Media Training

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on-camera interview

Camera Ready: A Guide to Broadcast Interviews

December 16th, 2020 by

Being on camera means so much more than how your executive or spokesperson appears on television. In addition to TV there’s YouTube and live streaming platforms, TikTok and Snapchat and IGTV…we could go on. Because screens are literally everywhere, brand representatives need to learn to embrace the limelight. Whether it be a spokesperson or an influencer, those in positions of power need to be ready to connect with the public.

Mixing the Truth, Politics, Mark Esper, Lawyers and PR

November 10th, 2020 by

It’s an axiom of PR and communication that you shouldn’t lie to the media, even during an exit interview. The media often has a way of finding out the truth. When so much of our public life is committed to video, it makes getting away with lying very difficult. And then there are groups who’ll make videos about you.

How Communicators Can Help Fight Disinformation

November 3rd, 2020 by

Fighting against disinformation is an emerging discipline for communicators.  If you think of it as the next generation of issues management, it becomes a skill communicators need to learn and study to avoid getting caught up in the quagmire of misleading information. Here are ways communicators can help.

Harris and Pence Took Heat for Pivoting, So Is It Cool for PR?

October 21st, 2020 by

Pivoting is a staple of PR media training. But after the VP debate a few weeks ago, is it still a viable tactic? Does avoiding answering a question still work in this transparent world? Yes and no. (See what we did there?) We asked a group of communicators for their views on pivoting within PR and also in politics. In addition, we asked for best practices. Here’s what they told us.

presidential debate

Dignity and Respect Biggest Losers in First Presidential Debate of 2020

September 30th, 2020 by

The first Presidential Debate of 2020 seemed neither presidential nor a debate. In a contentious and interruptive shouting match that resembled an argument between angry old uncles at Thanksgiving dinner, President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden offered little to help undecided voters.

frustrated, mobile

How to Say ‘No Comment’ Without Actually Saying It

September 4th, 2020 by

PR pros who’ve made the jump from journalism may remember how upsetting it was when a PR pro or corporate executive answered a question with, “No comment.” Veteran PR pro and, yes, former reporter Arthur Solomon offers a bevy of responses communicators and executives can use when they don’t want to comment, but also wish to avoid uttering those damnable words, “No comment.”

presidential debate

Messages Received? Hits and Misses at America’s Virtual Conventions

August 28th, 2020 by

We asked veteran PR pro, DC insider and crisis guru Gene Grabowski of kglobal to assess the effectiveness of messages presented at the political conventions. Which speakers (if any) benefitted from the virtual format, seemed genuine, used humor effectively and, most important, persuaded undecided voters to support their candidate?

interview

Has the Novel Coronavirus Killed Media Training?

August 24th, 2020 by

Should you defer media training owing to the pandemic’s restrictions on travel and social distancing? While it’s a bit trickier during COVID-19, and in-person coaching is best, technology workarounds exist, our author, a former TV journalist, argues.

Can You Create a Perfect Interview? PR Pros Tell You How

August 20th, 2020 by

Recently, we asked PR pros about how to handle an executive who was having a terrible time with one-on-one interviews. This time, we turned the tables a bit, asking how they’d create the perfect interview. They had a lot to say, even though the perfect interview might not exist.

‘Mr. President, How About an Interview?’ PR Pros Advise the White House

August 5th, 2020 by

It’s the White House calling. Your expertise in strategic communication is needed. They want you to rush over right away. The question on the table is one you’ve handled many times before with CEOs and other C-suite members: What do you advise when the CEO’s 1:1 interviews are a disaster? Should the CEO continue to do interviews?