ASHA Ambassador Outreach Guide

Annual Cycle of ASHA Outreach*

• January–February: New Year-themed outreach
• February–March: Promotion of World Hearing Day March 3 (World Health Organization observance)
• March–May: Support of ASHA advocacy (Hill Day, Congressional briefing etc.); May: National Speech-Language-Hearing Month (month-long digital campaign expressly for members)
• June–July: Pre and summer guidance for managing popular tech use, encouraging literacy; July 4 hearing protection messaging
• August–September: Back-to-school-themed outreach
• October: Pre-ASHA Convention engagement of members not attending Convention; hearing protection outreach
• November: Convention sessions, related outreach and engagement opportunities
• November–December: Year-end holidays themed outreach

*Unforeseen outreach opportunities also arise often during the course of a year.

ASHA Ambassador Outreach Tools/Tips

ASHA content should be used for the tools below or any additional ones that become available to the Committee of Ambassadors. That content can be taken from ASHA press releases, talking points, the ASHA website consumer pages, or any other ASHA developed content that is public friendly. Much of that information can be found here. If you cannot find information or have questions, please contact pr@asha.org.

Guidance/Tips on Writing a Letter to the Editor

Letters to the Editor are responses to news coverage. Here are some tips to help write and submit a letter:

• Cite the media coverage that prompts your letter.
• Use ASHA content for the content of the letter. The content should add information to the news coverage that has already appeared, factually correct it, or do both. Follow the publication's guidelines for submitting a letter. This can usually be found online if you search “submitting a letter to the editor.” Typically, a submission is emailed and the publications guidelines for submitting a letter as well as length and other guidance is included. (e.g., paste text in body of the email, send an attachment) as well as length and other guidance.
• Stick to the guidelines. The maximum length of letters is usually about 250 words. Abide by the word limit that is given or risk having your submission automatically rejected. Include your contact information so that the media outlet can easily contact you to verify you are the sender. Chances are your letter will appear within a week or so if it is going to be published. Except for automated acknowledgement of submissions and verifying senders, outlets typically do not communicate about submission status.

Writing a Blog Post

Use ASHA content for the post. Blogs can be a more casual and personal means of communicating with an audience. You may have your own blog, or you may write a guest post for another blog.

ASHA Ambassadors are invited to view this sample blog posts below for guidance:

• https://ptaourchildren.org/holiday-gift-hearing-protection-tips/

Sharing an ASHA Press Release With A Media Interview Pitch Email

ASHA regularly issues press releases on a variety of topics. Sharing one with local media can be a good way to introduce yourself and indicate your willingness to be interviewed. Here are the steps involved:

• Determine who you want to contact. Managing editors of news/local news, editors of health and community news, along with producers of relevant shows are appropriate candidates. Their contact information can usually be found online.
• Send an interview pitch email to the persons you identify with the press release attached.
• After you send your pitch, wait 2-3 days before contacting the outlets for a status report. Typically, it is best to reach out early in the day before outlets are facing deadlines.

Media Interview Prep and Tips

If you receive a media interview opportunity, here is guidance for preparing for an interview:

• Review ASHA talking points on the topic in question and focus on remembering a few leading points.
• Practice saying key messages in advance of the interview.
• During the interview and especially with broadcast media, be reasonability succinct in your answers and look for opportunities to repeat key messages. Also avoid using jargon or terms that would not be understood by a generic public audience.
• If the opportunity is a phone or Zoom interview, prepare accordingly. Be sure you will have a quiet space to do the interview and that its background will be appropriate. Also, if you are going to be seen, dress professionally.
• Smile and be conversational in tone to avoid sounding scripted. Do your best to respond to the questions directly. If you don’t know an answer to a question say so but try to transition by saying, “I don’t know about that, but I do know that (repeat a key message.) Use every opportunity to work key messages into your answers. Another way to do that is to say when the interview is ending, "If I can leave your readers/viewers /listeners with one point it is that (reference a leading ASHA talking point).

Outreach Toolkits for Your Use

For major observances or campaigns, ASHA may offer an outreach toolkit that contains social media graphics, public service announcements, press release templates, and/or other resources intended for ambassadors to easily share in their communities.

• World Hearing Day
• National Speech-Language-Hearing Month
• Be Tech Wise With Baby
• Identify the Signs
• Value of the CCCs
• Communicating With Baby: Tips and Milestones From Birth to Age 5 Toolkit
• ASHA Digital Toolkit: Stuttering 101

Presenting in Your Local Community

You can adapt the pitch letter for media above when reaching out to local organizations about a presentation opportunity. In this case, too, attach the relevant ASHA press release or a link to relevant ASHA public friendly resources and information.

For the presentation itself, use the template provided below when speaking before civic, health, and community groups about communication disorders/ topics. The template has a twelve slide length, which is a reasonable length that allows for questions and discussion. A presentation could go longer, depending on how much information is covered. Twenty slides is the suggested maximum length.