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GAZETTE
N E W S
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1994
Ba r A s s o c i a t i o ns R a i se T h e i r M e d i a C o n s c i o u s n e ss
Members of the Wicklow Bar Association:
l-r: Fachtna Whittle, Brian McLoughlin,
Richard
Cooke, Richard Joyce, Denis Hipwell and Brendan Connolly with Peter Finnegan,
Course
Tutor, at the media training
course.
Recently the
Gazette
joined six
members of the Wicklow Bar
Association on a half-day media
training course in the headquarters of
Carr Communications in Dundrum,
Co. Dublin.
The course, one of a series being
staged for Bar Associations around the
country, is aimed at teaching
practitioners how to communicate
effectively in their local media. The
courses were instigated by the Public
Relations Committee of the Society
which is subsiding the cost by 50%.
Course tutor,
Peter Finnegan,
took his
participants on a whirlwind tour of the
psychology of communicating, with
plenty of practical advice on how to
deal with the media, prepare for an
interview, identify your target
audience, present your message in a
way that will make those hearing the
interview actually
listen
to and
identify with what you haveto say.
An important element of the course
was teaching interviewees how to take
control of a media opportunity and
how to deal with inevitable feelings of
nervousness.
In an action-packed afternoon, each
solicitor had the opportunity to test
and develop his skills by participating
in an interview on a topical issue such
as defending fees, the crisis in legal
aid funding and why
'capping'
compensation awards in personal
injury cases will not work. The
interviews were then played back so
that the participants could evaluate the
performances.
Later, the
Gazette
contacted some of
the participants for feedback.
Richard
Joyce,
Secretary of Wicklow Bar
Association said: "the course was an
eye-opener. It made me think about
the whole manner in which to
approach a media interview. I found it
very beneficial and would now be
more willing and would feel more
confident about doing interviews with
the local media here."
Bar Association President,
Brendan
Connolly,
found the course "very
good, very helpful". He added: "I was
impressed by how hard the course
tutor Peter Finnegan worked. I think
the course was of great benefit not just
for radio interviews but for any form
of communication with the public. The
emphasis on making sure that you
address your audience in layman's
terms was particularly good."
Fachtna Whittle,
Haughtons, said the
course brought home to him that
communicating with public was
different, say, to addressing a court.
"The audiovisual exercises were very
effective. I think if every member of
the profession did a course of this kind
it would go a long way towards
helping the image of the profession."
To date five Bar Associations have
engaged in the training courses and it
is hoped that all Bar Associations will
do so over the coming months.
Further information on the media
training courses is available from
Barbara Cahalane,
Public Relations
Executive, at the Law Society. Tel:
(01)671 0711 Fax; (01) 671 0136.
P o l i c y D o c u m e n t o n
D e a l i n g w i t h
O f f e n d e r s
The Probation and Welfare Service
Branch of the Public Service Union,
IMPACT, has published a policy
document entitled
"The Probation and
Welfare Service in Ireland:
Confronting Crime, Serving the
Community, Working with Offenders".
The policy document suggests that the
criminal justice system is in need of
radical modification and change and
puts forward what it describes as
"realistic and achievable alternatives
which will provide more effective
means of combating crime and
reducing levels of offending and re-
offending in our society."
The document argues in favour of
greater resources and staffing for the
Probation and Welfare Service.
Copies of the Publication are available
free of charge from
Patrick O 'Dea,
Public Relations Officer, Probation
and Welfare Service Branch, IMPACT
(Public Service) Union, c/o Smithfield
Chambers, Smithfield, Dublin 7. Tel:
873 3722.
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