A reminder to each of us that our comments oftentimes take on a life of their own.  Now give me 20 more push ups!

High Highlight #1: No question..it’s when Jeff came on board and we became SMPR partners. A Public Relations professional to his core who has lead us in new directions…most notably/recently his expertise in social media…he is also a genuinely nice guy and good friend.

High Highlight #2: Being on site (and working around the clock day after day) for five weeks at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City where we represented a resort property that was an unofficial Olympic Village for Nordic ski and biathlon teams from around the world. It was a heady experience working with major national and international media on a daily basis and in close daily contact with athletes of that caliber.

Our Three Maxims:

• Always Take the High Road. No exceptions, no detours.
• It is a Small World. In large measure reputations rise and fall as a result of  this simple statement.
• LOVE what you do or don’t do it anymore. A great day @ SMPR is when we get a “hit” for a client and/or we provide counsel that a client  recognizes as smart, insightful and new.

Thank you for your part in helping us to arrive at age 17 and for your continuing help to propel us to the next 17 years.

The campaign will include strategic message development, traditional media relations, website development and management, community relations, crisis communications planning and spokesperson training.

The $50 million facility, to be located in Baltimore, is the first of several used motor oil recycling operations planned by the company in the United States.

About FCC Environmental

FCC Environmental, LLC provides recycling services for the automotive, commercial and industrial sectors of the U.S. economy. Its service offerings include used oil collection and processing, collection and recycling of used oil filters and antifreeze, along with parts cleaner supply and service, plus field service activity and emergency response capabilities to support the requirements of its customers.

Headquartered in Houston, FCC Environmental has maintained a regional office and operation in Baltimore since 1950.  It has 38 branches and terminals throughout an 18 state operation, serving over 30,000 customer locations. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC), one of the world’s largest environmental service providers with headquarters in Madrid, Spain. With more than 90,000 employees operating in over 50 countries, FCC was able to provide the financial capability and leadership to allow FCC Environmental, LLC to expand its service offerings. For more information, visit www.FCCenvironmental.com.

About Sawmill Marketing Public Relations

Sawmill Marketing Public Relations is a Baltimore PR firm and social media marketing communications 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.

One technique we don’t cover during Sawmill’s media training sessions is the “walk-off.” And for good reason! If you aren’t up for the questions the interviewer is likely to ask, don’t put yourself in that position. If you decide to unclip the microphone and stomp away, it will guarantee coverage, but not the kind you’re looking for. But people still do it! To see some of the best walk-offs, check out this clip from WBAL-TV.

Learning how to deliver your key messages clearly, concisely and consistently has so many valuable  uses beyond communicating effectively in a media interview such as meetings and presentations of all descriptions, employee/staff situations, hiring interviews, and even sensitive family discussions.

There are several other basic media interview tips that can come in handy in a variety of situations beyond those with the media. Email me at susan.anthony@sawmillmarketing and I will be happy to share them with you.

Consider a customized session when you have a critical internal meeting coming up, especially one that will include questions from your staff/employees; a major presentation to your board, key clients or prospects; or an industry event where your expertise will be in the limelight.

Practicing basic techniques such as bridging, flagging and counting in the context of your speaking situation, i.e., media interview versus major presentation or meeting, should be high on your “must do” preparation list.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Why?  Because we’re firm believers in the crisis communications mantra of “tell it all, tell it fast and tell the truth.” This appears to be simple, sound and matter-of-fact when talked about in the calm of a conference room, but yet another matter requiring resolve, courage and leadership should a crisis situation occur.

In our experience, the designated spokespeople who already have a fundamental knowledge of how to communicate their messages to the media are better equipped to immediately focus themselves and their organization on telling it all, telling it fast and telling the truth, rather than to first take a crash course in media training.

Here is an article by CNN on all that they’re up to and what was sent down prior to the rescue, as well as a video showing the media camp set-up for what will surely be a media frenzy in the next few days.

The same goes for a technique we call the “awkward silence.” You’ve answered a question, the reporter looks down at his or her notepad, but the next question doesn’t appear to be coming. Seconds feel like days, so you decide to break the silence. That’s when you’ll likely go off track and make a statement that doesn’t quite fit the plans for the story.

If you answered the question, you answered the question. No need to dilute it just to fill space, so practice recognizing and dealing with that tactic. Better to stumble in your conference room during a private media training session vs. when the cameras are rolling.