Decide the agenda and determine the approximate amount of time the conference will take (half an hour is standard; one hour is generally the maximum). Schedule your speakers and guests. Prepare a written statement for the press to respond to, and other talking points as well.

Decide the time. For the media, weekends are generally not good, and early in the day is better than later.

Select a site. Findings a comfortable, well-equipped conference room at a hotel, club, or auditorium can make logistics easier and add to the interest of your conference. A conference site that is relevant to your story can help you make your point and also provide a good backdrop for photographs and TV footage.

Alert the media. Prepare a news memo or initial advisory and invite the media representatives you would like to have attend. Generally, news conference invitations should be received by the media one week in advance. A second advisory should be sent to key media outlets a couple of days prior to the conference.

Rehearse. Have all your speakers run through their prepared material. Ask them to state their most important points in 30 seconds in case they need to deliver additional radio or TV interviews after the main conference. Test the speakers with all possible questions -- friendly, hostile and embarrassing.

Prepare some type of visual element for the conference and let the TV stations know that visuals will be part of the conference.

The News Conference Checklist

Is your room large enough to hold the invited number of journalists, plus a few more?

Can the conference site accommodate TV cameras? Are there enough (and powerful enough) electrical outlets and extension cords for cameras and microphones?

You may want to hire a photographer to take several rolls of black-and-white shots of the conference and your speakers, to be delivered to selected print outlets that did not send a representative.

Are refreshments available?

Set up a press table near the entrance where you can greet arriving journalists. Make sure you have enough press kits and other background materials for each journalist. Give each attendee a press kit, including an agenda for the conference and its approximate length.

Ask yourself every question that could possibly be important, and prepare yourself for every possible problem. Rehearse your news conference as if it were a performance -- which, in many respects, it is.