Archive for media training
Media Training Tip #11: Company is Coming!
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In preparing for a visit from a member of the esteemed Fourth Estate, focusing on getting yourself ready with relevant talking points, answers to anticipated questions as well as a mock interview session or two are the obvious and right priorities.
However, you should regard this visit much as you would that of any VIP or a guest in your home. Make sure to communicate “Welcome” with a comfortable setting for the interview, appropriate refreshments, and check that the office areas are free of clutter and the restrooms are spotless. Simple but important.
Media Training Tip #28: Don’t Speculate
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For years, we’ve used Exxon Valdez media clips in our Media Training Summit and Crisis Communications Summit programs. Now it looks like BP will replace Exxon in the “what not to do” segment, as BP CEO Tony Hayward has provided all kinds of examples. Where do we start?
How about one of the basics of media training: Don’t speculate. In this clip, watch how he confidently assures us that, while it’s impossible to see at the moment, the disaster is likely to be “very, very modest.”
I think the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to be very, very modest. It is impossible to say and we will mount, as part of the aftermath, a very detailed environmental assessment as we go forward. We’re going to do that with some of the science institutions in the U.S. But everything we can see at the moment suggests that the overall environmental impact of this will be very, very modest. – BP CEO Tony Hayward
Media Training Tip #11: Camera is Always Rolling
Posted by: | CommentsDuring our media training sessions we typically show examples of good and bad interviews to illustrate key points. Here’s a classic from television station KTVI Channel 2 in St. Louis that we should add to the mix! It features investigative reporter Elliott Davis confronting Joe Ortwerth, then-county executive of St. Charles (Mo.) County. Ortwerth didn’t take the “no comment” route, but instead chose a more bizarrre approach to “answering” the question! We first saw the interview a few years ago, but thanks to Ragan Communications (via Tripp Frohlichstein of Media Masters) for bringing it to our attention.
Maryland PR Firm Marks 15th Year Milestone
Posted by: | CommentsBALTIMORE, Md. (October 19, 2009) – Sawmill Marketing Public Relations, a public relations firm headquartered in Baltimore, Md., this month marks its 15th year in business, according to Susan J. Anthony, founder and partner of the Baltimore PR agency that provides social media, traditional media relations, media training and crisis communications planning and execution to business-to-business, business-to-consumer and professional services clients.
“Since our beginning in 1995, so much has changed about how business is conducted – the impact of how we communicate with one another being at the top of the list – as well as how public relations has changed, with the explosion of social media being the most far-reaching change,” Anthony said. “We remain as excited and passionate about the work we do and its positive impact on the business and marketing objectives of our clients as we did 15 years ago.”
In its first 15 years in business Sawmill Marketing Public Relations has provided its services to a variety of high profile clients including the family of Chandra Levy, the landmark Intelligent Design legal case of Kitzmiller, et al versus Dover Area School District that was covered by national and international media, and public relations for ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Today, the firm’s client roster includes companies with national and regional marketplaces in business and service sectors including global asset management, commercial and multi-family real estate development and property management, higher education, health care, architecture/construction management, design-build mechanical contracting and restaurant/food service.
Among the first firms nationwide to establish a social media practice, Anthony and partner Jeffrey A. Davis APR co-author the agency’s four-year-old blog, the PR Buzzsaw, and have developed an expertise in integrating corporate blogging, Facebook and Twitter strategies with traditional communications. In January the PR and social media agency launched the “Sawmill Guide to Baltimore Media on Twitter” listing that has been recognized nationally as the premiere resource of its kind.
About Sawmill Marketing Public Relations
Sawmill Marketing Public Relations is a Baltimore PR and social media marketing agency established in 1995 specializing in the development and execution of marketing public relations programs as business development strategies for business-to-business, business-to-consumer and professional services clients. The Maryland public relations company specializes in social media, traditional media relations, media training, and crisis communications. For additional information, visit www.sawmillmarketing.com.
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PR Buzzsaw Nominated for The Sun’s ‘Mobbie Awards’ Recognizing Best Blogs in Maryland
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Behind Buzz’s veneer of “smart ass, man-about-town, be seen, be heard and often” lies a modest man who was left speechless upon learning his very own PR Buzzsaw blog was nominated by The Baltimore Sun in its Mobbie Awards program – that’s short for Maryland’s Outstanding Blogs!
Fans of the buzzed one have until this Friday, Oct. 9th to vote by visiting the Mobbie Awards section of The Sun’s Web site, entering their account information (or registering for a free Sun account) and clicking. No paper ballots in this election!
Buzz is up against an eclectic group of blogs, some with a dedicated, unrelenting get-out-the-vote machine in place. Buzz prefers a more personable approach, so he humbly asks for your votes. If you really care about Buzz as you profess that you do, please show your love for him with your vote. And don’t let him fall behind the likes of fellow blog/candidates “Your A Idiot” (yep, sic and all, that’s the name) or the Sandra Shaw – Weather in Satin blog that keeps readers entertained with posts on WBAL-TV’s bubbly weather forecastress.
Media Training Tip #8: Be Short, Simple, Memorable
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I spent most of the day yesterday with a correspondent from one of the network morning shows, who offered these words of advice for what he’s looking for in television interviews:
Make your answers short, make them simple and be memorable.
“That’s all we want,” he said, confirming the point we make during the taped mock interview segments of media training sessions. The correspondent knows how to shape the overall story, so the purpose of the interview is to locate that 7-second soundbite to drop in at the appropriate time. Metaphors are a good way to convey a simple point, he said.
Yesterday he taped hours of interviews. The result will be a segment on the national broadcast that’s expected to be about 1 minute 30 seconds, with about 7 seconds for the official spokesperson. So if you haven’t done so lately, schedule a media training session to ensure your spokespeople are aware of how this works and are ready with those brief and memorable soundbites.
Media Training Tip #11 – Integrate Crisis Communications Scenarios with Mock Interviews
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Yesterday we completed a two-day media training session for an “institution of higher learning” in Maryland, and judging from the reactions of the participants, the time was well worth it, even for those who likely will not go before a camera. It opened their eyes to what goes on behind the scenes to help the media assemble a story – and get an organization’s messages delivered accurately and concisely. If you are considering a media training for your college or university, here are some thoughts to consider:
- We had great success integrating the college’s crisis communications plan with the media training. During mock interviews, participants rehearsed answers to potential questions about the H1N1 virus/swine flu, a fire in a campus building, an accusation against an accounting department employee and the crash of a van carrying a sports team. We’re all hoping nothing ever happens, but this college is prepared!
- We worked closely with the PR Department to create a customized program that met their unique needs. They shared with us that other media training firms they interviewed tried to sell them pre-packaged workshops that focused more on what to wear and other “style” pointers vs. a content-focused approach, which of course is more useful.
- The college president wisely asked that a range of personnel be exposed to the session. Not only were deans and others in leadership roles present, but so were staff members from a cross-section of departments, from security to the athletic department to purchasing.
- Each participant was offered the chance to go before the cameras twice. It was time-consuming, but one time is simply not enough. They viewed a tape of their initial appearance, received our constructive on-the-spot criticism and then tried again. Why not allow newbie mistakes to be made in the privacy of your conference room?
- Videotaping participants is more important than ever since many newspaper reporters are carrying video cameras with them these days.
- You should plan for a “refresher” session in about six months. This college has already planned a follow up, which will keep potential spokespeople comfortable and ready.
Ready for your session? Give us a call.
Too Much Information…
Posted by: | CommentsOkay, I’m “it.” I’ve been tagged by Susan Anthony who was tagged by Tracey Halvorsen who was tagged by countless others in the “7 Things…” meme making its way through the blogosphere. Not that you ever asked or wanted to know or even care, but here are seven things you probably didn’t know about me.
1.) I credit my ability to remain calm under pressure to my journalism foundation – especially my days as a newspaper reporter dealing with multiple stress factors, including daily story deadlines and demanding editors. I still wouldn’t trade the low-paying but exciting early days of my career. I got to cover Ronald Reagan and Jesse Jackson as they campaigned through South Jersey in the 80’s. I interviewed Tip O’Neill in 
Atlantic City. In Ohio, many Fall weekends were spent as a photographer for home Ohio State football games. The foundation of that foundation? The outstanding journalism education at Ohio Wesleyan University under professor Verne Edwards.
2.) I played center for the undefeated (10-0) Radnor High School football team that finished the season ranked #2 in football-intense Pennsylvania. Many lessons that lasted a lifetime were taught by Coach George Corner and his staff.
3.)I spent one Thanksgiving inside the Delaware County Jail in Ohio. No, I wasn’t arrested. I couldn’t get home to Villanova, Pa. that year, so decided to stick around for dinner with the inmates and a feature story for the Delaware Gazette where I was a reporter.
4.) Last year around this time I was a finalist in a national Phil Mickelson look-alike contest for a hotel commercial (that’s Lefty, right).
4a.) A dachshund – yeah, one of those weenie dogs that stand a few inches off the ground – once bit me on the mouth, requiring me to get emergency plastic surgery. Don’t ask.
5.) My PR career has exposed me to some interesting assignments, including PR for the family of Chandra Levy, Pope John Paul II’s visit to Baltimore (where I got to board Shepherd I at BWI Airport to check out his private quarters after he headed to downtown Baltimore), the 64th All-Star Game, ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Port Deposit, Md., the landmark Intelligent Design case, PR during the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, and a lacrosse PR assignment during the Duke scandal.
6.) Years ago I escorted Roots author Alex Haley up Main Street in Annapolis to meet the media for interviews following a press conference I helped arrange for what is now the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation. Today th
ere is a bronze statue of Alex Haley at the City Dock, the starting point for a chilling and controversial event I helped organize (and participate in) many years later - the “slavery reconciliation walk” through the streets of Annapolis where along the way protestors held racist signs and shouted names at us.
7.) Responding to a last-minute invitation, I flew to London on Virgin Atlantic Airways (their awesome Upper Class Suite), stayed at the 5-star hotel Claridge’s and attended the Led Zeppelin Reunion Concert at the O2 Arena, all courtesy of a lifelong friend and major Led Zep fan. An incredible time.
There you have it. Now it’s my turn to ask seven others to expose their innermost secrets. How about it? Annie Heckenberger, Jason Mays, Mutha Mae, Tim Windsor, Daniel Victor, Julekha Dash, Steve Sullivan.
Media Training Tip #22: TV Skills Now Needed for Print Interviews
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In years past, some clients seeking media training could ask us to focus on prepping just for print interviews, as the likelihood of getting TV exposure was not that great, so why bother with the cameras?
Those days are over, as newspapers are evolving beyond ink and pulp-based sources for providing the news.
This week we assisted with a press conference that attracted five cameras among the media in attendance: all four Baltimore TV stations as well as a local business newspaper, The Daily Record, which assigned its camera-carrying multimedia reporter, Richard Simon, to cover the announcement.
In another recent example, we conducted a series of media training sessions for executives with a social-networking technology company. Starting with local and regional newspapers (partly to refine our message delivery before moving on to the national media and trade press) we included a stop at the Frederick News-Post in Maryland, hometown paper for one of the co-founders.
Sitting in the newsroom, we wrapped up a standard newspaper interview with one of the paper’s business writers for a cover story in the paper’s weekly business insert.
But the next step in the interview process revealed how far newspapers – even a 40,000-circulation daily in Central Maryland – have gone/are headed: they requested an interview for a video version of the story to appear in the multimedia section of the newspaper’s Web site. Our client had gone through Sawmill’s full media training session and was familiar with the nuances of a TV interview, so we were comfortable moving to the on-camera interview.
These real-life examples bring up an issue for executives thinking they can skip the TV-preparation portion of a media training session (and wear whatever they want to the newspaper interview!). Not anymore, as the lines blur and newspapers take on a greater role as multimedia providers of news.
