Media Academy Curriculum

Session 1 Intersession Activities Session 2

Day 1

  • Opening activities, personal histories
  • Development plans
  • Role of leade
  • Professional image

On the Job:

  • Work on project.
  • Visit departments and meet key players
  • Use each skill set learned in Session 1
  • Keep journal and update development plan

Day 1

  • Opening activities
  • Development plan and project updates
  • Your company culture and how to survive
  • Management styles
  • Case study

Day 2

  • Newspaper field trip
  • "Life of a newspaper" department visits
  • Supervisor perspective

Month 1

  • Coaching calls: OTJ plans and sharing learning. Share examples of skills used.

Day 2

  • Uses of power
  • Style assessment discussion
  • Cultural awareness
  • Speaking to diverse workforce
  • Practices

Day 3

  • Debrief field trip
  • Decision making as a leader
  • Simulation: Day in the life of new supervisor

Month 2

  • Call: Present and discuss project plans. Peer/facilitator coaching.

Day 3

  • Maynard Fault Lines
  • Activity
  • The art of listening
  • Listening practice
  • Biases, stereotypes, assumptions
  • Activity

Day 4

  • Engaging employees
  • Core leadership communication skills
  • Practice
  • Speaker: Engagement

Month 3

  • Time Mgt. e-learning

Day 4

  • Learning journey: field trip to different communities
  • Find things representing the community
  • Surprises
  • Debrief field trip

Day 5

  • Setting expectations and accountability
  • Feedback skills
  • Practice
  • Rewards/recognition

Month 4

  • Call: Development plan reviews, managers/participants

Day 5

  • Being an influencer and change agent
  • Reactions to change
  • Speaker: Change
  • Case activities: challenges in influencing change

Day 6

  • What is a coach?
  • Coaching Skills
  • Difficult discussions
  • Practice
  • Adapting to the individual employee

Month 5

  • WebEx: Measuring and communicating results with management and employees

Day 6

  • Nature of conflict
  • Role of diversity and emotions in conflict
  • How to be a facilitator
  • Conflict resolution process/skills
  • Practice

Day 7

  • Reviewing performance, ongoing vs. once a year
  • Practice
  • Performance Management case
  • Facilitating meetings
  • Process and skills

Month 6

  • Call: Plan for next session. Personal and communication style assessment assignment.

Day 7

  • Building a high-performing team
  • How you can influence decisions on staffing
  • Value of diverse team
  • Right people, right jobs
  • Recruitment discussion

Day 8

  • Project management tools and processes
  • Activities
  • Basic Budgeting
  • Activities
  • Develop project ideas
 

Day 8

  • Selection best practices
  • Behavioral interviewing
  • Practice
  • Case: Analyzing "fit" and building a team
  • Orienting and training new employees

Day 9

  • Presentation skills
  • Analyzing an audience
  • Making a business case.
  • Speaker: What management wants.
  • Practice
 

Day 9

  • Creating a "team environment"
  • Skills for fostering teamwork
  • Practice
  • Ethical leadership
  • Activity: Where I stand

Day 10

  • Work in teams on project plans and making business case
  • Motivating speaker
  • Reflection: Learnings
  • On-the-job planning

Program Follow up

  • Formal/informal alumni networking
  • Annual alumni web conference
  • Progress tracking
  • Mentor/mentee conferences
  • E-learning sessions

Day 10

  • Mentor/mentee session
  • Giving back, career discussions
  • Reflection: Learnings
  • Motivating speaker
  • On the job planning

Nancy Maynard, co-founder of the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education died September 21, 2008.
For 30 years, the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education has been committed to helping the news media reflect America's diversity in staffing, content, and business operations. Incorporated in 1977, the Institute offers editing and management training programs as well as direct services to news organizations. [more]
Alumni Watch
See the work of Maynard alums and the changes they are making in the newsroom.

Maynard Journal
The Maynard Journal is published quarterly in print. To download the latest issues in PDF format, please click below.

Robert C. Maynard
Take a tour through the Robert C. Maynard Photo Gallery		 Media Academy
View photos from the Maynard Media Academy at Harvard University		 Editing Program
View photos from the Maynard Editing Program at the Reynolds School of Journalism
Martin Reynolds
View an interview with Martin Reynolds, Managing Editor at the Oakland Tribune.		 Media Academy
View video from the Maynard Media Academy at Harvard University		 Chauncey Bailey
View video and more from the Chauncey Bailey Project
History Project
Stories of the African American journalists who broke into media during the '60s and '70s.		 Caldwell Journals
An account of the pioneers who broke the color barrier in America's newspapers		 Ed Bradley
View video from his interview as part of the Black Journalists Movement Project