AGRICULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS CDE

Transcription

1 AGRICULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS CDE PURPOSE The purpose of the Agricultural Communications Career Development Event is to provide individuals with practical communications skills necessary to pursue career opportunities in agricultural communications. Public communications about agricultural products, practices and policies are essential to the future of agriculture. Students who are equipped with strong communication skills, have developed teamwork skills and who can use a variety of media to help the public understand issues related to the industry of agriculture have a bright future in the job market. ELIGIBILITY The participant must be an active member of a chartered Florida FFA Chapter and enrolled in grades 9, 10, 11, or 12. Each Junior and Senior chapter may enter one team of three individuals. Each of the contestants scores will be calculated for the team total. EVENT PROCEDURES 1. The UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication will be in charge of this event. 2. All materials will be student-produced and verified by the FFA advisor. 3. FFA members must be in official dress, appropriate to the contest, and will be scored accordingly. 4. The panel of judges will consist of media representatives, Department of Agricultural Education and Communication students, AEC faculty, and other members of the agricultural communications community. 5. An electronic copy of the media plan in PDF format must be submitted to Dr. Ricky Telg (rwtelg@ufl.edu) by April 1. Any media plans submitted after the April 1 deadline will not be accepted. The PDF should also include the three required tactics (See Appendices/Examples section.) The three tactics can be submitted as separate, individual files, depending on the file size. If the PDF is larger than 4 megabytes, please use yousendit. com or a similar file-sharing website, and then type in Dr. Telg s address in the deliver to line. He will send you a confirmation when he has successfully opened the media plan PDF. 6. Each November following the National FFA Convention, the agricultural communications CDE committee will release event specifications for the next year. The specifications will outline the scenario to be used for the media plan and presentation. Please refer to the National FFA CDE site to learn about the media plan theme for the year. Florida FFA Agricultural Communications CDE will use National FFA s theme for the state CDE. EVENT PRACTICUMS WRITTEN PRACTICUMS AGRICULTURE-RELATED MEDIA PLAN Teams will play the role of communications consultants and will develop a media plan for an assigned scenario. (See Event Format above for information about the scenario.) The scenario will identify a client with a communications need and a budget. Please reference the current event specifications in the term orientation packet. At the state event, the team will make an oral presentation of the media plan. A media plan is a written document that describes the following: Objectives - What the group wants to accomplish with the media plan. Target Audience - Description of who the client is trying to reach, including demographic data. Strategic plan and tactics - Ways in which the objectives can be accomplished. Timeline - When the objectives will be accomplished. Evaluation - How the results will be measured. Budget - How much the plan will cost. GUIDELINES FOR MEDIA PLAN A maximum of 15 typed pages not including cover page, table of contents, references or appendices. Double-spaced with 1 margins. Paginated (numbered pages not including cover page). 12-point Times New Roman font (not including display text or headings). Submitted electronically in PDF format to Dr. Ricky Telg. (See Event Procedures section.) Formatted and edited according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) when citing sources. The media plan must include the following sections (points will be deducted for missing or incomplete sections): Cover page Must include the title of the media plan, CDE name, chapter name, team member names and year in school. May include a creative design. Table of Contents Executive Summary - 1 page maximum Brief description of the contents of the media plan. The executive summary previews the main points of the complete plan. It allows the reader to get the main points without reading the whole document. Helpful tip: complete this after the plan has been written. Introduction and Overview - 2 pages maximum Introduction- a brief background of the issue/topic 13

2 and a statement of the problem establishing the need for this media plan. Overview- a brief preview of what is contained in the plan and how it will benefit the client. Audience - 2 pages maximum Who the client is trying to reach with the media plan. The demographic characteristics of the intended audience. Strategic Plan - 6 pages maximum The heart of the plan, including the objectives. Key messages or themes to communicate to the audience. Explanation of how the objectives will be met, including justification of chosen media tactics. A minimum of three examples must be included in the appendices. The tactics must include at least one example of each of the following: Design, Electronic Media, and Writing. Explanations of the required tactic components are included in the Appendices/Examples section. Description of how the plan will be executed. Timeline - 1 page maximum Explanation of the duration of the plan and the timing of the media tactics. Evaluation - 1 page maximum Description of proposed methods to determine if the objectives were met. Budget - 1 page maximum Table of all costs associated with implementing the media plan. Narratives typically will not be included with the budget table. Conclusion - 1 page maximum A final summary of key points related to the strategic plan and a statement persuading the client that the plan is a good solution to the communication problem. Not a restatement of the introduction and overview. References Formatted and edited according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA). Appendices/Examples Design: The objective under design is effective communication or information sharing through visual tools. The design example may include but is not limited to one the following: Magazine page layout Web page layout Electronic publication layout Print advertisement Brochure Flier or poster Exhibit/display Electronic Media: The objective under electronic media is the proper development and integration of electronic media, such as video, audio, and social media. The electronic media example may include but is not limited to one of the following: Digital news broadcast Blog Social media Video Broadcast (radio or TV) advertising Broadcast (radio or TV) story Writing: The objective under writing is effective and understandable writing, consistent with Associated Press Style, that conveys messages to targeted audiences. The writing example may include but is not limited to one of the following: Press release News story Feature story EDITING EXERCISE Because editing is a critical skill for all communicators, each team member will complete an editing exercise. They will be given a printed document that contains 25 mistakes. In correcting the mistakes, team members may be required to use correct proofreader s marks (see Associated Press Stylebook). Style, grammar, punctuation and spelling mistakes will be included. Team members will NOT be able to use the style manual or a dictionary during this exercise. Participants will have 15 minutes to complete this practicum. COMMUNICATIONS QUIZ Each member will complete a quiz that covers basic elements important to journalistic writing, broadcasting, public relations, graphic design, and communication ethics. Much of the information for the quiz will be drawn from the National FFA s online resource: Agricultural Communications in the Classroom: Preparing for a Future in the Agricultural Communications Industry: pdf or from the Associated Press Stylebook. Team members will NOT be able to use the style manual or dictionary during this exercise. Participants will have 15 minutes to complete this practicum. PERFORMANCE PRACTICUMS MEDIA PLAN PRESENTATION The team should present the media plan as if pitching it to the client identified in the scenario. The presentation should follow the structure of the written media plan. Teams are encouraged to bring examples of materials 14 CAREER DEVELOPMENT EVENT HANDBOOK

3 that would be used in the execution of the plan (e.g., social media, broadcast advertising, print advertising, press releases, fliers, brochures, website, blogging, and displays). Each team member must participate in the presentation. Each team will be allowed 12 minutes to present its media plan to a panel of judges, who will play the role of the client. Five points will be deducted for each major fraction of a minute over the 12 minutes allowed for the presentation. Following the presentation, judges will be allowed five minutes to ask questions. Teams will have a total of 10 minutes for setting-up and tearing-down equipment (e.g., 5 minutes to set up and 5 minutes to tear down). Provided equipment includes a PC computer with PowerPoint, digital projector, projector screen, and table. Note: Teams may bring additional equipment for the presentation as long as they are able to set up and tear down equipment in the time allowed. In the case of equipment failure, the team may be asked to move forward with the presentation. A back-up plan is recommended. EQUIPMENT PROVIDED Pencils for the individual activities. Specialized equipment listed below for team presentation: PC computer with PowerPoint Digital projector Projector screen and table Note: Teams may bring additional equipment for the media plan presentation as long as they are able to set up and tear down equipment in the time allowed for the presentation. Individual tiebreakers will be settled in the following order: 1. Editing exercise score 2. Communications quiz score AWARDS Awards will be presented at an awards ceremony. Awards are presented to teams as well as individuals based upon their rankings. Awards are sponsored by a cooperating industry sponsor(s) as a special project and/or by the general fund of the Florida FFA Foundation. REFERENCES This list of references is not intended to be inclusive. Other sources may be utilized, and teachers are encouraged to make use of the very best instructional materials available. The following list contains references that may prove helpful during event preparation. Agricultural Communications in Action: A Hands-On Approach, 1st Edition Ricky Telg Tracy Anne Irani ISBN-13: Pages 2012 Published SCORING Practicum Activity Individual Team Written Media Plan 200 Written Comm. Quiz Written Editing Exercise Performance Media Plan 125 Presentation Official Dress Total TIEBREAKERS Team tiebreakers will be settled in the following order: 7. Media plan score 8. Media plan presentation score 9. Combined editing exercise score 10. Combined communications quiz score 15

4 Media Plan Scorecard FFA Chapter Name: Plan Includes all Requirements Cover page, titles and names on cover page, table of contents, does not exceed page limit, double spaced, one inch margins, page numbers, required headings (- 1 point per missing item) Topic is Agricultural 10 Executive Summary Adequately explains the plan without reading the entire 10 document Introduction Provides adequate background of the issue; clearly states the problem and need for plan; describes how the plan will benefit the client Description of Audience Clearly describes (including demographics) who is targeted with the media plan Detailed Strategic Plan Clearly states objectives; explains how objectives will be met; explains why chosen mediums are appropriate to meet objectives; describes how plan will be executed Timeline Explains duration of plan and timing of media tactics Method of Evaluation Proposes methods to determine if the objectives were met Budget Explains all costs associated with implementing the media plan Conclusion 10 Appendices 30 Quality of communications documents. Three required Quality of writing Grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, sentence 25 structure Possible Score TOTAL POINTS Team Score 16 CAREER DEVELOPMENT EVENT HANDBOOK

5 Presentation Rubric 125 points FFA Chapter Name: Indicators A. Examples B. Speaking without hesitation C. Tone D. Being detail- oriented E. Speaking unrehearsed F. Connecting and articulating facts and issues G. All team members participated I. Use of Visual Aids J. Media Plan H. Questions and Answers Very strong evidence skill is present 5-4 Examples are vivid, precise and clearly explained. Examples are original, logical and relevant. Speaks very articulately without hesitation. Never has the need for unnecessary pauses or hesitation when speaking. Appropriate tone is consistent. Speaks at the right pace to be clear. Pronunciation of words is very clear and intent is apparent. Is able to stay fully detail- oriented. Always provides details which support the issue; is well organized. Speaks unrehearsed with com- fort and ease. Is able to speak quickly with organized thoughts and concise answers. Exemplary in connecting facts and issues and articulating how they impact the issue locally and globally. Possesses a strong knowledge base and is able to effectively articulate in- formation regarding related facts and current issues. All team members took an active role in the presentation. Visual aids add clarity and support what is being said during the presentation. Key elements of the media plan are clearly communicated. Strong understanding of chosen media is present. Is able to correctly respond to judges questions. Answers show familiarity with subject matter. Moderate evidence skill is present 3-2 Examples are usually concrete, sometimes needs clarification. Examples are effective, but need more originality or thought. Speaks articulately, but some- times hesitates. Occasionally has the need for a long pause or moderate hesitation when speaking. Appropriate tone is usually consistent. Speaks at the right pace most of the time, but shows some nervousness. Pronunciation of words is usually clear, sometimes vague. Is mostly good at being detail- oriented. Usually provides details which are supportive of the issue; displays good organizational skills. Speaks unrehearsed mostly with comfort and ease, but sometimes seems nervous or unsure. Is able to speak effectively, has to stop and think and sometimes gets off focus. Sufficient in connecting facts and issues and articulating how they impact the issue locally and globally. Possesses a good knowledge base and is able to, for the most part, articulate information regarding related facts and current issues. Two team members took an active role in the presentation. Visual aids add some clarity and support to what is being said during the presentation. Key elements of the media plan are vaguely communicated. Vague understanding of chosen media is present. Is somewhat able to correctly respond to judges questions. Answers show vague familiarity with subject matter. Strong evidence skill is not present 1-0 Examples are abstract or not clearly defined. Examples are sometimes confusing, leaving the listeners with questions. Speaks articulately, but frequently hesitates. Frequently hesitates or has long, awkward pauses while speaking. Has difficulty using an appropriate- ate tone. Pace is too fast; nervous. Pronunciation of words is difficult to understand; unclear. Has difficulty being detail- oriented. Sometimes overlooks details that could be very beneficial to the issue; lacks organization. Shows nervousness or seems unprepared when speaking unrehearsed. Seems to ramble or speaks before thinking. Has difficulty with connecting facts and issues and articulating how they impact the issue locally and globally. Possesses some knowledge base but is unable to articulate information regarding related facts and current issues. Points Earned Weight X 3 X 1 One team member took an active role in the presentation. Visual aids add little to no clarity and support to what is being said during the presentation. Key elements of the media plan are not communicated. Little to no understanding of chosen media is present. Is unable to correctly respond to judges questions. Answers do not reflect any familiarity with subject matter. X 7 Total Points Total Score 17

6 Communications Quiz FFA Chapter Name: Team Members: Team Member Possible Score Score TOTAL 75 COMMENTS 18 CAREER DEVELOPMENT EVENT HANDBOOK

7 Editing Exercise FFA Chapter Name: Team Members: Team Member Possible Score Score TOTAL 75 COMMENTS 19

8 Team Scorecard FFA Chapter Name: Team Members: Possible Score Member Score Media Plan 200 Media Plan Presentation 125 Test Scores Communications Quiz 75 pts. (25 pts./member) 75 Test Scores Editing Exercise 75 pts. (25 pts./member) 75 Total Possible: 475 Team Tie Breakers Team tiebreakers will be settled in the following order: 1. Media plan score 2. Media plan presentation score 3. Combined editing exercise score 4. Combined communications quiz score Individual Tie Breakers Individual tiebreakers will be settled in the following order: 1. Editing exercise score 2. Communications quiz score 20 CAREER DEVELOPMENT EVENT HANDBOOK

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