Archive for media training
Media Training Tip #16: Don’t Be Tempted by the Awkward Silence
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In my experience as a newspaper reporter, the best quotes came outside the boundaries of the “formal” interview. Always on the record, sources were more relaxed and able to provide good material while waiting for the PR assistant to show up, or walking to the elevator when the interview was over.
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.
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 #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.
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.
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.
Media Training Tip #13: Interview Preparation Must Include Message 'Internalizing'
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Thanks to David Parmet for his recent Tweet about the reaction of CNN’s Jack Cafferty to a clip from Gov. Sarah Palin’s recent interview with CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric.
Politics aside (way aside, actually), I think this clip is one of the best examples I’ve seen that so clearly shows someone searching their memory for the talking points that suddenly weren’t there, despite (what I believe) were many, many rehearsals and cram sessions.
Spokespeople need counsel and practice for even the most routine of interviews, but especially so when it is as high stakes as one for a major media outlet and where the questions require thoughtful, informed and substantive responses.
The next time you are preparing for an interview, keep this clip in mind as a reminder of how critical it is to digest the message points so you can concisely express them in your own words as well as apply them easily and effectively in other, relevant contexts, i.e. internalize them.
Media Training Tip #4: It's All About Preparation
Posted by: | CommentsThe Washington Post is midway through its 12-installment series on what they call “Washington’s most famous unsolved crime” – the disappearance and murder of Chandra Levy, the California college student who served an internship with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and went missing for a year before her remains were found in Rock Creek Park in Washington, D. C.
Our interest in this case is two-fold. First, Sawmill Marketing Public Relations provided ongoing PR counsel and media relations assistance to the Levy family beginning as the initial non-stop coverage subsided. With our urging, the family agreed not to talk with any media until someone had been arrested for their daughter’s murder.
The second reason is that we believe former U.S. Congressman Gary Condit is the poster boy for how not to conduct yourself with the media. In fact, we use his diastrous interview with Connie Chung on ABC’s PrimeTime Live in our media training as one of the best examples of “bad decision to agree to be interviewed meets bad interview preparation and execution.”
As they view the tape, media training participants note how his body language, posture, facial expression, monotone and hostile attitude each combine to underscore the emptiness of his answers. Why agree to an interview if you are unwilling to put forth your best effort to get your message across?
We’re convinced that the keys to a successful media interview, regardless of the topic, situation or outlet include:
Basic, but thorough, understanding and command of your subject matter;
Knowledge of and practice with simple, easy-to-remember techniques for staying on and returning to your agreed upon messages;
Overview of what the interview will be about, the reporter’s history with the topic and the outlet (tells you about the audience);
Preparation time to gather your thoughts, think about potential questions and therefore answers, take a quick check in the mirror to make sure your lunch is not on your chin; take a few deep breaths;
Greeting the reporter with a smile and a handshake – just as you would a colleague – and be yourself.
Imagine what our perceptions of Gary Condit would be today – many years after the fact – if he had been better prepared to more skillfully deal with the scrutiny of the media. Regardless of what people think of him, he has paid a hefty price for his inability to effectively deal with the press at a time when he most needed their empathy, influence and fairness.
[Photo: The Washington Post]
Media Training Tip #11: Don't Let This Happen To Your Spokesperson
Posted by: | CommentsConsidering whether it would be a good idea to arrange a media training session for your company spokesperson? Then immediately click on this link featuring “The Economy? Words Fail Me,” Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank’s video recap of a press conference gone bad.
This is probably the most alarming example we’ve seen showing the dangerous mix of (a.) a well-meaning and educated spokesman who’s uncomfortable and not fully prepared, and, (b.) a member of the print media (armed with a cameraperson) on the hunt for a new and entertaining angle to a story.
There is no doubt about the expertise of interview subject and Harvard Ph.D. Phillip Swagel, the Treasury Department’s “sacrificial lamb” for an early July 2008 press conference about the economy. But some basic media training and interview preparation techniques could have made his day in the spotlight a little less painful to watch.
Media Training Tip #30: Counting Down Helps to Stay in Control
Posted by: | CommentsCounting down is an easy and effective technique to use to stay in control during a media interview.
For example, count down the number of points you wish to make and use your fingers to do so. It will help you to stay on track and signals your agenda to the reporter.
Also, you’re less likely to be interrupted when you count down.
Media training tips can be simple, but in order to master them, it’s best to rehearse in front of a camera.
Western ski resorts, an observer (from a resort’s advertising agency – so what does that say?) asked when were we going to talk about what you should wear when being interviewed. Like, does a blue shirt really look better on camera and how early should you be at the station for your makeup session?While we believe that your appearance is a consideration as you prepare for an interview, we first and foremost believe (and train) that what you say and how you say it are the mandatories of a successful interview. And we also train that your body language oftentimes speaks louder than your words so we provide tips and practice on this important element.
If you are considering media training for yourself and/or for others in your organization, we encourage you to request a curriculum outline from the trainers you are evaluating to make sure you are spending your time and money wisely. Hint: it’s easy enough to find a list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to what to wear; a customized message development and training session is entirely different. Feel free to review our media training outline to use as a guide.
