Mr. Media Training

I started this blog in July 2010. I never expected it to take off so quickly. 

Before I started writing the blog, I’d read that it takes 12-18 months of regular blogging to find an audience. It took just four months for this blog to attract thousands of readers each week. I never expected that, and owe that success to a whole lot of people. 

First, to all of you silent readers: Google Analytics tells me you’re out there, reliably checking in. Thank you.  

Second, to all of you who have sent the blog’s posts around on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn: thank you. I’ve tried to thank each of you individually, but I know I’ve missed people along the way. You’ve generously helped me reach your own networks, and for that, I am grateful.

Finally, to the other bloggers who have linked to my stories and given the Mr. Media Training site a running head start, thank you. Your names and websites are listed on the blogroll in the right margin, and I hope readers will give you a look.

I hope you’ll continue to support the blog next year. In the meantime, I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year filled with every personal and professional success you’ve ever dreamed of.

Related: The Ten Worst Media Disasters of 2010

Related: Election 2012 Preview: The Final Rankings

Blogging is a strange thing. Some stories that you expect to be huge hits get virtually no traffic, while others intended as quick stories attract thousands of readers.

Today, I offer five of my favorite stories that failed to attract an audience during 2010. Since these stories all feel a bit abandoned, I hope you’ll show them some love!

5. Can You Stop an On-Air Laughing Fit?

In December, at least three newscasters – two American, one British – lost it when they started laughing hysterically on-the-air. It got me wondering: is there anything you can do to stop uncontrolled fits of laughter? Click here to read more.

4. Hostage Press Conference: Losing Control 

September’s hostage standoff at the Discovery Building in Silver Spring, Maryland ended without any innocent lives being harmed (the hostage taker was shot and killed by police). Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger briefed reporters while the hostage incident was still unfolding, and his press conference offered an opportunity to deconstruct a common mistake spokespersons make during crisis communications. Click here to read more.

Chief Manger "Opened the Door" During His Press Conference. Photo: Government of Montgomery County, Maryland

3. Verbal White Space: The Importance of Pausing

The graphic design concept of “white space” is a principle of design that gives the eye a “place to rest.” A similar concept – one I’ve dubbed “verbal white space” – should be applied in every speech you ever give. Click here to read more.

2. Why Scientists Are Such Terrible Spokespersons

Scientists are losing a lot of battles. Polls find fewer Americans believing in manmade climate change. Forty percent of Americans agree with the strict creationist view that the Earth was created just thousands of years ago. And scientists are part of the problem, making people less likely to believe their conclusions. Here are three reasons they fail – and what they can do to improve. Click here to read more.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

1. How To Write the Perfect Speech Introduction

I love this story. And I can say that without being immodest, since the heart of the piece isn’t mine. What can Mad Men’s Don Draper teach you about public speaking? I found at during a recent lecture featuring the program’s creator, Matthew Weiner. If you ever moderate a panel or introduce a speaker, this article will help you avoid being that host who bores your audiences to tears from the very start. Click here to read more.

Remember ALF, the 1980s sitcom that millions watched but no one actually admitted watching?

Last week, a new outtakes clip from ALF hit the Internet, in which the actor playing ALF made a series of offensive comments. 

Warning: This clip contains offensive language. 

People have long debated the appropriateness of racist language in comedy, and I don’t intend to enter that debate with this blog post. It’s not much of a leap, though, to suggest that many people surely find the actor’s use of the “n-word” offensive. That the actor also mocked people with Tourette’s Syndrome (a topic of a then-recent L.A. Law episode) and aimed sexually explicit jokes toward a female co-worker is also notable, but not the topic of this post.

Instead, I’d like to highlight the response of a former ALF associate producer, Steve Lamar, who was asked by TMZ about the new outtakes clip earlier this week:

“You’re talking about 20 years ago when the world was not so ridiculously PC. Anyone that’s offended needs to lighten up already.”

The problem, according to Mr. Lamar, isn’t that an actor used words on-set that are offensive to a wide swath of Americans – but rather that those Americans are “ridiculous.” Plus, his inference that the n-word was acceptable in the 1980s seems rather dubious. 

Instead of simply apologizing, Mr. Lamar chose to dig in, extending the shelf-life of the story and diminishing his reputation. His comment reminds me of the one that forced former Sen. Trent Lott to resign his leadership post in 2002 (his quip at a birthday party for Sen. Strom Thurmond seemed wistful for simpler, more segregationist times).  

If given another chance to comment, Mr. Lamar would be wise to simply express his regret for the use of racist language on the ALF set and apologize to those offended by the incendiary words.

He might take a lesson on tone from MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, who offered a textbook apology after unintentionally stepping into a racial minefield with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele earlier this year:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Finally, I’m not sure why Mr. Lamar even chose to comment on-the-record, as the clip doesn’t suggest he personally uttered any of these words. But if he’s going to comment, he better get it right.

Note: The video’s caption, “Alf Say Bad Words VERY FUNNY!!!” was given by the video’s poster, not by me.

People love watching media mistakes, and I’m as guilty as anyone of airing the worst media disasters on this blog. But once in a while, someone gets it exactly right – and today’s blog story will highlight one of the best crisis press conferences I’ve seen this year.

During the early evening of September 9th, a natural gas pipeline exploded in San Bruno, California, killing eight people and injuring dozens. In total, 38 homes were completely destroyed.

Within a few hours, San Bruno Mayor Jim Ruane and Fire Chief Dennis Haag delivered the following press conference: 

Communicating in the immediate aftermath of a crisis is rarely easy. Spokespersons have to speak without the benefit of full information during an emotional time, and speaking to the press is just one of dozens of tasks they have to fulfill.

But spokespersons don’t have to be perfect to succeed. They are judged positively for demonstrating their confidence and competence – something Mayor Ruane and Fire Chief Haag did quite well. Here are at least five reasons they succeeded:

1. Spelled N-A-M-E: The Mayor began the press conference by spelling his name for reporters and positioning himself correctly for the television cameras.

2. Prioritized the Victims: Mayor Ruane opened with a statement that prioritized the victims of the blast:

“All I have to say is a terrible, terrible tragedy has fallen on our city this afternoon. Our main concern as public officials here [is] making sure our citizens are safe. We’re trying to do that right now…I would ask anybody who sees this broadcast tonight to say a special prayer for those people.”

3. Appeared Genuinely Upset: In addition to getting the words right, Mayor Ruane got the tone right by delivering his words in a heartfelt manner that showed genuine concern for those affected by the explosion. That may sound like an obvious point, but too many spokespersons shed their humanity when speaking in an official role.

4. Defined Roles Well: Mayor Ruane and Fire Chief Haag both had clearly defined roles, preventing the awkward transitions that too often mar press conferences. Mr. Ruane’s job was to express sympathy for the victims and speak on behalf of the City’s commitment to help, while Mr. Haag’s job was to offer technical information regarding the blast.

Aftermath of the San Bruno Blast. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

5. Didn’t Speculate: Fire Chief Haag was a bit too technical at moments, but he did a lot of things right. When asked how many people had evacuated, he didn’t speculate but told reporters what he knew:

“All I know at this time is that there were 100 people in our evacuation center.”

When asked how long evacuees might have to stay away from their homes, he again refused to speculate – but explained why:

“I couldn’t venture to guess at this point until we really get down there to assess the situation.”

Fire Chief Haag should have identified himself at the beginning of the press conference. He could have explained certain terms better (what, precisely, does “containment” mean)? But in the context of this press conference, those were rather small and correctible problems.

In a crisis, the public wants to make sure their representatives “get it,” care, and are competent to fix the problem. Both men did that well, making this one of 2010’s best press conferences.

Editor’s note: I e-mailed Mayor Ruane yesterday. I asked him if he would be willing to share with my readers how he came to be such an effective spokesperson. I was curious whether he had attended media training sessions, and if so, what he took away from them. Mr. Ruane was kind to reply, and a portion of his response is below:

“What you witnessed that night was our sincere concern for our community and our desire to provide our residents with our latest information.

I am honestly uncomfortable discussing how we handled a news conference when our focus right now is solely on helping our community recover. 

In the future I believe I will be willing to share some of our lessons learned about crisis communications so that our experience may help other communities. I truly hope you understand.”

Mr. Mayor: Yes, I completely understand, and I admire your decision to remain focused on your constituents instead of basking in a personal recognition. When you’re ready to discuss lessons learned, I hope you’ll consider sharing them with us. May you and your constituents find greater peace in the New Year.

Related: Is a Written Statement Enough in a Crisis?

Related: Hostage Press Conference: Losing Control

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ve seen my regular advice to do almost every media interview you’re offered. But there are times when turning down an interview makes the most sense, and this article will discuss the times when saying “no” is your best move.

Below, you’ll find a list of seven times to turn down an interview.

The original list comes from the IABC (The International Association of Business Communicators). Although it’s a solid list, the tips are overly-generalized, so I’ve added my own commentary to each of the seven suggestions to help make them more complete.

1. Employees Have Not Yet Been Notified About a Specific Issue

As a general piece of advice, this is fine. But if a reporter is about to run a story with or without your input – and if you lack the logistical ability to inform your employees directly before it runs – it might make sense to participate in the story to ensure you provide the necessary context. Plus, what is the “specific issue” at play here? Announcing a new product before all employees have been notified (e.g. the iPad) might be strategically sound, while announcing employee layoffs through the press would not be.

2. Employee, Client or Patient Privacy Is Never Breached For Any Reason

Client confidentiality might be waived, for example, if you’re subpoenaed to testify in a lawsuit or before Congress, especially if no confidentiality agreement was signed between the parties.

3. A Disaster or Emergency Has Occurred and Next-of-Kin Have Not Been Notified

I agree you should not be the first party to announce any deaths before next-of-kin has been notified, but what happens if the media has already announced the names? Do you confirm them then, or continue to wait hours – or days – before next-of-kin has been notified? These cases aren’t always cut and dried, and sometimes confirming the names is the more humane choice.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

4. Sensitive Competitive Information Would Be Divulged

In a reputational crisis, there are times you might lose more by NOT divulging a proprietary piece of information. As with any crisis, you have to analyze all possibilities, including divulging competitive information.

5. Security Legislation Would Be Breached

Whistleblowers aside, this is probably good advice. I assume this refers to laws already passed, not pending legislation.

6. Union Negotiations are Underway and an Information Blackout is in Effect

If both sides are honoring the agreement, this is good advice. But what about when one party breaks the agreement and is killing you in the press? You should talk to the media – if not to offer specifics, at least to remind the public that you’ve agreed to an information blackout, that you’re not going to talk for that reason, but that there’s more to the story than they’re hearing from the other side. 

7. Legal Counsel Has Advised Against Communications

If there’s one thing on this list that makes me bristle, it’s this one. First, even if counsel has advised against “communications,” you can still communicate. You can almost always offer a generic statement such as, “We can’t offer specifics in this case since it’s in litigation, but I would like to remind everyone that there are two sides to this story, and we’re confident that our side will come out in court.”

Second, legal counsel often advises against communications as a kneejerk reaction, even when communicating makes the most sense. Executives would be wise to consult their attorneys and their communications professionals prior to making such decisions. Sometimes the reputational damage caused by your silence is greater than the financial damage of future lawsuits.

Editor’s Note: A grateful hat tip to a good marketing blog called IMC Intuition by Beth Ryan, on which I originally saw this list.

If you ever moderate a panel or introduce a speaker, you should read this. I want to prevent you from being that host who bores your audiences to tears from the very start by introducing guests with the blandness of a Wikipedia page.  

I attended a discussion in New York City last week featuring the creator, director, and writer of AMC’s Mad Men, Matthew Weiner.  

The program’s moderator was Thane Rosenbaum. Although Mr. Rosenbaum has impressive bona fides (he’s an author, novelist and law professor), I had never heard of him and wasn’t expecting much. He ended up being one of the best moderators I’ve ever seen.  

This article is going to focus on two of the things he did right during the evening – and what you can learn from them.  

Moderator Thane Rosenbaum

First, his introduction of Matthew Weiner was perfect, and serves as a model for speechwriters:  

“James Madison, the fourth president of the United States and one the authors of its Constitution, would be surprised to learn that his name would one day become better known for where Don Draper works.  

Madison supplied the avenue, but the hard-drinking, skirt-chasing executives of the golden age of advertising would eventually inspire TV writer Matthew Weiner to create Mad Men and its romance with the New York City of the early 1960s, with its revolving doors of businessmen wearing fedoras, halos of cigarette smoke everywhere, incestuous office politics, stiff drinks during work hours, blatant racism and casual anti-Semitism.  

These were the days before the pill, before drivers buckled up with seatbelts, before anyone had ever heard the words sexual harassment or civil rights, before long hair was in and Brylcreem was uncool, when no one took the Surgeon General’s warnings seriously or gave up red meat, when wars were always regarded as noble, when going to the moon was something Jackie Gleason said, and not something astronauts could actually do.  

Man Men depicts a cosmopolitan Camelot, centering on a Kennedy-esque family in Ossining, alluringly attractive but fatally flawed.  

With its critical praise and legion of obsessive fans, Mad Men is striking a nerve in the American psyche, and, ironically, it’s doing so a time when traditional advertising has lost some of its glamour. Tobacco companies have become pariahs and magazines are on life support. Now it’s all about eyeballs on screens, and all eyes are on Mad Men.”  

© 2010 Thane Rosenbaum  

Mr. Rosenbaum succeeded with this introduction because:  

1. 1. He set the mood for the evening perfectly. In just two minutes, he transported the audience from the Lexington Avenue of 2010 to the Madison Avenue of 1961.
2. 2. He didn’t make it about himself. He knew the audience was there to see Matthew Weiner, so he spoke only as long as necessary to set the stage - and not a moment longer.
3. 3. He used short, evocative phrases (“halos of cigarette smoke,” “before long hair was in and Brylcreem was uncool”), allowing the audience to engage with his words by forming specific mental images.
4. 4. In his third paragraph, he effectively used a speech device called anaphora - or repetition - to set up each of his examples. He began phrases with the word “before” four times and the word”when” three times.
5. 5. He didn’t list Mr. Weiner’s achievements. The audience was already familiar with Weiner’s work and didn’t need additional details since the relevant ones would emerge throughout the conversation anyway.
6. 6. He delivered his opening with energy, varied his vocal delivery, and paused in all the right places.

Mad Man Creator Matthew Weiner

Second, you know that moment after the moderator welcomes the guest to the stage when the two shake hands and awkwardly make their way to their seats?  

Mr. Rosenbaum gracefully prevented that moment. During the introduction, he stood at a lectern with two empty seats to his left. When he said, “Ladies and gentlemen, Matthew Weiner,” he remained at the lectern until Mr. Weiner took his seat. Only then did he walk across the stage and take his seat. It’s a small point, but an important one for the professional speaker.  

Learn from Mr. Rosenbaum. Take your introductions as seriously as any other part of your presentation. By doing so, you will set the perfect tone for your program while establishing yourself as an expert speaker from the very first moment.

Note: I’ll be taking the rest of the week off to enjoy the holiday break. Enjoy the time with your family and friends, and see you all back here Monday morning!

On October 3, 2000, Al Gore and George W. Bush squared off in the first of three presidential debates, an evening best remembered for Mr. Gore’s incessant sighing at his opponent’s answers.

I was in Tampa, Florida that night, helping to produce a CNN town hall meeting with a handful of undecided voters.

On the flight home the next day, a colleague and I dissected the previous night’s debate. We both concluded that it had been a disaster for Mr. Gore, and that he’d have to leave his boorish sighs behind for the second debate.

When we got off the plane, we starting walking toward baggage claim until my colleague recognized a fellow passenger.

“Oh, hello Mr. Secretary, “ my colleague said.

“Interesting conversation you were having on the plane,” he said.

It turns out that we failed to notice the passenger sitting directly in front of us on that flight, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman – one of Mr. Gore’s colleagues. Fortunately, the Secretary said he agreed with our remarks. But it’s a good metaphor for what can go wrong when spokespersons forget they’re always “on the record” when they speak in public.

I’m constantly amazed by what I observe in public – lawyers on packed Amtrak cars discussing sensitive cases loudly on their cell phones, businessmen working on documents marked “confidential” in plain sight on airplanes, and politicos hashing out controversial strategy over lunch within earshot of fellow diners.

Those people have no idea who I am. I could be their opposing counsel, or their direct business competitor, or a political reporter. And if I can use the information I learn against them, I will.

Media interviews don’t end when you hang up the phone or leave the studio. So it’s a good idea to treat any conversation in populated public space as an on-the-record interview.

This post is unprecedented. But since this is a media training blog, I decided to use my own media relations disaster story as a case study.

Earlier this morning, I released the Top Ten Media Disasters of 2010, my big year-end wrap up of the the worst media gaffes committed by spokespersons this year. I placed the story on a national wire, sent it to my network on Facebook and Twitter, and pitched it to a couple of larger websites.

One of those website was Mediaite, a fast-growing website started by NBC News alum Dan Abrams that boasted two million unique visitors last month. Colby Hall, the Managing Editor of Mediaite, expressed interest in the story, and we agreed that I would allow Mediaite to copy the story onto their own platform, with full attribution to the Mr. Media Training Blog.

Everything was running smoothly until I did a Google search to see the day’s coverage.

To my surprise, Mr. Hall appeared on Shepard Smith’s Fox News Channel program this afternoon to discuss my story. The video of his appearance is here. I was disappointed to see that Fox News had fonted the segment, “Mediaite.com Releases List of 10 Worst Media Disasters,” but gave them the benefit of the doubt that they didn’t know the story’s origin.

But then, to my even greater surprise, Mr. Hall claimed the story as his own. Here’s a portion of the transcript:

Shepard Smith: “How did you pick these?” 

Colby Hall: “Uhh, well, there was no shortage of choices. Turns out people said a lot of stupid things in the past year, and the confluence of cable TV and the Internet, we cover every base, so there was no shortage of choices, but we have a lot to choose from.”

Shepard Smith: “Your number five one, this isn’t actually on your site, this isn’t on your website. You picked for us the President giving up the podium for former President Clinton. Why’d you pick that for us and not for your website?” 

Colby Hall: “Well, we had done the list before that happened.”

Colby Hall During a Previous Fox Appearance

Mr. Hall’s segment ran five minutes. Not once did he – or Fox News – credit this blog. Nor did he — or anyone at Mediaite — have anything to do with choosing the clips in my original story. 

I e-mailed him this evening to ask what happened. Below is an excerpt of his response:

“…their producers saw your post and asked to have me speak about it. I had every intention to credit you properly but it was live, and I’m pretty much a novice on TV and I totally spaced. Not an excuse – I just didn’t do it because, well…my mind was racing….I can certainly understand why you’d be frustrated by how that taping went down.” 

Sounds reasonable. But then I went back to Mediaite, and saw this story, posted on Mediaite today at 5:34pm. It reads:

“Earlier today, Mediaite Managing Editor Colby Hall appeared on Fox News’ Studio B with Shepard Smith to discuss Mediaite’s Ten Worst Media Disasters of 2010, and after running down the titular list, Smith gave a boost to the site’s street cred. Not only did Smith correctly pronounce the name of our site (unlike Rush Limbaugh), but went on to observe “It’s not like you guys are always wonderful to us, but I always enjoy reading it.”

Reality isn’t always wonderful to them, either, but it is to Fox News’ credit that they aren’t afraid to acknowledge criticism, and still engage with the source of it. Here’s Colby Hall’s appearance on Studio B (from Fox News): (you can read Mediaite’s Ten Worst Media Disasters of 2010 here)

So where did Fox News get the idea that this was Mediaite’s work? Well, from Mediaite itself, which completely eliminated the Mr. Media Training attribution in the follow-up story and claimed it as its own – twice.

UPDATE, 10:50pm: I just spoke with Mr. Hall for half an hour. We have a disagreement regarding the word “re-purpose.” From his perspective, re-purpose meant that my work became a “Mediaite” story. I’ve never heard that from any of the dozens of websites I’ve successfully worked with before. From my perspective, my work remains my intellectual property, requiring attribution on every use.

UPDATE: December 21, 5:59am: I just went back and looked at the original e-mails between me and Mr. Hall. Here are his two e-mails to me, unedited, seeking permission to use my work:

Monday, December 20, 8:02am:

Hi Brad — this is great.

Would you be open to us repurposing this entire post under your byline?

Let me know,

Colby

I agreed. At 8:18am, he wrote back, saying:

sure – do you have a bio that I can add to the end? 

To be clear, I’d love to repost the entire feature (which is really well done and comprehensive.)

Again, I agreed to allow that.

His first e-mail indicated that repurposing would occur under my byline. The second makes clear that I agreed to allow him to “repost” — not to allow him to take the story and claim it as Mediaite’s original work on a nationally broadcast television news program.

These e-mails may be subject to interpretation, but it seems to me that Mediaite’s use of my material went beyond the agreement we forged.

UPDATE: December 22, 2010, 8:42am: I received an e-mail blast from Mediaite yesterday afternoon, long after my conversation with Mr. Hall. In the tease to one of its stories, Mediaite once again promoted “their” top ten disasters list. That represents the third time in two days that Mediaite used my work without the promised attribution.

Our agreement together called for attribution of my work. I remain disturbed that he used my work, unattributed, to promote his own brand on the Fox News Channel.

I don’t know if I’ll allow Mediaite to use my material in the future. In the meantime, I’d caution other writers to explicitly define the terms of their agreement with Mediaite before proceeding together.

December 22, 2010: 3:35pm: Thank you to the Fox News Channel’s Shepard Smith, who graciously offered an on-air correction this afternoon. Below are his remarks:

“Couple of days ago, we had a segment that aired here on Studio B that listed the top ten media disasters of 2010. Our guest of that day was the Mediaite.com managing editor, Colby Hall. And as we reported, the media disaster list was published on the Mediaite website. What was not reported was that the original source of the content wasn’t Mediaite. Frankly, because I didn’t know that. That was courtesy of Mr. Media Training blog. So there we go. Cleared up.”

That Mr. Smith took time to issue that comment on a busy news day is even more impressive, and speaks to his commitment to accuracy. I offer my sincerest thanks to Mr. Smith and his executive producer, Jay Wallace.

UPDATE: December 22, 2010, 6:17pm: Here’s the write-up of the incident from the New York Observer.