ONA conducted several surveys of our community after ONA23, and there were two primary asks you had for the annual conference: more opportunities for connecting with your peers and for deeper learning on topics of importance. ONA24’s schedule reflects both of those needs. We have more interactive programming than ever, including 19 topical meet-ups to find your people, and a wide variety of workshops ranging in length from 90 minutes to six hours. These workshops are primarily being held on the Wednesday and Saturday of the conference.
We’ve compiled a list of those workshops below, noting which require/highly recommend advance sign-up with an *.
Professional Development
First-Time Managers Training* — This workshop is designed to provide mid-career leaders with everything they need to step into management roles for the first time and will guide participants through the challenges associated with navigating new responsibilities, managing difficult relationships, fostering work culture and building power and influence.
Finding Your Mid-Career Groove Workshop* — In a mid-career funk or feel stuck under layers of politics and stakeholders? Come away with frameworks and tools to help you find your north star.
Yes, And: How Improv Skills Can Help Your Newsroom Earn Trust* — Discover how improv techniques can power your journalism and news organization. This interactive workshop teaches key improv concepts like ‘yes, and’, spontaneity, and active listening. Learn to become a more focused listener, tell stories with greater empathy and authenticity, and spark creativity in your work.
Going Solo: Creator Journalism Workshop* — Designed for journalists who are actively considering moving from a traditional setting to full-time creator journalism, this high-level workshop will provide attendees with a clear plan of action on when and how they might go solo on Substack, YouTube, etc. Attendees should be mid-career journalists with an existing portfolio of work and/or a strong individual following.
Building & Maintaining a Local News Business*(Repeated) — Learn about LION’s pillars of sustainability and have a chance to work on an exercise designed to help you increase your understanding of the financial health of your news business (or potential business). This session is relevant for publishers and editors of existing publications and entrepreneurs who are planning to launch a new digital news site or other local news product.
Slay Your Dragon: Deliver Your Most-Important Performance Challenge with Media Transformation Challenge @ONA* — This session is for senior leaders (and those who support them) seeking to lead major change in their organizations. It also is for funders and network organizations who want to increase the odds their efforts deliver intended outcomes.
Safety Workshop Series* — This session is a four-part, one-day workshop series presented by some of the most preeminent organizations working on issues of journalist safety today. Those who participate in all four workshop modules will get a comprehensive experience beginning in the morning with practical skill-building and finishing in the afternoon with community connection and in-room peer support. ONA24 attendees can opt to register for all four modules or selectively attend those that align with their interests:
- Risk Assessment with IWMF
- Secure Communications with Freedom of the Press Foundation
- Exploring the State of Cybersecurity with Center for News, Technology and Innovation
- Peer Support and Community Building with PEN America
Check out more professional development programming at ONA24
Special thanks to our ONA24 sponsors.
AI
AI Executive Summit: Operationalizing AI* — This summit provides practical insights on catalyzing innovation, mitigating risks, and preparing for the future opportunities that AI offers to enhance media operations and content strategies. Designed for journalism leaders and executives eager to leverage AI’s transformative potential within the media industry, participants will leave with operational strategies for integrating AI and a starter roadmap for their organization.
Designing the Future Newsroom Workshop: AI in 2030* — This workshop will guide participants through AI scenario planning to design the newsroom of 2030. Attendees will envision how AI can be leveraged to improve news products, solve consumer pain points and engage communities more effectively, and the session will include collaborative exercises, future-oriented discussions and actionable insights for integrating AI in journalism.
AI Tools Workshop* — This hands-on session will cover LLMs, image generation and other emerging AI technologies, and will work with prompt libraries to research and build materials for stories. Copyright, ethics and attribution concerns using these technologies will be discussed.
AI for Educators Workshop* — We will review policies on syllabuses and student media, brainstorm ideas for an AI journalism course, and explore tools to support your efforts. We will also discuss methods for detecting AI in writing, both visually and through software. Participants will receive handouts, sample syllabuses, and training videos for use in and outside the classroom.
Explore how AI is transforming journalism at ONA24
Audience Engagement and Product Strategy
ONA Traffic Summit — Join a conversation about the changing nature of referral traffic, other new platforms to explore, and what your newsrooms are doing to adapt.
Master Multi-Platform Strategies and Elevate Your Newsroom’s Impact with Canva* — Hands-on training workshop designed for newsroom staff seeking to streamline creating visual assets for social media, videos, newsletters, or even articles and data-visualizations.
Doubling Down On Community: How to Build a Loyal and Known Audience — As leading brands intensify their focus on community and user-generated content (UGC) takes center stage, this session will equip you with the tools and strategies needed to thrive.
Newsletter Workshop: Case Studies and Actionable Steps for Success* — An interactive workshop designed for media professionals looking to refine their strategies and drive results. Whether you’re just starting or aiming to scale up your existing newsletter operation, this session offers practical insights and real-world examples to guide your approach and help you achieve greater reach and engagement.
Elevate your audience engagement and product strategies at ONA24
