It is Monday morning, and the pace begins toquicken in the office. The PAO is on leave, and you areon your way to brief the CO on several public affairsmatters. With one foot out the door, JO3 Boate asks youseveral questions regarding the new press release formatyou instituted Friday. While answering her questions,JOSN Dory, who is tasked with writing a similar release,asks you a style question regarding military titles.Meanwhile, JO2 Arts requests assistance in retrievingthe sample change of command release on the computerbecause his “access has been denied.”All three areas could have easily been addressedduring an “all-hands” training session at a less hectictime. Subject: preparing press releases.ROLE OF THE SENIOR JOAs a senior JO in charge of a public affairs office,you are responsible for making sure your subordinatesare properly trained. You are responsible to the PAO foradministering and monitoring a training program thatkeeps your staff sharp and on the cutting edge of thejournalism profession. By providing your staff with thelatest information and methods, your efforts willunquestionably boost efficiency and professionalism.Although you are responsible for administratingand monitoring the training program, you should notenvision yourself as the sole “trainer.” When you selectyour training topics (using the occupational standards inthe Advancement Handbook for Petty Officers for theJOs as your guide), assign members of your staff toconduct the training on a rotating basis. Have theassigned instructor develop a lesson plan and show it toyou at least two days before the training session, andcheck for thoroughness. (Be sure to include yourself inthe rotation!)APPROPRIATION OF TIMETraining is most effective when it is held on thesame day and time each week. There are several factorsyou should consider before selecting the day and timefor training, such as work schedules and deadlines,general military training schedules and othercommitments. Of course, even if you determine thatWednesday at 1400 is the best day and time to assembleyour troops for a one-hour training session, a priorityproject or an unplanned event can arise and throw yourprogram off kilter. When appropriating time forprofessional training, keep the following points in mind:lllTo give some thought to primary and secondarytraining days and times.To never cancel a training session because ofwork commitments; postpone them.To be flexible.CHARACTERISTICS OF PROPERLOCATIONThe public affairs office aboard the USS Birdfarmis located on the second deck, just below the after brow,where the boatswain’s mates of first division areremoving paint and rust with needle guns, grinders,sanders and handscrapers. The noise has reached adeafening level and your conversation with the firstdivision officer confirms your worst fears: the workwill continue through 1600. Your 1400 training sessionwith the staff is five minutes away.Obviously, your designated trainer and the traineeswill have an extremely difficult time speaking andhearing in this environment because this situation is inno way conducive to learning. That is why the officesupervisor must select the training site as carefully asthe topics and methods of training. The supervisor, inthis case, may or may not have known about thescheduled deck work just on the other side of theoverhead. Regardless of the circumstances, an alternatelocation should have been identified ardor reserved,such as a conference room, administration office or eventhe mess decks.Training ashore offers a wider variety of settingsand locations. Using your existing office spaces fortraining is fine, but as a diversion, also consider trainingthe staff at a different location on base or even off base.This will stimulate learning and maintain interest in yourtraining program.For instance, your training topic in two weeks is onpreparing news releases for local radio stations. Insteadof just reviewing the release format and procedures inthe office, you can call the news director at one of thestations, briefly discuss your training intentions, andrequest a representative to discuss their newsroomoperations with your staff at the station. In most cases,newsroom directors, general managers and other mediaauthority figures will be delighted to honor your request.A major distraction during any training session isthe constant ringing of the telephones and visitors whowander into the office to conduct business. You can dealwith this in the following ways: (1) turn on theanswering machine for the duration of your training1-11
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