The Role of Hosts

We have designed the evening to be as easy as possible for every host; however, there are a few key areas where you are an integral part of the evening. We recommend that you print this guide and have it with you during the evening.

Please read through this carefully to make sure you're ready for your house party and you understand the schedule for the evening. If you have a party with more than 20 guests, we also encourage you to consider asking someone to help be a co-host with you during the evening. It will help the evening go much more smoothly!

Note - the following information is also included in the host packet.

What you need to do before the event

1. Test the DVD video in your home DVD player and TV. Put the disk in and make sure it plays, that the sound quality is good, and that your guests will be able to see and hear all of it. If not, you can download a version of the video here, or email CPL for assistance at info@cplaction.org.
2. Test your connection to the Webcast page by going to this page and listening to one of the audio files. Make sure the webcast will work, and that the sound can be heard.
3. Print out enough copies of the guest packet for all your attendees.
4. Get to your event at about 6:15 pm to make sure everything is set for your guests and to greet people as they arrive.

Evening Schedule

Because the schedule of the evening is very tight and there are multiple house parties happening simultaneously, it's very important for you to stay on schedule.

6:45 – 7:10       Arrival & Introductions

7:10 – 7:35       Media Impact Video (Core Concepts)

7:35– 7:50       Webcast Set-up/ Video Discussion/ Email Questions

7:50 – 8:15       Webcast with National Guest Trainer

8:15 – 8:55       Practice Skills Sessions

8:55 – 9:00       Wrap-up

Detailed Evening Schedule

Below is a detailed breakdown of the schedule for the evening that also includes what your specific responsibility will be at each point of the evening.

6:45 - 7:10  Arrival and Introductions

As guests begin arriving for your house party, you should take a few minutes and get to know each other.  You can have this be informal or you can have folks sit down and do introductions in a circle.  There are two things you need to do before the video starts at 7:10 and they are:

• Take Attendance - Use the "Attendance Forms" we have provided you. After the evening is over, each host needs to submit their attendance sheets by mail or email.


• Pass Out the Guest Packets - Also use the beginning of the evening to pass out the Guest Packets to each of the participants at your house party. You can get the Guest Packets by clicking on the link "Guest Packets" on the menu bar on the right. Each guest at your party should get their own Guest Packet.

It's also a good idea if you have time to go over the agenda for the evening and talk about the goals for the evening. You should have the video in your DVD player ready to go so that you can start it exactly at 7:10pm.

7:10 - 7:35    Media Training Video

At exactly 7:10, you should begin playing the video for your house party.    Start with the Introduction. Make sure that all of your guests can see and hear the video. 

7:35 – 7:50    Webcast Set-up and Discussion of Video

Once the video is over, you should immediately join the live webcast by going to www.cplaction.org/media/webcast.html. The webcast won't begin until 7:50, but you should make sure you are ready when the webcast starts. You should connect using Windows Media Player or RealPlayer. If you cannot access the webcast, the phone number to call will be on the web page.

Once you are connected and waiting for the webcast to start, you should ask your guests if they have any questions to submit to the national trainer (who will be featured on the webcast). Some good questions to get your group talking are:

• What did you like about the training video?
• What was unclear?
• Did you see anything in the video that you want to learn more about?
• If you've worked with media before, what has been challenging?
• If you've never worked with media before, what are you most nervous about?

Any questions your group would like to submit must be emailed to us at mediaquestions@cplaction.org by 7:45 pm. Please include your name and house party location in the email.

If your group is still talking at 7:45, make sure you wrap up your conversation so everyone can listen to the call. At 7:50, the webcast will begin.

7:50 – 8:15    Webcast with National Guest Trainer

The webcast will feature a guest trainer who is an expert on earned media, as well as Center for Progressive Leadership Action Network staff.  During the webcast, the trainer will touch on several important issues, and we will try to answer as many of the emailed questions as we can.  You can encourage your guests to take notes if this will help them retain the information better. 

8:15 – 8:55    Practice Skills Session

At the end of the webcast, a Center for Progressive Leadership Action Network staffer will give instructions for starting the next portion of the evening. Your role is most critical during this portion of the evening. Here's what you need to do:

1. The first step is to have your guests break up into groups of 3 or 4 people. Once everyone is in the small groups, have them take out their guest packets and spend ten minutes working through the practice scenarios on their own.
2. After ten minutes, instruct your guests to begin the practice as outlined in their guides. During this session, they will take turns assigning each other roles of organizer, reporter, and timekeeper. During each round, one person will practice giving a two-minute pitch to a reporter who they want to cover their event.  The timekeeper should make sure that each round is limited to two minutes before switching roles and trying again.  Guests will be provided with a tracking sheet where they can make notes regarding one another’s performances.
3. While the other guests are taking turns practicing, you should serve as a facilitator and keep track of time. Check in with all of the groups, and make sure that participants are all getting an opportunity to practice their pitches.  It is very easy for this portion of the evening to get off track, and while dialogue with our neighbors is great, we want to insure that everyone gets the most possible out of the role-playing exercise. We've found these role plays are the most valuable part of the entire night, so you should make sure everyone tries it out (there are tips on this below).

8:55 – 9:00    Wrap-up

After the end of the practice sessions, take a few minutes and gather everyone back together. Ask everyone to share a moment from their small group session. Once everyone else has shared a thought, thank everyone for coming, and say a few words about why you're excited to have a group of neighbors trained to work with the media.

At 9pm, the official training is over, but your group should feel free to stay and socialize as long as you want.

Tips for Facilitating the Small Group Practice

• The most important thing is...to keep people on track! There will be people who will want to tell stories, talk about the Presidential primaries or issues they care about...everything except the scenarios and the practice skills session. In order to get the most out of the evening, walk around and make sure people are following the instructions!

 

• Encourage participants to really use the full ten minutes of time to prepare for delivering their pitch, including writing down the key points they want to make and thinking through how to localize and personalize their pitch.  Remind participants to think about how they can take tips from the video and conference call and practice incorporating these into their own pitch.

• Back up the timekeeper in each group to ensure that your guests are staying on topic and in their roles.  Although each group has its own timekeeper, you can always remind groups that it is time to switch roles so that every participant has an opportunity to practice his/her pitch.

• Circulate between the groups to keep an eye on each group and help ensure that every participant has an opportunity to practice delivering a pitch and receiving feedback. 

• Encourage your guests to talk openly and freely – both in their roles as “organizer” and “reporter” and as they provide one another with feedback; but remind them that this activity is designed to practice delivering a pitch.  While we encourage active sharing of viewpoints and respectful debate, we count on you as the host to ask participants to save these conversations for the end of the evening and focus for now on improving their skills at delivering a pitch.