By Jane Carroll Andrade

With information moving across a plethora of platforms at supersonic speeds, working as a communications professional is trickier than ever.

This is especially true in state legislatures, where disseminating accurate information in a timely manner is crucial to maintaining a transparent and open government.

Last month in New Orleans, a group of information officers, press secretaries, photographers and others who work in legislative communications largely got to be the recipients, rather than disseminators, of helpful information. They were attending NCSL’s Legislative Information and Communications Staff Section (LINCS) professional development seminar (PDS).

The group enjoyed a roundtable with statehouse reporters and sessions on social media, strategic messaging, photography, results from a survey of government communicators and the state of journalism. Among the takeaways:

• The press release is not a lost art, as long as it contains new information and “is not three pages long.”
• Those working in public relations are not just information disseminators, they are information crafters.
• Be especially prudent on social media, a world in which “embarrassment often trumps substance.”
• Build your online community to converse, not attack.
• Set concrete parameters when inviting online comments from the public.
• “Visual communications professional” and “social media director” are emerging titles in the government communications workforce.
• State-level communicators continue to lag behind their local and federal counterparts when it comes to being content with their compensation, with only 21 percent saying they are satisfied with their pay.
• Use the “golden rule of thirds” when composing a photo: Imagine two horizontal and two vertical gridlines evenly spaced in your viewfinder. Position the most important subject of your photo along the lines or at their intersections, placing your subject off-center.
• Reach across the aisle and look for ways to argue successes, not failures.

Also on the agenda were opportunities to network with colleagues from across the country, learn about Louisiana politics, and take a road trip to Baton Rouge for a tour, more sessions and a reception at the stunning State Capitol.

Outgoing LINCS chair Morgan Blanchard, a communications specialist in the Louisiana Senate—along with her colleagues and LINCS sponsors Granicus Inc. and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA)—outdid themselves to create a truly successful and memorable PDS. Incoming LINCS chair Cory Stewart, deputy director of communications for the Louisiana House, is already pondering places and topics for next year’s PDS.

A final takeaway: Those of us who chose communications as a profession enjoy an ever-changing environment, and it’s more fun to navigate that environment with colleagues in the same boat. Learn more about LINCS by visiting our Web page.

Jane Carroll Andrade is a communications program director and liaison to the LINCS staff section. Email Jane.