Host Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

In order to make the event as successful as possible, we've provided answers to frequently asked questions that you might have about the National Media Impact Training.

If you have any questions about being a host, please look at these first to see if the answer might be available.

What should I do to prepare for my house party?
There are a few key things we need you to do in advance of the training:

• Print out the "Role of Hosts" document and read them over carefully. Become familiar with the agenda for the evening and what your responsibilites are at each stage. Also, have the document available the night of the training.
• Print out copies of the Guest Packet for everyone who is planning to attend your house party.
• Test out the DVD and make sure that you are able to play both sections of it on your DVD player;
• Make sure that you have a speaker phone that will allow all of the participants at your house party to hear the conference call.
• Invite people and spread the word about your event.

Why is there such a specific agenda for the training?
As you are no doubt aware, your house party is one of a network of similar house parties taking place across the country on July 18.  This is a phenomenal opportunity to engage a broad group of progressives in learning more about how to effectively obtain earned media coverage of their events. 

Part of what enables us to carry out a training of this scale (we anticipate we’ll be training approximately 1000 people on July 18) is the use of technology, including the conference call and video portion of the evening.  By offering this training opportunity to you in your homes via conference call and video, we bring the experts directly to you! 

To ensure that every house party gets the most out of this training experience, it is very important that everyone first watches the video and then connects to the conference call at the same time.  We also know that you and your guests are all very busy, so the evening includes a variety of experiences for you to learn more about earned media and actually practice the tools provided in this training in a relatively short amount of time.  Part of your job as the host is to help keep the house party on schedule so that no one misses out on any part of the training. 

Although we have built some time into the training for participants to interact and share experiences, we also encourage you, if possible, to allow guests to have some more informal time to network at the end of the evening.

How will I know who is coming to my house party?
You will receive an e-mail notification every time someone signs up for your house party.  This will include the participant’s name and contact information.  If you have additional information to pass on to participants, you can certainly contact them, but it is not essential.  By registering for your house party, they will automatically receive all of the information you provided about the location of your house party and any specific instructions.  Once your house party has reached the maximum number of guests, your house party will be closed.

Can I invite people to my house party myself?
Absolutely!  We encourage you to invite friends, colleagues, and other progressives who you know to join your house party.  However, please make sure that they also sign up to attend your house party at www.cplaction.org so that we have an accurate count of who is attending your house party.

What if I haven't received any emails about guests coming to my party?
One problem that frequently occurs is that the "Spam Filter" in a lot of email programs will catch some of the emails about the Media Impact Training. Please check your Junk Folder or Spam Filter to make sure that emails are not getting caught there. Its also possible that no one has registered for your event yet. You can look up your house party on the national map and when you get to your state, you can look at your house party and see if anyone has applied.

What is my role as a host in this training?
Our goal is to minimize the amount of responsibility that falls to our house party hosts, recognizing the significant contribution that you are already making by volunteering your time as well as your homes for this training. That being said, our hosts play a critical role in ensuring that the training runs smoothly and effectively. Your primary role is to provide the Guest Packets, take attendance, and make sure that the evening runs on-time and the guests move from one portion of the evening to the next.

Please review and familiarize yourself in advance of the training with the host materials that you can download from our website.  These include a detailed agenda for the evening, instructions for the different sections, including special responsibilities for you as the host, and tips on how to be an effective facilitator. 

What is the purpose of this training?
The Center for Progressive Leadership Action Network is helping progressives gain the skills to shape media coverage of important issues in their communities, including:

• Working with a national organization to reinforce a larger message
• Successfully planning and implementing an event
• Targeting and attracting local media coverage
• Following up and expanding coverage
• Tips for developing long-term relationships with reporters.

This training is also an opportunity for progressives across the country to connect with local activists from other campaigns and get linked to more opportunities for direct action.

What is earned media?
Events are called “earned media” events because you have to work to get coverage. Sometimes “earned media” is called “free media” because you do not specifically pay for the coverage, like you would if you bought an ad.  However, many people prefer the term “earned media” because there is a lot of work involved in actually receiving the coverage.

What is the CPL Action Network?
The Center for Progressive Leadership Action Network is the sister organization of the Center for Progressive Leadership.  The Action Network connects emerging and established leaders to create a community of progressive political leaders to work on key progressive issues, advocate for progressive causes, lead and support progressive campaigns, and build the America of our dreams. 

The Center for Progressive Leadership runs training programs for activists in every state and helps link organizers, volunteers, campaign staff, and community leaders to direct action.

What other organizations are involved in this training?
Other organizations currently involved in the training include MoveOn.org, America Votes, CODEPINK, US Action, New Progressive Coalition, People for the American Way, Latinos for America and the League of Young Voters.  You can link to more information about these organizations on our website, and check back for an expanded list of other organizations involved as we get closer to the date of the training.

Can other people get a copy of the training DVD?
Yes. Individuals can get a copy of the Media Impact DVD by contacting the Center for Progressive Leadership. They cost $5 plus shipping & handling and are available to everyone.

How many other house parties are taking place in my area?
You can check the CPL Action Network website to see a map of the location of all the house parties taking place across the country on July 18.