BY Andrew Gilman
PR pros know that if you don't want see it in the New York Times, on ABC News or on E!...if you don't want to see it posted on a blog or, even worse, if you don't want
to become subject to a lawsuit, countless hours of depositions, and courtroom time...then don't say it or write it. Professionals either have learned it the hard way, by accident
or by watching others implode. We need to think before we opine in e-mail, instant messages, internal memos -- or on videotape.
Go back a few weeks back to your first reaction upon learning about the former director of PR for the San Francisco 49ers and his so-called "Media Training" videotape,
which included racist remarks and one scene in which three topless woman appear cavorting with PR director Kirk Reynolds. The videotape, which was leaked to the San Francisco
Chronicle, sparked outrage in the Bay Area, begging the question: What exactly was this guy thinking? Did he really think this tape wouldn't see the light of day?
Our job as trainers is not to ridicule a profession in which many of us have worked hard and that we still respect. Our job is to help clients understand the press and to get
fair coverage.
However, the profession can use this scandal as an example to reinforce what's supposed to occur in effective media training -- and to avoid a few potholes in the road to
solid media relations:
- Training videos have a role. First rule: There's no substitute for in-person, on-camera training and critique. But as a refresher or when budgets are tight, a how-
to video with suggested "Qs" and suggested "As" has a role. - No Jokes. If you wouldn't say it on CNN, don't say it in training - on- or off-camera. The purpose of media training is to improve the skills of spokespeople through
serious practice and critique. Practicing scenarios that make fun of fans, clients, customers or issues serves no valid purpose. - Ask the toughest -- not the dumbest -- questions. The best media-training sessions are those that focus on a specific issue or interview. It's not enough to teach
generic bridging techniques. A good trainer can anticipate the questions and how a specific reporter will ask the questions. - "Chain of Custody" matters. At the end of the training session, make sure to collect all of the training tapes or hand them over to responsible parties. Because
training often occurs in a multi-purpose conference room or in a hotel room, check the VCRs for any of the tapes. Even your own personnel may get the wrong message if they
accidentally view a training interview without the context of the entire session. - Teach about relationships with the media. Rather than encourage the contempt or ridicule of a reporter or publication, teach clients how to develop the relationship.
The 49ers these days are similar to a product that's fallen on hard times. They haven't won big in a few years, and they need all the fan support they can get. As a leading golfer
once told me, "You don't need the press when you're on a winning streak. When you need them is when you've lost three or four tournaments in a row. Then you need to suck it up,
walk into the pressroom and say, 'Hey guys. How's it going?'"
Media trainers get hired to improve results. I never want to hear, "I snuck one by the reporter." It's much better when a client says, "The training session was tougher than
the actual interview. I got more quotes in the article (or on air) than I otherwise would have."
Contact: Andrew Gilman is president of Washington, D.C.-based CommCore Consulting. He can be reached at 202.659.4177 or at [email protected].