One day, as a joke in the newsroom, I uttered the phrase, “Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story.” We all laughed. A colleague was pushing for a story to make the evening news, but there were lots of holes in the story and I wanted my story to be […]
Soooooo…. I’ve noticed a new trend. Soooooo…. it appears people think every sentence needs to start with “Soooooo….” Soooooo…. stop it already! I first noticed this alarming trend while teaching media training to a global defense contractor in Los Angeles in 2010. One engineer — a lead engineer –started every sentence with “Soooooo….” It was driving […]
I find it unbelievable that in the 21st century we still find executives who don’t want to take on a reporter or news outlet that has wrongly damaged their reputation. The traditional way of responding to a media outlet that makes a factual error is to ask the management for a retraction. But sometimes the […]
I want you to think for a moment about the last interview you did with a reporter. The reporter asks you a question then you start talking. Think very carefully now – what were you wondering the entire time you were answering the question? In most cases, my media training students will confess that the entire […]
There is much debate about whether the media are biased; especially whether there is a liberal bias. If you truly want to explore that subject, I suggest you read the book Bias by Bernard Goldberg. (http://www.amazon.com/Bias-Insider-Exposes-Media-Distort/dp/0895261901) It has been my experience over the years that much of what is perceived as bias is really the […]
As a media training speaker and media training coach, my clients can sometimes find themselves asking, “What’s the worst that could happen? How much worse could it get? But what if…?” Oh, those great “what if” questions – reporters love those. Why? Well, reporters love a great story and sometimes the story doesn’t materialize the […]
How to Improve Your Crisis Communication During a Disaster It was a surprise to many Emergency Managers and Public Information Officers. After being in demand for telephone interviews during Tropical Storm Lee on September 3-5, 2011 near New Orleans, The Weather Channel opted to start taking live reports from a resident on the front porch […]
How to Write Your Social Media Policy March 1st Webinar Plus the Social Media Revolution – What You Can Learn from Global Events The time is NOW. Social Media is changing nations. But are you watching from the sidelines or digging in and learning how this affects your communications where you work and with your […]
When we look back at the last year and look ahead to this year, I see 3 things that every communicator should do in order to be successful. The 3 things are: 1) Be strategic 2) Be opportunistic, and 3) Be Persistent When communicators ask for advice, I often tell them to know the difference […]
You would think that in 2010, spokespeople would be smart enough not to repeat a negative phrase as part of an interview or as a phrase in an advertising campaign. Surprisingly, it still goes on. This month, the country of Colombia has launched a new tourism campaign. So what do you think of when you […]