Wednesday, Feb. 11

6 p.m.
Special Awards Reception
Winners of the Bar Association Awards, Henry Lee Weathers Awards, Duke Divinity Awards and the Duke Higher Education Awards will be honored during this reception.

Thursday, Feb. 12

8 a.m.
Registration desk opens
Hallway of conference center

9 a.m.
SNPA Traveling Campus Part 1
Three concurrent training sessions (3 hours)

12:05 p.m.
NCPA/NCPS Business Luncheon
The official Annual Meeting of the organization. Election of new president and vice president and election of new board members plus all other necessary business.

1:30 p.m.
SNPA Traveling Campus Part 2
Art of the Interview (3 hours)

2 p.m.
Association of Community Newspapers
Annual meeting to elect a new president plus a program.

Associated Dailies
Annual meeting to elect a new president plus the presentation of the annual North Carolina Associated Press awards.

3:30 p.m.
Legislative Review
The Legislative Committee and our Counsel will update members on where the General Assembly might be heading on issues of interest to newspapers.

5 p.m.
Awards reception
Tickets to the banquet required

6 p.m.
Awards Banquet
Tickets required. General Excellence winners announced. North Carolinian of the Year.

Friday, Feb. 13

9 a.m.
SNPA Traveling Campus Part 3
Three concurrent training sessions (3 hours)

Questions about Winter Institute 2009?
Contact either
Holly Johnson
or
Victoria Rice

Winter Institute Course Descriptions

The Art of Leadership – Skills Training for Emerging Managers (Gus Gonzalez)
9 a.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. Friday
This six-hour program over two days covers the principles, tools and skills leaders need to build teams, improve interpersonal communication, inspire confidence, and create a constructive working environment. Discussion will include the following topics:

• The leader as a communicator
• Motivation and accountability
• Why employees don’t do what they’re supposed to, and what to do about it
• Putting a face on “Success”
• Exploring the changing roles and rules of business
• Decision making
• Creating a winning environment

This program is suitable for new managers, those with managerial aspirations, and leaders who want to refine their talents.

Thinking Visually – The Art of Being Brilliant (Charles Apple)
9 a.m. Thursday
Year after year, we put out the same old stories; the same old newspapers. No wonder readers are getting tired of us. How can we give a new look to our product; provide a fresh angle for our stories and our pages? By opening up our minds to new ideas. You may find that the biggest barriers to reaching that next level are in your own head. Charles Apple of The Virginian Pilot will show us how to put a fresh spin – or a whole new approach to not just visuals, but also stories, projects and management in general. We'll explore the concepts of brilliance and creativity. We'll look at samples of brilliant visual journalism and look at how these pieces came to be. And brilliance isn't limited to large papers we'll show how small papers can bring brilliance to their readers as well.

The Art of the Interview (Michael Schwartz)
1:30 p.m. Thursday
Interviewing is a fundamental, but rarely taught skill that every reporter must have. In this session, you’ll explore three stages of interviewing: getting the interview, preparing for the interview, and conducting the interview. In the interactive class, participants will deal with interview scenarios and practice the skills they learn. This can be a refresher for experienced journalists who want to stay on top of their game, or the foundation of sound reporting for reporters early in their careers.

The Road to Better Writing (Michael Schwartz)
9 a.m. Friday
Can you count to 20? Then you can improve your writing immediately. During Part One of this interactive session you'll learn to recognize red flags that lead to complex, wordy writing. This session also gives you basic strategies to write more concisely, clearly and powerfully. In Part two learn how you can organize and focus your stories - no matter what the length, the deadline or the topic. We will cover specific techniques and strategies to organize material so you are in control of the information and not the other way around.

Interactive Journalism (Jan Schaffer)
9 a.m. Friday
How to make your Web site a better experience for users, how to improve what you’ve got, what to use and what not to use.

Wednesday Night Reception:
Winners of special categories will be recognized and receive their awards during this reception. Awards included are:

• Bar Association Awards
• Henry Lee Weathers Freedom of Information Awards
• Duke Divinity Awards
• Duke Higher Education Awards