Media Maestro A Story Planning Workshop for Print, Broadcast and Online Journalists

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Media MaestroA Story Planning
Workshopfor Print, Broadcast and Online
Journalists

• By Buck Ryan and Eva ÅbergFojo International,
  Kalmar, SwedenJune 9-10, 2008

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Media MaestroDay 1Fojo InternationalKalmar
, SwedenJune 9, 2008

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
I. Workshop Philosophy

• Montessori Interactive How can we learn from
  each other?21st Century Humility Is it a rule
  or a hypothesis to test?Workshop Scoreboard
  Brainstorm on questions and issues participants
  wish to address.

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
I. Workshop Philosophy

• Workshop Scoreboard Edited summary from your
  e-mails
• I want our reporters to make stories
  interesting, understandable and close to the
  readers, stories that put people in the center.
• How to find good ideas? How to make good stories
  out of good ideas?
• I hope to stop the routine thinking and get a
  more creative place here We are in such a hurry
  that we tend to do stories like we did
  yesterday.
• We have difficulties working as a team.

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
I. Workshop Philosophy

• Workshop Scoreboard Edited summary from your
  e-mails
• What is the best way for a head photographer to
  work with maestro? (newspaper, but we can add TV
  videographer, too)
• How to be extremely careful with the facts
  before we publish something.
• We work today in an organization very focused on
  the layout, planning pages in detail. How can we
  edit in daytime, rather than nighttime like many
  other papers?

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
I. Workshop Philosophy

• Workshop Scoreboard Edited summary from your
  e-mails
• I want to have time to learn how others work and
  time for my colleagues to discuss how we can be
  more efficient.
• Now lets keep the ideas flowing
  What can we add to the list?
• Winner of Best Quote
  It seems to be two tough days, but we
  in Eskilstuna-Kuriren are not afraid of hard
  work.

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
I. Workshop Philosophy

• Now an inspirational quote about where we stand
  in the swirling turmoil of the digital
  communications revolution
• Anyone who tells you he knows where all this is
  going is either lying or delusional.
• Tim Kelly, Publisher Lexington
  Herald-Leader

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
II. Introduction Whats So Interesting?

• 1. Speed drill Who are you? and Whats
  interesting?2. Assembling Teams Work in 3s
  with cross media expertise.3. Contest Best
  story idea evera prize winner!

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
II. Introduction Speed Drill

• A Team Building Drill One-on-one rotating
  interviews answering two questions in one
  minute1. Who are you?2. What is the most
  interesting thing about you?
• It's like speed dating only faster and less
  romantic.

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
II. Introduction Assembling Teams

• Individual work Identify Top 3 most
  interesting people to you and jot a note
  explaining why.
• Assembling teams Compare notes with 2 other
  participants. Team leader (maestro) reports
  groups findings. Full group analysis What
  do we think is interesting?

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
II. Introduction Contest

• Only best ideas apply to Maestro Concept so
  what makes a story idea interesting?
• Contest challenge
• What is the
• best story idea ever?

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
II. Introduction Contest

• Bucks entry is
• Elvis returns
• from the dead
• King of Rock says he was murdered

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Introduction to Maestro Breaking News!
How would you tell the Elvis-is-back-from-the-dea
d story?

• Mobile phone headlineFirst think about the story
  in 10 words or less, then fire off your headline
  to your mobile news subscribers.
• Online presentationNow sketch how you would
  present the story for your Web site.

TV news How can the planning so far cross over
to your television news presentation? Newspaper
What if your afternoon newspaper was on
deadline?
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Introduction to Maestro Thinking Cross
Media

• Imagine using the same story planning process
  for
• Mobile phones and pagers, then Online Web
  sites, then TV news or Newspaper

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Introduction to Maestro Thinking Cross
Media

• 3 Key Steps
• 1. Whats story in 10 words or less?
• 2. Im busy, why should I care?
• 3. What would readers or viewers want to know
  first Top 3 questions?

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Introduction to Maestro Thinking Cross
Media

• Mobile phone headlineElvis returns from dead,
  claims murderOnline packageElvis returns from
  dead, claims murderKing of rock n roll arises
  from Graceland grave and claims karate
  instructor killed him for money.
• When and where did he reappear? Is the FBI
  investigating? Whats the worldwide
  reaction?(Click questions to get quick answers)

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Introduction to Maestro Thinking Cross
Media

• Mobile phone headlineElvis returns from dead,
  claims murder
• Online packageElvis returns from dead,
  claims murderKing of rock n roll arises from
  Graceland grave and claims karate instructor
  killed him for money.
• When and where did he reappear? Is the FBI
  investigating? Whats the worldwide
  reaction?

MEMPHIS, Tenn.Elvis Presley arose from his
Graceland mansion grave early today, appearing
first to a 78-year-old gardener and saying, Im
backthank you, thank you very much. The FBI has
launched a manhunt for the former karate
instructor accused of doctoring Elvis will.
Reaction to the resurrection reverberated around
the world, prompting church vigils, skyrocketing
sales of Elvis memorabilia on eBay and good will
wishes from world leaders.
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Introduction to Maestro Thinking Meet
Maestros Sidekick, the Online Action Editor

• Green means goWant to take a family trip to
  Graceland? Heres how you can make plans.
• Blue means actWant to attend a church vigil
  close to home? Heres a list of local churches
  planning vigils. Want to join the manhunt? Here
  is how to contact the FBI with any information
  you may have.
• Red means buy Want to buy Elvis
  memorabilia or iTunes songs? Here is where you
  can buy locally or online.

Online Action Editor adds links MEMPHIS,
Tenn.Elvis Presley arose from his Graceland
mansion grave early today, appearing first to a
78-year-old gardener and saying, Im back, thank
you, thank you very much. Mr. Presley then
claimed that he had been murdered 30 years ago by
his karate instructor who he said had forced him
to change his will to benefit the instructor.
Reaction to the resurrection reverberated around
the world, prompting church vigils, skyrocketing
sales of Elvis memorabilia on E-Bay and good will
wishes from world leaders. The FBI has begun an
investigation of the murder allegations and
launched a manhunt for the former karate
instructor.
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Maestro Thinking Newspaper
Connection
Summary The same 10 words or less can work as the
first draft of the main headline. Why should I
care? Elvis and miracles. Top 3
questions Questions drive the design of the
newspaper page just like they serve as launching
pads in the online presentation.
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Maestro Thinking TV News Connection

The Video/Audio Advantage Seeing and hearing the
gardener tell his miraculous story cannot be beat
by a print presentation. So how can we apply the
Media Maestro approach? 5 Steps for Web TV For
beginners taking video to the Web (before the
next newscast), we can take five steps Opening
why-care visual grabber Story summary Answers
to Top 3 questions.
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Maestro Thinking Planning Guide
Storyboarding With Media Maestro in Mind Can we
create a guide to help video and visual
journalists map their stories, whether they are
piecing video clips together or constructing
photo-audio slide shows?
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Maestro Thinking Planning Guide
Start With a Touchstone and Use the Same Approach
for News Budgets Any planning guide would need to
begin with the Maestro Touchstone
Story summary, answer to Why should I
care? and the reader/viewer questions.
Could this be adapted to an Excel spread sheet
for news budgets?
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Maestro Thinking Planning Guide
Process Shifts First From Mobile to Web Such a
guide would show what the mobile headline was and
what the online headline could be. Using the same
headline saves time.
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Maestro Thinking Planning Guide
The Newspaper Advantage Time makes all the
difference in how the newspaper presentation may
differ from the online view. Revisit the
Touchstone A revised summary will lead to a
different headline or the approach can be more
playful. News questions might emerge and the old
ones turned into a QA background box.
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Maestro Thinking Can Guide Be One Page?
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Maestro Thinking Can Guide Be One Page?
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Maestro Thinking Whats the Difference?

• Brainstorm in Idea Groups
  
  Finding creativity with an
  open space and few rules.Process Thinking
  
  
  Changing who does what when as you move from idea
  to publication.
• Planning Guide or Protocol
  
  Writing down ideas helps
  keep team on same page.

Picturing a Story

Sketching or storyboarding
to see how story would look on page or
screen. Working in Teams

Using
story idea to determine which verbal, visual and
audio-video journalists are on the
team. Non-Personal Critiques

Returning to
teams plan and fine-tune for next time.
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Maestro Thinking Whats the Difference?

• Traditional Approach to Handling
  Routine Stories
• What pieces do I have that I can assembly into a
  package to tell this story in the most effective
  way?
• Newspaper page designer Online editor
  Broadcast producer

Maestro Approach to
Handling One Big Story What questions do readers
or viewers have that will drive the rest of our
reporting and presentation? Timing is
everything After preliminary reporting, you can
summarize story.
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Maestro Thinking Whats the Difference?

• Original Maestro Concept (circa 1993)
• An innovative team-based
  time-management technique designed to increase
  quality.
• Newspaper Magazine
  Newsletter

• New Media Maestro Method (circa today)
• An innovative team-based
  energy-management technique designed to increase
  quality in a revenue-hungry, changing world.
• Bigger team Combine print, broadcast, online
  expertise

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
IV. Workshop Putting Media Maestro to Work
With Your Story Ideas

• 1. Each team generates three story ideas, selects
  best one. 2. Top story ideas from all
  the teams serve as our newsroom budget.3. As
  a group we pick one idea, and teams map process
  of workflow to produce it.

4. We map consensus view (Steps 1, 2, 3, 4 ) on
marker board to compare traditional approach with
maestro process? 5. Repeat process until
fun and learning subside.
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
V. Storytelling First Get Attention

• When you can change emotions, you raise
  attentionthats where learning can take place.

How to Change Emotions? Surprise Humor Inspirat
ion Outrage When all else fails, theres always
celebrity sex appeal, but we know how to show
that!
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
V. Storytelling First Get Attention

• Traditional News Values Its time to
  revisit1. Timeliness2. Conflict3. Impact4.
  Proximity5. Oddity6. Yadda7. Yadda8. Dadda

Maestro Thinking Lets start with the big one
1. Surprise      I didnt know that
               or      I thought I knew that
was true, but now .
It aint what you dont know that gets you
into trouble. Its what you know for sure that
just aint so. Mark Twain
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
V. Storytelling First Get Attention
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
V. Storytelling First Get Attention
Maestro Thinking Look for a sure-fire winner
2. HumorPhoto, cartoon or illustration
Anecdote
Joke told during event or
interview Awkward moment that makes someone
look very real and very human Heres the key
Something thats worth repeating to others or
prompts a Hey, look at that! 

• First 2 Review
• Story planning questions we tend to forget What
  was the big surprise?
• What made you or someone else laugh?

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
V. Storytelling First Get Attention
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
V. Storytelling First Get Attention
Maestro Thinking Where can we find any 3.
InspirationPhoto
Anecdote
Life story
Simple idea to
inspire change in
peoples lives Religious
or spiritual Tap into motivational
speakers and self-help gurus

• Story planning question we tend to forget Is
  there a hero?
• William Randolph Hearst looked for the victim,
  the villain and the hero in stories. Often the
  villain was government corruption, the victim a
  common citizen and his newspaper was the hero!

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
V. Storytelling First Get Attention

• Why Inspiration?
• The mass of men lead lives of quiet
  desperation.         Henry David Thoreau
• "Our lives change when our habits change. 
  Matthew Kelly

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
V. Storytelling First Get Attention
Maestro Thinking Where is the 4.
OutrageGovernment waste
Greed
Corruption
Root canals for
children for profit Cover-ups

• Story planning question we tend to forget What
  gets people really mad?

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
V. Storytelling First Get Attention
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
V. Storytelling First Get Attention
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
V. Storytelling Styles and Focus

• Traditional News Styles Its time to
  revisit1. News style (inverted pyramid)2.
  Feature style3. Wall Street Journal approach4.
  If it bleeds, it leads5. Yadda6. Yadda7. Dadda

Maestro Thinking How about two approaches1.
YouWhats going to matter so much to you
that you will stop moving in your busy day and
pay attention to our news item?2. WeYou are
not alone in facing a challenge or problem, but
where are the others who canhelp or sympathize?
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
V. Storytelling Keeping Time in a Busy World

• Traditional Measures1. Column inches2. A
  minute and 30 seconds3. News budgets or
  rundowns4. The story is too long5. The story is
  too short6. Yadda7. Yadda8. Daddah

Maestro Thinking You have just
(boom-boom-boom)3 seconds to get someone to
stop and get engaged.
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
V. Storytelling Keep It Simple and Quick
If you ever questioned the power of questions and
sketches
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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
VI. Handling the Big Story

• Just for fun and practice
• How would you cover the Kentucky Derby?
• How would you cover the presidential primary
  election?
• Then well compare and contrast traditional
  approaches with maestro
  thinking.

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Monday, June 9 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
VI. Handling the Big Story
IV. H
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Monday, June 9 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan

• VI. Handling the Big Story

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Monday, June 9 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan

• VI. Handling the Big Story

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Monday, June 9 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
VI. Handling the Big Story

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Monday, June 9 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
VI. Handling the Big Story

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Monday, June 9 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan

• VI. Handling the Big Story

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Monday, June 9 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan

• VI. Handling the Big Story

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Monday, June 9 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan

• VI. Handling the Big Story

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
VII. Workshop Review Any First Day Epiphanies?

• Is there one idea
• you can take back to your
• newsroom?

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Monday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
VII. Workshop A Look Ahead

• Montessori Interactive How can we learn from
  each other?
• Humble Request for Tomorrow
  A short presentation from
  you on the topic of your choice.
• Answers the question, What in your professional
  experience is a trick of the trade or a bit of
  advice that really works?
• A really good tip can apply cross media (print,
  broadcast, online)
  
• Your talk can be as short as just 1 to 3
  minutes, if you like.

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Media MaestroDay 2By Buck Ryan and Eva
ÅbergFojo InternationalKalmar, SwedenJune 10,
2008

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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro
I. Workshop Review Any Overnight Brainstorms?

• Whats on your mind?
• Ideas to share
• Unanswered questions
• Goals for today
• Will you join the speaker lineup?

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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
II. Maestro Review Lets Practice!

• Newsroom Budget
• LUNCHFood prices soar compared with a year ago
  with big gains for bananas (20), wheat bread
  (15), milk and peanut butter (13 each).
• GASGasoline prices are close to setting a new
  mark at local fuel stations.
• TREASURESilver treasure believed buried 250
  years ago may be somewhere in the region, just
  waiting for Swedens Indiana Jones to find it.

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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan

• II. Maestro Review Lets Practice!

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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan

• II. Maestro Review Lets Practice!

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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan

• II. Maestro Review Lets Practice!

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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan

• II. Maestro Review Lets Practice!

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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Introduction to the Civic Maestro Concept

• Original Maestro Concept Team Includes
• Reporter Assignment Editor
  Photographer Designer/Copy Editor

• Civic Maestro Concept
• Team Includes
• Same inside newsroom team
  Adds outside team of Good Citizens who may
  join Idea Group brainstorming session, may serve
  as resources for reporters and editors, and may
  contribute commentary or analysis.

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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Introduction to the Civic Maestro Concept

• Who are the Good Citizens?
• High level of expertise and zero level of
  conflict of interest.
• University professors and researchers.
• Retired or former journalists working for
  nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations, including
  foundations.

• Why need Civic Maestro
  Concept?
• Magnitude and complexity of the story far exceed
  the reporters expertise.
• Persistent community problem (crime, poverty).
  Medical or scientific issue.
  Financial or economic development issue with
  conflicting data.

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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
III. Civic Maestro Concept A Case Study

• Danville, KentuckyDowntown hospital and medical
  center plans multimillion-dollar expansion that
  will affect health care, jobs and economic
  development for the region.

• What is your inside team in the newsroom?
• Who are your Good Citizens?
• How involved would you allow your Good Citizens
  to be in the editing process?
• Who convenes the inside and outside teams?

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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
IV. Research Understanding Hot Buttons
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
IV. Research Understanding Hot Buttons
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
IV. Research Understanding Hot Buttons
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
IV. Research Understanding Hot Buttons

• What we know about
• Poynter Eye-tracking
• Brain scans
• Readership Institute
• Millennial generation
• Old School wisdom

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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
IV. Research Understanding Hot Buttons
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
IV. Research Understanding Hot Buttons
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
IV. Research Understanding Hot Buttons

• Readership Institute 7 Goals Meet Maestro
  Concept
• In Bucaramanga, Colombia, the editors and
  journalists at Vanguardia Liberal are living the
  words that Readership Institute Managing Director
  Mary Nesbitt wrote in April of 2005.

Key experiences for young adults in Bucaramanga,
Colombia This newspaper 1. Gives me something
to talk about 2. Is useful 3. Makes me feel
smarter 4. Looks out for my civic and personal
interests 5. Gives me value for the money 6.
Has good service 7. Is surprising and
entertaining
http//www.readership.org/blog2/2006/09/editing-fo
r-experiences-one-day-at.html
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
V. Bravo! Sessions Your Best Work

• Celebrating Victories
• Participants show samples of their best work, and
  we look at the success stories through a maestro
  lens.
• How can we learn from success?
• How can we increase the number of success
  stories?
• How can we bring big project success to daily
  work?

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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
VI. Managing Change Lessons From Experience

• Puzzle Pieces
• PEOPLE
• IDEAS
• PROCESS (THINKOLOGY)
• TECHNOLOGY
• ENERGY
• MONEY (MONEY, MONEY)

• Hurdles
• TIME
• EGO
• HIERARCHY
• TRADITION
• PSYCHOLOGY

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Tuesday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
VII. Workshop Review Any Day 2 Epiphanies?

• Is there one more idea
• you can take back to your
• newsroom?

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Tuesday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
VIII. Workshop Some Final Thoughts

• What is journalisms role in democracy for the
  21st Century?

Four models of journalism Advocacy Traditional
elite Public or civic Citizen-driven
Two sides of democracy coin Election
politics Public politics
What will journalism look like before the end of
the century?
Holy smokes, Batman The butler did it!
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Tuesday, June 9, 2008 Media Maestro/Buck Ryan
VIII. Workshop Some Final Thoughts
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Lets party like its

• 1989
• Everyone now,
• lets sing!

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Party like its 1989 and sing

• Imagine theres no maestro
• Its easy if you try
• One hundred inches of copy
• with a mugshot of one guy

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Party like its 1989 and sing

• Imagine theres no training
• making your life hell
• You-whoo
• You may say-heh Im a dreamer

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Party like its 1989 and sing

• But Im not the only one
• Maybe someday youll join us
• And again your job will be fun

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Party like its 1989 and

• Thanks for coming to our workshop!
• THE END
• Drive safely