Public Relations Handbook - Narcotics Anonymous

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Effective leadership is highly valued in Narcotics Anonymous.Leadership qualities should be carefully considered whenselecting trusted servants.Twelve Concepts for NA ServiceNonaddict presentersTwo points to consider if we use adequately trained nonaddicts to speak for NAat community events are that (1) they can help us protect our anonymity at localevents, and (2) they can advocate for NA using the language of the public audience.We want to be careful of using the same presenters so much that they become the“face” of NA.Exhibits and boothsIf we are not presenting and we are staffing a booth at an event, we take the sameconsiderations of preparation and personal appearance. We want someone to be atthe exhibit or booth at all times. We can invite experienced NA members to comejoin in events, yet we want to be sure to limit the number of members at an exhibitso that the booth isn’t overcrowded; usually, three members are adequate. Weprovide local NA contact information to those who visit the booth. If a question towhich we don’t have the answer is posed, we offer to contact a member in the localNA community to get the answer to their question. We can make it a practice toask those who visit the booth for their business cards. Getting this kind of contactinformation will be most useful if we are sure to follow up by sending a letter andinformation packets about NA. We try to be helpful and reliable when providinginformation about NA.The audienceThe audience is the reason for giving presentations. We encourage audienceparticipants to network and invite their own contacts. We can also create ways forthe public audience to give us feedback on our presentation. An evaluation form thatasks participants about the usefulness of the presentation, the effectiveness of thepresenters, the values of the material handed out during the session, and if there wasanything else that could have been included can help our presentations continue toimprove. We can solicit contact information from attendees and be sure to followup with that contact information.We can ask NA members to sit in the audience. We can train members from thelocal NA community by inviting them to observe the presentation and listen to thequestion-and-answer session. NA audience members can ask the first questions inthe question-and-answer session. They can also help set the tone and provide thepresenters with encouragement and support.One of the more important things we can do is to listen to the audience. Bylistening to the audience, we can respond with more relevant information. We canalso get their feedback and begin practicing having a dialogue with this publicaudience.Rehearsal and preparationPracticing with NA members can be a fun way to prepare for presentations.Trusted servants can ask each other the most difficult questions they can think of ina rehearsed presentation. Practicing with a friendly audience of NA members canalso help presenters build their confidence. Rehearsing in this way will also ensurethat our presentation fits into the allotted time frame.36 | Chapter 4 | Preparation & Training
Another way to prepare for presentations is to rehearse a Q&A session and haveprepared answers for what seem to be typical questions. Presenters may also wantto find organizations in the local community that offer training in public speaking.Finally, we will want to be sure that we are aware of the variables at the event: Dowe know what to expect from the venue? Do we know how many people areexpected to show up? Can we control the temperature and room setup? Are weaware of the presentation start time, so we can be punctual? Are we dressedappropriately?Organizing presentationsMembers who coordinate public relations events and presentations have to keep abroader perspective in mind. The following points can be important when organizingpresentations: The local NA community could provide a questionnaire for NA members tofind out who has presentation or organization skills. Make sure that the presentation tools and resources are current. Schedule presentations during the time of day most convenient for invitedparticipants. Trusted servants will also want to be sure to coordinate with othercommittees so the local service body can offer unified support to an event. If the local NA community has decided to use nonaddicts to present, be sure tohave oriented and trained them to communicate accurate information aboutNA. There may be opportunities to set up an exhibit or booth at a local event. Wecan use this opportunity to seek out future contacts by getting business cards.Tips for how to make our presentations more successful:1. Be prepared2. Know your audience3. Keep it local—bring localmaterials4. Be knowledgeable about NAresources5. Be enthusiastic6. Keep the presentation withinthe allotted time frame7. Be simple and direct8. Listen9. Learn to “read” theaudience10. Send a thank-you letter11. Survey the audience12. Use feedback to improvefor next time13. Share information about NAand minimize personalexperienceOur interactions with the public can become even more successful when we takesome time to plan and prepare for them. Our primary purpose is to carry NA’smessage to addicts around the world—many members of the public are more thanhappy to help us fulfill this purpose. We can do our part by presenting clear, reliable,and meaningful information about what NA is and how NA can help addicts.October 2006 | PR Handbook | 37
Page 2 and 3: Public RelationsStatementWhy public
Page 4 and 5: Copyright © 2006, 2007 byNarcotics
Page 7 and 8: prefaceWelcome to the Public Relati
Page 9 and 10: chapter1NA AND P UBLIC R ELATIONSTh
Page 11 and 12: What does “public relations” me
Page 13 and 14: chapter2C ORE P UBLIC R ELATIONS P
Page 15 and 16: The principle of anonymity encourag
Page 17 and 18: and the members in the group give t
Page 19 and 20: Attraction …The attractiveness of
Page 21 and 22: In understanding the principle unde
Page 23 and 24: An NA group ought never endorse, fi
Page 25 and 26: “Forever nonprofessional”During
Page 27 and 28: chapter3E FFECTIVE S ERVICESThis ch
Page 29 and 30: There are several ways to prioritiz
Page 31 and 32: presentations. Trusted servants who
Page 33 and 34: Flexible service structuresA flexib
Page 35 and 36: Below are possible components of a
Page 37 and 38: P REPARATION AND T RAININGFOR I NTE
Page 39 and 40: What do we know about them?Just as
Page 41 and 42: means that we may seek help from me
Page 43: highlight the diversity of our fell
Page 47: chapter5M EDIAOur public relations
Page 50 and 51: Is the committee prepared for possi
Page 52 and 53: Discussing these kinds of topics wi
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Page 58 and 59: is attractive, newcomers and potent
Page 60 and 61: Training and preparing trusted serv
Page 62 and 63: P u t t i n g y o u r p l a n i n t
Page 64 and 65: MedicationRegardless of the persona
Page 66 and 67: Invite drug-court personnel to part
Page 68 and 69: The signing of cards is providing a
Page 70 and 71: 62 | Chapter 6 | Criminal Justice
Page 72 and 73: committee chairperson. We need othe
Page 74 and 75: settings. The following list can he
Page 76 and 77: Sponsorship and treatmentIf a treat
Page 78 and 79: with alternatives. One alternative
Page 80 and 81: 72 | Chapter 7 | Treatment
Page 82 and 83: How can NA benefit from forming coo
Page 84 and 85: Training and preparing trusted serv
Page 86 and 87: crimes. This research is a valuable
Page 88 and 89: 80 | Chapter 8 | Healthcare
Page 90 and 91: Attraction…What is likely to be a
Page 92 and 93: Volunteers can be trained to use NA
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ReferralsMany phoneline calls are f
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NA members answering callsAdvantage
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90 | Chapter 9 | Phonelines
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Public relations and Internet techn
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linking to the NAWS website, an are
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unmediated forum, however, is like
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AccountabilityThere are responsibil
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We must remember that, wherever we
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As detailed in Chapter Four, traini
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104 | Chapter 11 | Event Planning
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members put their individual wants
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fellowship development efforts, be
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We encourage each member of the gro
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If the area decides that they will
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What are some ways that the area ca
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type of hierarchical tradition may
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A Vision for NA ServiceAll of the e
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Public Relations Handbook - Narcotics Anonymous

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