Communications Professional Development Seminar

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm 

7:30 am - 5:00 pm 

Registration / Information

Speechwriting Boot Camp

Don't miss the Speechwriting Boot Camp! It will be an all day, hands-on, intensive workshop that will give you the tools to make your boss (or bosses) look and sound great on the stump. A highly decorated and experienced team will show you how to use anecdotes, humor and personal experiences to connect with an audience; how to use powerful persuasion techniques to sway your audience to your side of the issue; how to deal with challenges such as writer's block or a boss who says he needs a speech but leaves out most of the details; and how to 'constructively' coach people on delivery. (Additional registration fee required)

Moderator: Speakers:

Mike Sunseri, Kentucky Chuck Truesdell, Kentucky Dr. Sally Ray, Chair Western Kentucky University Communications Dept. Jace Lux, WKU Communications Dept. Dr. Larry Caillouet, Assoc. Prof. WKU  Communications Dr. Judy Woodring, WKU Communications Department

Opening Reception: Rose Room  

7:30 am - 5:00 pm

Registration / Information

General Session - Joint with NALIT

Broadband for the Masses
Kentucky launched a successful program to get all residents of the state linked to broadband access. Representatives from Speakers: WelcomeConnectKentucky will talk about how they launched their program and what impact it has had on the state's economy, including government services.

Keynote: Speakers:

Welcome remarks - Mayor Jerry Abramson, Louisville, Kentucky Rene True, Executive Director, ConnectKentucky

Concurrent Sessions
Alternative Research Resources

Moderator: Speakers:

John Reed, Arkansas Jane Minder, Department of Libraries & Archives, Kentucky Jennifer Duplaga, Kentucky Historical Society

Less Money, More Problems
Most states are struggling financially right now. How do you get the message out that you're doing the best you can when so many programs are getting less money? Find out how to turn the message around into a positive one. 

Moderator: Speakers:

John Barton, Texas Lourdes Baez-Schrader, Senate President's Office, Kentucky Barb Fellencer, Appropriations Committee Communications Director, Pennsylvania

Sight, Sound, Action - Multimedia Presentations
Bud Kraft, LINCS' 2007 Staff Achievement Award winner will teach us all how to create multimedia presentations to engage the public in the legislative process. Bud will show us by taking citizens behind the scenes of a legislative session. 

Moderator: Speaker:

Leslie Caudill, Kentucky Bud Kraft, Staff Photographer, Kentucky

Lunch

(Joint with NALIT)
Everything I Learned About Politics I learned From Watching the Godfather
After a career as an attorney, a legislative director and a run for Congress, political author Rick Robinson will use humor and anecdotal stories to tell us that the art of politics can simply be picked up by watching an Academy Award-winning movie. 

Speaker:   Moderator: Keynote:

Sharon Crouch Steidel, Director of House Information Systems, Virginia: Immediate Past Staff Chair, NCSL John Sattgast, Washington Rick Robinson, Graydon, Head and Ritchey, LLP

Concurrent Sessions

Marketing a Legislative Agenda
The general theme of many legislative sessions is written even before the opening gavel falls. What can we do to prepare reporters for the session, helping them do their jobs while also laying the groundwork for the session-long PR strategy?

Moderator: Speakers:

Michael Murphy, LINCS President, Alabama Brian Wilkerson, House Speaker's Office, Kentucky Sharriene Jones-Sontag, House Speaker's Office, Kansas

Managing the Political Ego
It takes a certain kind of person to serve in public office and an even more particular personality type to become a legislative leader. A communications expert speaks on what drives these people and how to serve them effectively while dealing with their personality quirks.

Moderator: Speakers:

John Sattgast, Washington Rick Robinson, Graydon, Head and Ritchey, LLP Dr. Robert Meyer, University of Louisville

Show me the Money (Quote)!
How can you get across to your lawmaker that he or she needs a line or two that will jump out to reporters and be replayed constantly on the radio? For that matter, how do you make sure you write it? Local broadcast and print journalists will explain what pops out at them. 

Moderator: Speakers:

Barb Fellencer, Pennsylvania Al Mayo, Kentucky News Network Lanny Brannock, WLKY-TV Pat Crowley, Kentucky Enquirer

Break 

Concurrent Sessions:
Future of Journalism
Nationwide newspaper circulation has dropped continuously over the last decade. Local and national broadcast outlets face more competition than ever in this age of the 24-hour news cycle. What will the future hold and how can the "old-media" adapt to the current and upcoming reality?

Moderator: Speakers:

Elizabeth Beardsley, Kentucky Jack Brammer, Lexington Herald-Leader Joe Gerth, Louisville Courier-Journal Chris Gilligan, Director of Corporate Communications with Affiliated Computer Services

Moderator: Speaker:

Lindsay Orange, Kentucky Dr. Sally Ray, Chair, Western Kentucky University Communications Department

7:15 am - 7:30 am 

Buses for Frankfort will arrive at 7:15 am and will leave promptly at 7:30 am. 

LINCS Nominating Committee

Committee will interview candidates for LINCS Executive Committee and LINCS officers.

Breakfast Session at the Capitol and Local Welcome (Thank you K2 Audio)

Quick Hit Mini Sessions
Managing Media Distribution Lists
Kentucky staffers recently developed a database to more easily track changes in the media landscape, allowing them to smoothly change contacts and send email blasts with one click. Find out how to do this in your office!

Moderator: Speaker:

Rosalind Turner, Kentucky Bruce Phillips, Assistant Public Information Officer, Kentucky

Joining Forces With Outside Agencies
A joint program between the Kentucky General Assembly and the Department of Libraries and Archives was a publicity bonanza for legislators and a boon to state literacy efforts. Discover new ways to get positive press for your boss.

Speaker:

Tim Thornberry, Office of Career & Technical Education, Kentucky

Legislative Publications
Learn tips for assembling legislative directories, a staple product of information offices, while under the pressure of a session’s time constraints and how to work with outside organizations to print legislative publications.

Speakers:

Gwen Bailey, Assistant Clerk of the Senate, Virginia

Kentucky State Capitol Building Tour
Tour one of the most beautiful capitol buildings in the country as it approaches its centennial.  After the tour, leaders of the Kentucky legislature will share bits of Kentucky history in the House Chambers.

Speakers:

Rep. Jody Richards, Speaker of the House  Sen. Katie Kratz Stine, Senate President Pro Tem

Lunch
Joint with NALIT

Buffalo Trace Distillery
Come eat lunch in the first distillery to ship whiskey down the Mississippi River. Dating back to the 1700's, find out how Buffalo Trace got its name and started a tradition of fine bourbon making has been a part of this site's heritage for more than two centuries. Opening and welcome remarks will be made by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshar.   

Moderator: Keynote:

Michael Murphy, LINCS President, Alabama  Governor Steve Beshar, Kentucky

Buses will leave from Buffalo Trace for Louisville 

Free Night, Explore Louisville! 

Engaging the Public and Future Generations
Learn how to incorporate civic education into your community. Hear from Secretary of State Trey Grayson, a booster of the Civic Literacy Initiative of Kentucky and Jan Goehring of NCSL.

Moderator: Speakers:

Wendy Madsen, Wyoming Trey Grayson, Secretary of State, Kentucky Jan Goehring, NCSL Civic Education Expert

Closing General Session

Roundtable Forum on Electronic Media
Join your colleagues from across the country to discuss the ways we're using new media to reach our constituents. Bring samples from your office to share. A great way to learn best practices.

Moderator: Speakers:

Wendy Madsen, Wyoming Gene Rose, Co-Director NCSL Communications Ric Cantrell, Chief Deputy of the Senate

Lunch
LINCS Business Meeting 
Take an active role in the future LINCS Professional Development Seminars by electing next year's officers and discussing the issues facing LINCS and NCSL in the coming years. Don't forget, you must be present for the grand prize drawing to win!

Partisan and Non-Partisan Round Table
Gather with like minded colleagues to discuss the current political climate. We will provide separate meeting rooms for Republican, Democrat and non-partisan staffers to discuss common challenges facing these three groups and develop solutions that can be shared across state lines. 

Concurrent Sessions
Attracting Top Staff
For managers and those who aspire to be managers: What are the best ways to attract top-notch staff in an increasingly competitive marketplace? How do you market public service as a career option in these cynical times?

Moderator: Speaker:

Chuck Truesdell, Kentucky Robert Jenkins, Deputy Director for Committee and Staff Coordination for the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission Lore Christopher, Oregon

Framing the Debate
As Sun Tzu said "Win the war, then fight the war." Defining the terms of the debate is often a key element of winning policy battles. Experts will talk about using terminology to dominate debate. 

Moderator: Speakers:

Gwen Bailey, Virginia Jay Blanton, Communications Director, Gov. Steve Beshar, Kentucky Carla Blanton, CD for former Gov. Ernie Fletcher

Bloggers: What to Do?
Journalists or just gadflies? We'll discuss the issues involved in credentialing new media "reporters" and to make sure the serious guys get access while the jokers are prevented from making a mockery of the process.

Moderator: Speakers:

Rob Weber, Kentucky Jacob Payne, pageonekentucky.com Jefferson Poole, bluegrassredstate.com Trey Pollard, PolitickerKY.com

Closing Dinner

Hop on board the Belle of Louisville for a dinner cruise. Cap off your visit to the Derby city with an Ohio River cruise on the Belle of Louisville, the oldest river steamboat still in operation.

5:15 -5:30 Open Boarding
5:30 - 6:00 Reception on the Belle
6:00- The Belle sets sail