Excerpts from recent news stories about Media Training and Media Consulting:



The New York Times
4/21/07
By Abby Ellin

Dr. Ronald R. Rawitt, a New York City psychiatrist, is shy. When he gets nervous, he slips into ''aha'' and ''um'' mode.  As someone who often lectures, this is a problem. It is also an issue because he is looking for work, and he worries that he is not coming off as forcefully as he would like…

So Dr. Rawitt did what more business executives, job seekers, college applicants and aspiring daters are doing: he hired a media trainer, to help him learn how to put his best foot forward.   And why not?  With the rise of YouTube, MySpace vlogs, video resumes and video dating sites, the revolution is being televised right before our eyes. To prepare for their 15 minutes, people are seeking professional help.  And who better than someone who has been in the trenches?



PR Week
2/12/07
PR TOOLBOX

How can listening to messages on voice mail serve as an important media training tool? “One of the most important - and challenging - aspects of media training is boiling down a client's key messages to seven to 12 seconds each,” says Susan Anthony of Sawmill Marketing Public Relations.   In a typical TV story, this small window will likely be the maximum amount of given time to convey a key message.

“During training,” adds Anthony, “we'll often highlight a powerful anecdote from a veteran TV reporter as a way to dramatize the importance of this message window: Check your cell-phone messages.  Notice the point when you get irritated that (it's) going on too long - about 15 seconds.''   This helps clients relate to and appreciate the 12-second interval, which is ample time to respond to any reporter's question with a clear-cut, concise answer that accurately communicates an important message, Anthony notes.



Orlando Sentinel
4/28/07
By Andrea Adelson and Emily Badger

Players get plenty of coaching on the football field or basketball court.  But who is there to help them when it comes time to dealing with the dreaded "M" word -- the media?   Think about it.  Cameras and tape recorders are rolling, reporters are scribbling furiously on notepads and microphones are everywhere.  Would you know exactly what to say and how to say it? That is why most athletic departments have mandatory media training for athletes. Players are given tips on how to interview, deal with positive and negative questions and treat reporters.



PR Week
4/30/07
PR TOOLBOX

What are the benefits of ongoing media training for clients?   “We all know media training is critical to keeping clients on-message, but what many fail to recognize is that as businesses grow, their messages have to change,” explains Susan Lindner of Lotus Public Relations.

“Ongoing media training, or 'refresher sessions,' are essential to helping clients practice message delivery, prepare for tough questions, and proactively respond to competitive threats through the press. Most importantly, it serves to maintain their reputations as experts in their fields.”

“As the media landscape changes,' she adds, 'language is getting more casual, direct, and personal, so spokespeople must adapt their tone and language to these new audiences.”



Speechwriter's Newsletter
10/07
By Kevin J. Allen

CEOs and executives are now being called upon to be spokespeople and this trend means an increased importance in finding effective media training.   Why hire a media trainer?...

1. Issue-based needs.  In these situations, the media trainer's role is to come in just prior to the major announcement.  The media trainer focuses the executives and communications team solely on making that announcement or addressing that issue. In these instances, the media trainer works with the client to think through the questions, practice and get everyone on the same page.

2. Long-term personal skills development.  Whether working with an established CEO or grooming an executive for a top position, companies will invest in that person over a period of time.

3. Organizational skills development.



Media Relations Report
7/07

YouTube is not CNN: Media trainers… explain why social media demands an approachable demeanor for even the steeliest execs.

Before the Web 2.0 era, Hillary Clinton might have announced her presidential candidacy with a splashy press conference in front of a crowd of media.  Today, she does it via a video on her Web site, while sitting on a couch in her cozy living room, looking as though she's ready for a relaxed chat with the viewer.   That approach, say media trainers, has become the standard for leaders who need to communicate beyond the confines of a broadcast TV interview.  Now that they're talking on YouTube and via podcasts, executives need to refresh their media skills -- and in some cases, to make a slight change of mindset...”

"Social media is really a two-way communications model which allows for customer feedback in way that most executives aren't entirely comfortable with," says Amy Simpson, PR account manager at Chandler Ehrlich in Memphis.  "Not only that, but social media requires an immediacy that most executives are not prepared for. It's critical that they learn, first and foremost, how to be conversational and personable, and how to take immediate criticism…"

"YouTube is not CNN, and you can't take the same approach as you would with traditional news outlets," says Simpson.  "Listeners or viewers of social media expect more of a one-on-one conversation, rather than a CEO with stiff upper lip, spouting facts. Social media requires executives to be honest and believable at all costs."



PR Week
2/16/07

Good media training is intellectually rigorous, and helps spokespeople to understand what news is; we define client messages around brands, or issues, and advise on how to communicate them.   Spokespeople learn that different audiences require a different response; they learn to address the question and avoid the glib answer.