When news media call, who answers? Every company should think about responding to calls from media and other people off the beaten path. How often might an average company get such calls – once in a blue moon. How often are media calls crucial to the company – every single time. Much more important than who fields that call is how the recipient handles the … Continue reading Answering ‘the’ call
Quite often, our principle media trainer opens a class by asking his business executive students, “What is the most important thing you want to say to the media about your company today?” The answer, almost always, is “Our company is a forward-thinking leader in our business space with best-of-class products and outstanding service.” In other words, the students’ angle is a line direct from the … Continue reading Your angle?
Whenever I’m interviewing somebody or watching someone being interviewed on television, I often marvel at the gyrations being performed, along with the words being spoken. I should say this is also an affliction suffered by some TV hosts who find it either attractive or compulsory to engage in gesticulation. But unless you are explaining, step-by-step, how to climb a tree or demonstrating how you caught that … Continue reading Do the herky-jerky
Here’s some basic information and perhaps some solace for the many executives out there who fear and even hate the news media. They believe journalists are ‘out to get’ whatever industry the executive represents whether it is oil and gas, financial, real estate , sports or even pharmaceuticals and food. In many cases, this fear and loathing is based on ignorance of the job of … Continue reading Not out to get you
The media training session in Silicon Valley was going well; the half dozen men around the table, representing the top tiers of the tech company’s sales and marketing wings, were half-way through their practice interviews. The questions had to do with their product lines, their reseller network and their end customers. No generic stuff here! Then, a guy we will call Harry came up to … Continue reading The day the ceiling fell in
Even if you believe the interviewer really did ask a good question, keep it to yourself. Maybe it was the very question you hoped would be asked so you could deliver your important message. But journalists can be a suspicious lot. The greener ones will take the compliment about the ‘good question’ and feel more kindly toward the interviewee. Maybe. The craggier ones will think … Continue reading “Hey. Good question”
Many executives may be tempted to give personal opinions today following the surprising victory of Donald Trump. Some CEOs already publicly have deplored the fact Trump will shortly become President of the U.S.A. while others have praised The Donald. Both sides are making what could become large mistakes. Executives and others should be extremely cautious when making any political comment on social media or through … Continue reading Before you hit ‘send’
Media training is a must today for senior executives in large corporations. The question is, what is it and what does it train one to do? Good question. Media training can be an extremely valuable experience or an exercise in misdirection. Unbelievably, a great deal of media training is being done by people who have never worked a day of their lives in the news … Continue reading Media training: it has to be good
The Interview – it is one of the best tools for building credibility for your brand and for explaining the basics of your products and services to huge numbers of potential customers. Every time a newspaper, television or radio reporter asks a company representative for an interview, the firm should throw a party and serve champagne. This is your chance to take your message to … Continue reading The Interview beats The Standup
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