Planning Your 2005 Communications Calendar  

December presents an ideal time to plan your communications calendar for the coming year. By identifying important dates and events now, your organization can take advantage of various media opportunities and avoid typically busy news times. For example, avoid releasing a report during or right after a holiday or political event when reporters are likely to be on vacation or when the media will be over saturated. By pinpointing federal holidays and elections on your calendar, you will better be able to avoid times when your story could get lost in the shuffle.

Similarly, identifying events and dates that are relevant to your programs will enable you to plan an appropriate angle for op-eds, releases or other outreach efforts. For instance, an op-ed regarding new HIV findings might be more effective if tied to World AIDS Day, while a study about the impacts of second-hand smoke might get more leverage if it’s released during the Great American Smoke Out. It is always best to plan for these types of stories in advance by creating strong materials that will stand out in the crowd and developing relationships with key reporters prior to any outreach. However, if “news” does arise unexpectedly, your communications calendar may offer insights into alternative story angles or possibilities for delaying media efforts for a day or even a week until larger, unrelated news events settle down.

Outlining your 2005 calendar now can lead to stronger communications strategies that can have a bigger impact for your organization throughout the next year. Here are some resources and other ideas that can help get you started.

• Health awareness days, weeks and months (www.healthfinder.gov/library/nho/nho.asp?year=2005).
• U.S. Congress legislative schedules (www.senate.gov and www.house.gov).
• United Nations conferences and observances (www.un.org/events/ref43.htm).
• Federal holidays (www.opm.gov/fedhol/2005.asp).
• History months posted through the Office of Civil Rights (www.osec.doc.gov/ocr/cultural.html).
• Anniversaries of key policies and court decisions.
• Seasons like back-to-school and summer break.
• Political events such as Inauguration Day and State of the Union.
• Elections (municipal, state and federal).