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Speaking notes are often developed to assist a spokesperson who will be giving a press briefing or media briefing to expand on a subject first announced in a press release.

Speaking notes are essentially “talking points” that are used by an individual who is briefing the press or media on something that has already been summarized in a press release that the audience has already received. They are usually listed in point-form contained on a one or two page document.

Typically, these speaking points will be enough for a speech or press briefing lasting about 5 to 10 minutes in length, which will normally be followed by a question period. The material covered in speaking notes should elaborate on points already touched on in the related press release and should not normally go off-topic or raise new issues.

The speaking notes sample below was set up in MS-Word and was written for a real-life situation. It contains all of the key elements that are normally included when developing speaking notes or talking points for a typical briefing of members of the media.

Speaking Notes – Sample

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A progress report is a document that itemizes the relative status or progress of a project, or group of projects, against some sort of measurable outcome such as specific completion goals.

A progress report is normally an item by item assessment of the current status to-date of pre-defined tasks in reference to their expected final completion status. Typically, project status will be assessed in words, supplemented by an estimate of the percentage complete.

Progress reports are often used to assess and evaluate individual sub-tasks that, when combined, make up an overall work plan for a larger project. They can be used to assess and report on just about any type of work plan, from administrative items, to complex construction programs.

The progress report below is an actual status report that was prepared as an assessment of the relative progress of an ongoing work plan for a non-profit agency.

Progress Report – Sample

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Press releases (also referred to as news releases) are a way of announcing something to the world that you believe is important. By definition, they are aimed for the widest possible pick-up and distribution by the media.

In general, a press release should not exceed one page in length and must contain all of the essential details of the announcement that you are making. In some cases, if necessary, a one or two page “backgrounder” with additional related information can be attached to a press release.

The primary audience that a press release targets is the media in general. Distribution of news releases is normally done by commercial media distribution services. Many journalists and media outlets use these types of services as their primary news source. It is therefore important to write a press release in the same style that journalists use so that your release will be quick and easy for them to pick up and re-publish.

The sample press release below was set up in MS-Word and was written for a real-life situation. It contains all of the key information elements that you should include when developing your own news releases.

Press Release – Sample Format