• paper
• pens
• tape
• stereotypes worksheet
– Ground the group in the opposition view and their own truth
– Highlight that neither reporters nor their stories are neutral. Often, when we are doing communications, we are challenging stereotypes and having to change the perspective of the audience.
– Introduce the exercise
– Hand out worksheets. Ask someone to read the written questions out loud. Explain that they’re to respond to the question on the paper and then be ready to share their responses.
– Check for comprehension of the assignment.
– Give participants 5 minutes for writing or drawing
– Ask for people to report back (if you have more time you can have people share in pairs first and then do a large group report back.)
– Prepare two flip chart sheets. One marked “stereotypes” and another marked “our reality.” Write people’s reports on the corresponding sheet
– reflect
– To work with the press is to try to win the support of a target audience. To do that, we have to understand how to communicate our message in a way that it will be heard and a way that will persuade people to see things from and take action based on our point of view. We also have to understand that there are other groups who are working against us. To prepare for the media also requires being prepared to counter our opposition and challenge negative views.
To start, I’m going to hand out these sheets for you. On one side you’ll see space for the stereotypes we hear about ourselves. On the other, the things in our lives that we’re proud of.
You’ll have five minutes to answer the question on both sides of the page.
– Ask people what themes they see. This is a good opportunity to draw out how systems of oppression impact these things. Finally, share a conclusion about the two sides of a debate. When we are talking to the press, its not a neutral party. The media has their own view, the audience has their prejudices. And we are bringing our message into an arena where the battle between these two world views is already going on. Our job is to move people from one side of that battle, presents opportunities to affirm their values, and fully place themselves on our side of the debate.
• paper
• pens
• tape
• stereotypes worksheet
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Photo Credit: Danielle Coates-Connor and Naomi Ishisaka
