There are simple, vital, attainable skills that will maximize the power and effectiveness of your voice in the public conversation about religion and the pressing social issues of our day. At Auburn, we've developed a training manual that we use in all our Workshops that helps you learn these skills . Our manual includes messaging strategy, media skills, methods to generate your own media, and a toolkit for preparation, along with a host of stories that illustrate the best practices and dangerous perils of media work.

We can't give away all the fun here, but we do offer here a few of the basics of the tools in the kit.

So often when we get calls from the media, we act like a celebrity has just called and draw a blank on what to ask and what to say. Here you can download a copy of our Media Contact Sheet that walks you through just what to ask when that reporter calls wanting a quote or an interview.

You can also download our guide, The Basics on Writing Press Releases. A press release provides a clear format and helps reporters get the facts straight within the approach you prefer. In the current media landscape, with staff cuts and changing standards, news outlets frequently run press releases as if they were articles.