INFORMS Open Forum

Dear INFORMS Members,

As we embark into 2025, I want to take a moment to thank each of you for your continued support of INFORMS and our mission. Whether or not you've been directly involved in media outreach or advocacy efforts, your dedication and passion are crucial to advancing our goals and enhancing the visibility of operations research and analytics.

The INFORMS community has a powerful opportunity to build public awareness and support for our field-whether through media engagement, public speaking, or advocacy. If you've participated in these efforts already, we thank you. If you haven't yet, we encourage you to consider getting involved in the year ahead.

As we continue our media engagement and advocacy efforts into 2025, I wanted to share some tips for effectively handling media inquiries and interviews. These strategies can help all members-whether you are already actively engaged or interested in becoming more involved.

•  Keep Your Message Focused

When engaging with journalists, colleagues, or the public keep your message clear and concise. Focus on delivering the key points you want to communicate. A strong, memorable soundbite can help ensure your message resonates. And don't forget, when appropriate, mention INFORMS and showcase our work to strengthen our collective brand.

• Be Honest and Transparent

If you don't have an answer to a question, it's perfectly fine to say so and offer to follow up later. Transparency builds trust and helps maintain your credibility with both the press and the public.

• Work with INFORMS' Communications Team

To ensure consistency, we ask that all media interviews and inquiries be coordinated through the INFORMS communications team. This helps avoid confusion and strengthens our relationships with journalists. If a reporter reaches out to you directly, that's fine, but please let us know so we can stay in the loop and provide support.

•  Keep the Bigger Picture in Mind

When addressing sensitive topics, always consider the broader context. Media coverage has wide-reaching consequences, and your comments may contribute to the larger narrative about our organization's values and objectives. Remember, you always have the option to guide the conversation toward the message you want to share.

Your involvement is the heartbeat of INFORMS' mission. Whether you're a seasoned advocate or exploring how to contribute, your efforts make a profound impact on advancing our field and shaping its future. Together, we can elevate the recognition of operations research and analytics, forging stronger connections with the public, policymakers, and the media.

To learn more about how you can get involved in these efforts, please feel free to get in touch with me at asmith@informs.org or Jeff Cohen jcohen@informs.org.  We look forward to working together to continue to amplify the voice of INFORMS, promote the expertise of our members, and showcase the transformative power of our community to drive smarter decisions for a better world.

Best regards,

Ashley Smith
INFORMS, Public Affairs Coordinator

I agree with Ashley Smith's tips.

Another is that some interviews are broadcast live. For others, you may be interviewed and recorded for 10-40 minutes, with only 1-2 minutes of excerpts used. For these types of interviews, if you find yourself saying something unclearly, it's fine to say, "Let me say that another way," and repeat the concept with different wording. The news organization will use whichever blurb is best. We would not bore a live audience with such repetition, but it's fine in a prerecorded interview.

Some reporters will use the information you share just as background information, to help their own understanding, and without quoting you or mentioning your existence in an article. If you're a reliable source for background information, they'll keep you in their calling list and eventually you may be quoted. That happened to me with the Wall St. Journal eventually including me in a podcast.

Dear INFORMS Members,

As we embark into 2025, I want to take a moment to thank each of you for your continued support of INFORMS and our mission. Whether or not you've been directly involved in media outreach or advocacy efforts, your dedication and passion are crucial to advancing our goals and enhancing the visibility of operations research and analytics.

The INFORMS community has a powerful opportunity to build public awareness and support for our field-whether through media engagement, public speaking, or advocacy. If you've participated in these efforts already, we thank you. If you haven't yet, we encourage you to consider getting involved in the year ahead.

As we continue our media engagement and advocacy efforts into 2025, I wanted to share some tips for effectively handling media inquiries and interviews. These strategies can help all members-whether you are already actively engaged or interested in becoming more involved.

•  Keep Your Message Focused

When engaging with journalists, colleagues, or the public keep your message clear and concise. Focus on delivering the key points you want to communicate. A strong, memorable soundbite can help ensure your message resonates. And don't forget, when appropriate, mention INFORMS and showcase our work to strengthen our collective brand.

• Be Honest and Transparent

If you don't have an answer to a question, it's perfectly fine to say so and offer to follow up later. Transparency builds trust and helps maintain your credibility with both the press and the public.

• Work with INFORMS' Communications Team

To ensure consistency, we ask that all media interviews and inquiries be coordinated through the INFORMS communications team. This helps avoid confusion and strengthens our relationships with journalists. If a reporter reaches out to you directly, that's fine, but please let us know so we can stay in the loop and provide support.

•  Keep the Bigger Picture in Mind

When addressing sensitive topics, always consider the broader context. Media coverage has wide-reaching consequences, and your comments may contribute to the larger narrative about our organization's values and objectives. Remember, you always have the option to guide the conversation toward the message you want to share.

Your involvement is the heartbeat of INFORMS' mission. Whether you're a seasoned advocate or exploring how to contribute, your efforts make a profound impact on advancing our field and shaping its future. Together, we can elevate the recognition of operations research and analytics, forging stronger connections with the public, policymakers, and the media.

To learn more about how you can get involved in these efforts, please feel free to get in touch with me at asmith@informs.org or Jeff Cohen jcohen@informs.org.  We look forward to working together to continue to amplify the voice of INFORMS, promote the expertise of our members, and showcase the transformative power of our community to drive smarter decisions for a better world.

Best regards,

Ashley Smith
INFORMS, Public Affairs Coordinator