Use Creativity Correctly in Your Media Relations

(a guest post by Jonathan Bernstein)

Creative writers and thinkers can be some of the best – and some of the worst – media sources. Because we’re creative, we’re good at coming up with what journalists call “golden nuggets,” pithy sound bytes which make their stories read or sound better. For example, I’m fond of talking about the “Three C’s of Crisis Communications,” the notion that a good communicator needs to come across as Confident, Competent and Compassionate. Reporters eat that up. Ditto for another phrase I coined some time ago, “In the absence of communication, rumor and innuendo fill the gap.”

However, there is such a thing as being TOO creative, and getting caught up in hyperbole that turns a good interview into what sounds – to a reporter – like advertising copy or like someone trying to sound cute for cute’s sake, both being a real journalistic turn-off.

So, with that introduction, please enjoy this excerpt from Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training:

Welcome to a new way of thinking about media relations. Even if you have given many ‘good news’ interviews in the past, you’re almost certain to say or do things you’ll regret if you have not been media trained when in a ‘high pressure’ media interview situation. Heck, you may say or do things you’ll regret even if you are media trained – but it’s less likely!

There are some other benefits to this process. Formal media training will:

· Help you develop and refine key messages, to see what really works under the stress of simulated interviews ( and good media trainers will make you forget it’s simulated).

· Optimize your chances of achieving balanced coverage. You’ll notice I say ‘optimize’ – there are no guarantees in this arena.

· Improves skills that transfer to many other types of public speaking – e.g., community presentations, testifying at hearings or in court, giving webinars, etc.

· Allows you to identify who’s an effective spokesperson in general, and who, specifically, may be better for different types of interviews. See Section 4: Media Logistics. And who, perhaps, should not be a spokesperson at all.

In the six years since I published the first edition of this manual, I have seen a dramatic difference in the results of my media training when trainees read the manual pre-training. I think it would have the same result no matter who conducted the training, so I encourage you to take the time to make that happen.

Media relations is, of course, only one component of crisis communications (CLS footnote: Working Style Analysis is another), one of many methods of getting messages to your stakeholders, both internal and external. In times of crisis it’s absolutely essential that your communicators be trained in all those methods. And that they practice their skills regularly, which is why this manual now includes, for the first time, a special section about how to practice media interview skills effectively without a trainer present.

(We invite you to join us for the Keeping the Wolves at Bay virtual tour. The schedule and more details can be found at http://bookpromotionservices.com/2010/04/28/keeping-wolves-bay-tour/. For more information and to get your copy, visit http://www.thecrisismanager.com/ or http://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Wolves-Bay-Media-Training/dp/1450582206)

A Learning Style Profile of a Teenage Video Gamer

The Pros

• Video games improve your hand-eye coordination.
• They can teach you problem solving, quick thinking, logistics, mapping, spacial manipulation and many other skills.
• Playing is more interactive than watching TV.

The Cons

• Video games eat up the time that might otherwise be spent doing active stuff outdoors.
• Even if you're playing in teams, gaming is not a social activity.
• For certain personality types, violent games may lead to violent behaviour in real life.
• It's an addictive pastime.

Of course, a teenager whose learning style is kinesthetic and social-groups is less likely to become addicted to gaming than a teenager who is a loner, concentrates best when sitting still, has a combination visual-tactile learning style with a high persistence component. To determine your teen's learning style, start here.

Anger Management and Learning Styles

Anger and Irritability

Are you prone to numerous outbursts of anger or frequent bouts of irritability? Chances are, you are experiencing a working style mismatch.

Everybody has a unique Working Style a way in which you concentrate, make decisions and solve problems. If you are forced to work in a different way, one that is not inherently you, you will usually experience stress and frustration, which may result in your losing your cool in front of your boss or your loved ones.

The mismatches can be anywhere:

• multitasking when you're a type of person who needs to concentrate on a single thread (In today’s electronic world, it’s not unusual to read emails while talking on the phone; and it’s virtually expected of you to handle several projects at the same time.)

• details versus the big picture
• communication style
• type of lighting in the room
• time of day
• see more here.

Are you feeling stressed?

If you find it hard to concentrate at work or experience feelings of stress when entering your office, it could be that at least one of your biological needs is not satisfied. Ask yourself:

· Do I need to sit while working, or would I prefer to move about?

· Would sipping a glass of water or eating an apple while reading email help my concentration?

· Could I work more effectively earlier in the day or later at night?

· Do I need silence or background music when concentrating?

· Should my office light be bright or dim?

· Should my office be cool or warm?

· Does my desk feel right or would I rather work on the floor?

· Do I like working on my own, or do I miss being part of a team?

To answer these questions, do a Working Style Analysis (WSA) today.