and tricks 447 kb
069 Planning a website: Introduction for organization leaders 235 kb
070 eGovernance: Introduction for organization leaders 49 kb
057 AILWMP project website 1018 kb
073 Web 2.0 2090 kb

Interviews

011 Interviews 274 kb
29 slides. How to be interviewed; techniques for making sure you get to say what you want (repetition, bridging, flagging, hooking). Covers both print and radio/TV interviews.
004 Interviewees' and reporters' rights 78 kb
5 slides. What interviewees and reporters should expect of each other.

Policy briefs

040 Policymakers and policy processes 332 kb
11 slides. General overview of policy processes, stressing non-linear, messy nature of policymaking. Importance of policy windows and finding champions for your cause.
032 Policy briefs 106 kb
8 slides. Characteristics of a policy brief; two types of policy brief (objective, and advocacy)
029 Anatomy of a policy brief 680 kb
12 slides. Structure, design and content of a policy brief. Uses an ODI policy brief on natural resources as an example.
074 From project document to policy brief 1777 kb
11 slides. Example of how a bulky research report was turned into a short policy brief.
046 Title and authors 80 kb
033 Titles and recommendations 42 kb
042 Introduction and body 163 kb
037 Mini-cases and boxes 254 kb
038 Tables and illustrations 928 kb
039 Lists 84 kb
044 References and footnotes 54 kb
045 Furniture 200 kb

Case studies

078 Case studies: How to do them 67 kb
12 slides. Definition of cases studies, 11 steps in researching and writing them.
083 Anatomy of a case study 1268 kb
12 slides. Shows elements of a case study in an annual report or magazine, using SNV articles as examples.
094 Anatomy of a case chapter 2017 kb
16 slides. Shows elements of a book chapter covering a case. Highlights structure of the chapter.
084 SNV guidelines on case writing 325 kb
080 Steps in writing cases 92 kb
17 slides. Six steps in writing a case, from research to rewriting.
081 Collecting information 45 kb
082 Leads 436 kb
087 Body of a case study 78 kb
096 Analysis and conclusions 59 kb
075 News values 75 kb
11 slides. Eight news values (timeliness, proximity, impact, conflict, novelty, prominence, human interest, editorial policy)
076 Feature story structure 38 kb
5 slides. Outline of case (or feature) story structure: lead, body, conclusion
079 Feature types 69 kb
15 slides. Twelve types of feature story: colour story, human interest story, news feature, backgrounder, lifestyle feature, travel story, general feature, interview piece, profile, investigative feature, column, review.

Developing a communication strategy

019 Elements of a public communication strategy 80 kb
5 slides. Ten steps in developing a strategy for public awareness.
063 Communication strategy 39 kb
6 slides. Outline of the steps in planning a communication strategy, including an annual workplan and a communication campaign.
002 Understanding audiences 74 kb
7 slides. Guide to questions to be answered in audience analysis: determining the audience's characteristics and perceptions, as well as your goals.
052 Audience analysis 119 kb Farsi 50 kb
9 slides. Example of audience analysis (an Iranian irrigation project).
027 Defining your message 23 kb
2 slides. Four questions to get learners to define their message.
021 Organizational objectives 76 kb
3 slides. Examples of organizational objectives for a public awareness campaign.
054 Objectives 87 kb
4 slides. Guidance for determining objectives for each audience. Idea could be adapted for this lesson.
055 Messages 266 kb
9 slides. Steps in developing messages to fulfil your objectives and to reach different audiences.
020 Messages and slogans 176 kb
062 Media 78 kb
14 slides. A classification of different types of media and their characteristics. Also mentions logos, distribution and cost.
028 Reaching your audience 57 kb
8 slides. List of types of media to reach policymakers. Questions on what are appropriate methods and practicalities: budget, infomation, skills, organizational capability.
007 Achieving organizational buy-in 75 kb
022 Creating a communication workplan 74 kb
2 slides. Five points for a communication workplan.
024 Evaluating your strategy 77 kb
4 slides. Brief guidelines on evaluation.
061 Evaluation 66 kb
13 slides. Discusses objectives and how to evaluate against them.