Mr. Media Training

I’ve conducted hundreds of media training workshops over the past decade, so few questions surprise me anymore. But one recent trainee asked a question I hadn’t heard before, one you would more commonly hear in an acting class: “What’s their motivation?”

In method acting, actors seek to understand what motivates their characters, which helps inform the choices they make in their roles. Similarly, in an effort to understand what reporters are seeking, our trainee wanted to understand what motivates their tough questions.

With a nod to Stanislavski, today’s article looks at the five reasons reporters ask tough questions. 

1. They Want The Truth: According to The Elements of Journalism, journalism’s first obligation is to tell the truth. Journalists often see themselves as truth-seekers, and they ask tough questions in an effort to get the facts.

2. They Want The Whole Truth: Sources who tell the truth often tell the version of the truth they want you to hear. But reporters are less interested in the public party line than what sources are privately telling their colleagues. That means that reporters may have to ask challenging questions, play the “nice guy,” play dumb, or use an extreme journalistic tactic to learn the rest of the story.

3. They Want to Represent the Underdog: The media are often referred to as the “Fourth Estate,” because they’re supposed to act as a check on power for the first three estates (in the U.S., those estates are the judiciary, executive, and legislative branches of government). Many reporters are motivated by a sense that they’re supposed to hold power accountable and be a voice for the voiceless. Reporters in this camp likely agree with the old reporter’s adage: “Afflict the powerful and comfort the powerless.”

4. Personal Glory: The first three motivations are rather noble. But it would be dishonest to exclude the personal motivations that sometimes lead reporters to ask tough questions. Anyone who’s worked for the media (or in PR) long enough knows that some reporters are on a “Pulitzer quest,” doing whatever they have to in order to earn an award and the recognition of their peers. But they may also be motivated by other personal factors – the appreciation of their bosses, career advancement, personal ego, insecurity, etc.

5. Ratings: In a deeply competitive media age, journalists want to attract as many eyeballs to their stories as possible. Sometimes, tough “gotcha” questions are more about showmanship than substance, intended more to create headlines for the host than to inform an audience. Since tough questions often go viral, reporters may ask them in order to create a “media moment.”

Is your executive team long overdue for a media training session? Please contact us to learn more about our customized media training workshops.

Today’s blog post is a pop quiz. How many of these 20 advertising slogans can you complete?

1. Bounty. The quicker ________ ________.

2. Takes a licking ________ ________ ________ ________.

3. Pork. The other ________ ________.

4. Pardon me. Do you have any ________ ________.

5. Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, ________ ________ ________ ________  ________  ________.

6. Let your fingers ________ ________ _________.

7. The mind is a terrible ________ ________ ________.

8. Friends don’t let ________ ________ ________.

9. I’ve fallen ________ ________ ________ ________  ________.

10. It takes a tough man ________ ________ ________ ________ ________.

11. Tastes great, ________ ________.

12. Don’t leave home ________  ________.

13. Where’s the ________?

14. You’re in good hands with ________.

15. Melts in your mouth, ________  ________  ________  ________.

16. Reach out and  ________  ________.

17. Never let ‘em see ________ ________.

18. Maxwell House Coffee. Good ________ ________ ________ ________.

19. All the news ________ ________ ________ ________.

20. My bologna has a first name, ________ ________.

Here's another famous slogan: What happens in Vegas....

I’m guessing most of you answered more than half of these and that some of you completed all 20.

Your ability to instantly recall so many of those slogans is a testament to two things:

1. Message Consistency: Effective messages don’t change that often. Sure, they can be tweaked, modified and updated over time, but the heart of your messages will likely remain the same for years. It’s noteworthy that the youngest of the 20 slogans above is Bounty, at 21-years-old and the oldest is The New York Times, at an ancient 116-years-old.

2. Message Repetition: The more often you repeat your messages, the more likely they will be remembered. Exactly how many times you should repeat your messages is a subject of great debate – too many times and you’ll alienate the audience; too few and they’ll forget you. An earlier article highlighted two views about the appropriate number of times you should repeat your messages.

Here’s the bottom line: If you want to share the same messaging success as the 20 advertisers above, make sure your messages benefit from consistency and repetition over time.

Answer Guide:

1. “picker-upper,” Bounty, 1991

2. “and keeps on ticking,” Timex, 1956

3. “white meat,” National Pork Board, 1986

4. “Grey Poupon,” Grey Poupon, 1980

5. “oh what a relief it is,” Alka-Seltzer, 1970s

6. “do the walking,” Yellow Pages, 1964

7. “thing to waste,” United Negro College Fund, 1972

8. “friends drive drunk,” U.S. Department of Transportation, 1992

9. “and I can’t get up,” LifeCall, 1990

10. “to make a tender chicken,” Perdue, 1972

11. “less filling,” Miller Lite, 1974

12. “without it,” American Express, 1975

13. “beef,” Wendy’s, 1984

14. “Allstate,” Allstate Insurance, 1956

15. “not in your hands,” M&M’s, 1954

16. “touch someone,” AT&T, 1979

17. “you sweat,” Gillette, 1980s

18. “to the last drop,” Maxwell House Coffee, 1926

19. “that’s fit to print,” New York Times, 1896

20. “it’s O-S-C-A-R,” Oscar Meyer, 1960s

 A big hat tip to Tagline Guru, a California-based consultancy whose excellent website lists many more of the most memorable taglines of the broadcast media age.

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Editor’s Note: This post was written by Christina Mozaffari, our firm’s senior media trainer. She was previously a producer for NBC News, where she produced stories for Nightly News with Brian Williams, The Today Show, and Hardball with Chris Matthews, among others.

When I was a producer for NBC News, part of my job was to consider not only what interviewees said but also the pictures that accompanied their remarks. The spokespersons who considered a few “small” logistical issues made the process run a lot more smoothly for the news crews –  and for themselves, in the long run.

Here are five logistical tips to remember when you’re working with television crews:

1. Remember Who Makes You Look Good: The first and golden rule. The reporter and producer are not the only people involved in this process. Be courteous to the camera crew and any engineers involved. They are the ones who will make sure your shot is well lit and flattering. Plus, it simply shows good manners.

2. Allow Time For Set Up: When doing a sit-down interview, allow up to an hour for the crew to set up. Many crews and producers will carefully light the shot and move items on the set (be it in your office, a conference room, or someplace else) to make the shot look more interesting. They’ll also test the microphones. The more time you give them to make adjustments, the better your shot will look and sound.

3. Consider The Location: Think about where the interview is taking place. If you’re working with a local crew, a lot of times, you’ll be standing up and the interview will be done fairly quickly without much setup. So consider your background. Offer them a location that says something about your organization.

For example, if you work in education, suggest doing the interview with a school-themed backdrop, like a classroom or a hallway with lockers. Not only does it make for a more interesting picture, it gives you an opportunity to tell more of your story visually in addition to using your words. Crews that have the time to more carefully set up an interview will appreciate this too.

Women know they need makeup before going on TV. But men need it too.

4. Wear Makeup: Speaking of the picture, do wear some makeup. Ladies, as you read this, I’m guessing you’re shouting “Duh!” right now. This is more a warning for the men. Most of the male anchors and reporters on television wear makeup to reduce shininess and even out their complexions.

Gentlemen, do yourselves a favor and keep a powder in your shade handy if you plan to do interviews regularly. They’re relatively inexpensive – a MAC pressed powder (one of the most commonly used brands of makeup for television folks) will run you around $30 but will last you years. If you are “follically challenged,” remember that camera lights can make your head appear shiny. A little powder will go a long way toward removing a possible distraction from your interview.

5. Repeat The Question Back: If yours is a sound bites interview, meaning the interview is not live and the reporter will use only a part of what you say in his or her story, repeat the question back in your answer. This gives the reporter a complete sound bite on tape and ensures that the answers you give are usable. For example, if a reporter asks a question like, “Why did you decide to go with Plan A instead of Plan B?” you would say, “We decided to go with Plan A because…”

Doing so increases the chances of getting your complete, concise message into the story. But one huge caveat: Do not repeat negative language. If the reporter asks you a loaded question or a question that insinuates your organization has done something wrong, you do not want yourself repeating that idea back to him or her on tape.

Is your executive team or board of directors long overdue for a media training session? Please contact us to learn more about our customized media training workshops.

I had just entered my teenage years when Whitney Houston hit it big in 1985.

Most of my friends were listening to much “cooler” music at the time – Depeche Mode, The Talking Heads, Van Halen. But there was something about Whitney Houston that I found captivating, even if admitting it would have made me the laughingstock of the junior high boy’s locker room.

Watching her obit on the cable news channels tonight, I kept thinking back to her rendition of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” Specifically, I thought about a comment a disc jockey made on a Tucson radio station the first time I ever heard the song when he introduced it back in 1992. He noted that he couldn’t remember any other artist having the bravery to begin a pop song with 43 seconds of a cappella singing – or having the gravitas to pull it off. 

So that’s the first thing Whitney Houston taught us about communications. Just because virtually every other song of the pop era had started with music didn’t mean it had to be that way. She had the confidence to do something different – and, in the process, proved that pop radio would indeed play a song that started with moments of virtual dead air. 

I’m also struck that the most powerful moments of Houston’s video for that song featured her sitting down, singing the song directly to the camera. Ms. Houston wasn’t known as a terrific dancer, so she turned her liability into an asset by sitting and delivering a powerful vocal that reached right through the lens to the subject of her song.

That’s the second thing she taught communicators: that we don’t need to be strong in every area to become one of the greats. Great communicators know how to highlight their strengths and deemphasize their weaknesses. A public speaker with a groan-inducing sense of humor, for example, learns to bury the yuks and present a more dramatic speech. A political candidate who isn’t particularly warm turns that into an asset by labeling himself disgusted with the status quo.

Finally, the third thing she reminds communicators is that great storytelling often has a dramatic arc, typically presented in five steps: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and dénouement. “I Will Always Love You” is far from unique in having all five, but the song’s extreme reaches are atypical for pop music. The song’s crescendo, or climax, remains one of the most torch-worthy moments in pop history.

For readers who didn’t follow Ms. Houston’s music (or were raised after her peak), her 1990 number one smash, “All The Man That I Need” remains my favorite. If you haven’t heard it before, it’s worth a listen.

What are your favorite memories? Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

In part one of “How to Survive an Ambush Interview,” I discussed how to react to an ambush when a reporter shows up without warning.

Today’s post will look at a different type of ambush: What should you do if you’re being interviewed and the reporter blindsides you with a completely unexpected topic?

These types of ambushes are tricky. If you refuse to answer, you look guilty. If you answer badly, the results could be even worse. You have two choices:

1. 1. Answer The Question: Doing so usually plays better to the audience, and good media training should prepare you in advance to anticipate the “unexpected” questions.
2. 2. Deflect: Tell the reporter that this interview was supposed to be about a specific topic, but that you’d be happy to schedule a future interview to discuss other issues. This might be your best approach if the question is about a topic the audience wouldn’t expect you to know. But be careful – your refusal to answer may come across as a defensive dodge.

One of my favorite examples of an anchor blindsiding his guest comes from the BBC. In early 2010, host Andrew Neil interviewed John Hirst, the head of the U.K. Met Office (The U.K.’s National Weather Service).

Let’s just say the interview started on the wrong foot – and only got worse as it went along:

I’m fond of quoting an expression by ABC News correspondent Sam Donaldson, who advised that, “The questions don’t do the damage. Only the answers do.” But there’s an exception to every rule, and Mr. Neil’s first question inflicted severe damage:

Host Andrew Neil: “You predicted a barbeque summer for 2009, we don’t remember that, and a mild winter for this winter, which hasn’t happened. Why did you receive a massive performance-related bonus?”

At first, Mr. Hirst deflected the salary question by saying, “Let’s put my bonus to one side for the moment.” I like that approach, since it allowed him to focus on the question of meteorological accuracy first. By saying, “for the moment,” he indicated a willingness to discuss his bonus, but as a separate issue unrelated to the accuracy of his office’s forecasts.

But Mr. Neil didn’t relent. He continued to undermine Mr. Hirst’s claims for the next five minutes by citing one inaccurate forecast after another.

Mr. Hirst made some good points during this interview, but they were buried in a lack of passion and lack of control. I would have liked for him to have “zoomed out” by pre-empting any further questions about blown forecasts from the start by saying something such as:

“The question isn’t whether our forecasts are perfect, but whether they are among the most sophisticated and accurate in the world. They are. For every example you can cite of an incorrect forecast, I could cite many more that we got right. My bonus isn’t tied to any specific forecast, but rather our overall accuracy. You don’t have to take my word for it – virtually every international meteorological group cites our office as among the best in the world.”

Using that preemptive approach, Mr. Hirst could have responded to any additional questions about blown forecasts by saying:

“Again, Mr. Neil, you can keep citing examples of imperfect forecasts, but for every one you cite, I can cite many more that we got right. Taxpayers should be very proud that our weather office is widely regarded as one of the best in the world. And although we’re proud of that, our professional meteorologists are working hard to continue improving our accuracy – we feel we owe that to the taxpayers.”

One final note: Mr. Neil’s body language was dreadful. Instead of leaning forward and projecting his energy toward the camera (and thus the viewers), he sat with one armed draped over the couch and projected almost no energy whatsoever. In an ambush, visuals matter more than usual – so he should have been more careful not to convey a hint of defensiveness.

Click here is you missed part one of this series

Avoid committing your own media disaster! Join us in New York City on March 20, 2012 for our small group media training workshop. (Bring a couple of colleagues and you’ll get a nice discount.)

When most people think of ambush interviews, they think of a television interviewer chasing after a scandal-tarred executive in an empty parking lot with camera and microphone in tow. Those types of ambushes do occur occasionally, but they’re somewhat rare.

More typically, an ambush occurs in one of two ways:

1. 1. When a reporter shows up without notice (the topic of this post)
2. 2. When a reporter deviates from the agreed-upon topic to blindside a source with something totally unexpected (the topic of part two)

In both cases, the reporter is after one thing: A great visual that makes you look guilty. If you respond with defensiveness, anger, or shock, the news outlet will run the tape of your bad reaction repeatedly, often for days.

You win an ambush by denying the reporter a great visual. If you’re ever ambushed, remember the advice offered in that old deodorant ad: Never let ‘em see you sweat. By remaining calm, you can prevent reporters from getting the compelling “money” shot they desire.

What Not To Do In an Ambush

Dick Fleming, the President and CEO of the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA), didn’t adhere to those rules when he was ambushed last April, going so far as to hide behind milk crates in the back of a hotel conference room (full story here).

What You Should Do In an Ambush

So what should you say when a reporter shows up without warning? Try something like this:

“Thank you for coming. I’d be happy to speak with you. I wish I knew you were coming – I have a meeting scheduled in a few minutes that I’m already running late for. Please contact my office so we can set up a time to talk.”

Then, walk to your destination. To avoid the devastating “walking away with back to camera” shot, consider continuing to face the reporter as you walk backwards, delivering the same message a second time. Deny them the defensive-looking visual!

Below is one of my favorite examples of an ambushee turning the tables on the ambusher. When one of Bill O’Reilly’s producers ambushed liberal television host Bill Moyers, Mr. Moyers didn’t show a hint of defensiveness. Even better, he used the audience against the ambusher, invited Mr. O’Reilly on his show, and formed a personal bond with the ambusher.

The perfect ending of this video? The tables were turned on Mr. O’Reilly’s producer after the ambush ended. He defensively walked away, his back to the camera the entire time. 

Click here to read part two of this series.

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The title of this lesson looks like it contains a typo. That’s because in everyday conversation, most people would phrase the title as, “six things the media wants from you,” not, “six things the media want from you.”

But grammatically speaking, they’re wrong. “Media” is a plural term, not a singular one (medium is the singular term).

That may seem like grammatical nitpicking, but it’s an important point that you should carry with you during your time as a media spokesperson. You shouldn’t think of “the media” as an “it,” a single entity that acts in a specific and predictable manner. Instead, you should think of “the media” as a plural, a collection of markedly different news organizations approaching news gathering in vastly different ways.

For example, The Wall Street Journal doesn’t want the same thing from you as People Magazine. Whereas The Journal might just need a quick quote from a financial analyst to plug into a short article, People might be looking to write a three-page profile of an ordinary person who overcame tremendous obstacles to achieve a remarkable feat.

So what do the media want from you? It depends on the news organization, the reporter, the story, and the format. But as different as news organizations and reporters are from one another, almost all of them want the same six things from the media spokespersons they interview:

1. 1. Honesty: Reporters expect honesty from spokespersons and will punish people who lie. This is non-negotiable.
2. 2. Access: Reporters want access to the people they’re reporting on. Sure, they can file stories without the cooperation of their subject – but they occasionally punish uncooperative subjects by running a more negative story.
3. 3. Timeliness: More than ever, reporters operate under brutal deadlines – some online stories have to be written, edited, and posted within an hour. Reporters want spokespersons to return their calls and emails quickly.
4. 4. Candor: Reporters want to know what you’re saying to trusted colleagues behind closed doors. They prefer speaking to straight-shooters who speak without guardedness.
5. 5. Knowledge: Reporters want spokespersons who are “in-the-know.” They don’t have to know everything, but should be able to speak credibly on their topics of expertise.
6. 6. Media Savvy: Reporters want to speak to spokespersons who can offer short, understandable, and quote-worthy media sound bites. Spokespersons who give long, technical answers are difficult to quote – and may even be tough for reporters to understand.

Remember: this article is focused on what reporters want from you – and those things may or may not always be in your own self-interest.

For example, reporters might want you to tell them everything you know, even though doing so would hurt your cause. They might want you to speak to them immediately, even though you haven’t had a moment to prepare for the interview.

Still, these are good general guidelines, and it’s easy to understand why reporters want these six things from you. In an ideal world, you would be able to deliver on all of them.

What have I missed? Please supplement my list by adding your thoughts to the comments section below.

During halftime of Sunday’s Super Bowl game, Chrysler aired a stunning two-minute commercial featuring Clint Eastwood.

The ad was a masterpiece of political writing. It acknowledged in stark, unequivocal language that the United States is in rough shape – but it wrapped that tough message in optimistic language that aimed to rally the nation.

Here’s the ad:

“It’s halftime. Both teams are in their locker room discussing what they can do to win this game in the second half.

It’s halftime in America, too. People are out of work and they’re hurting. And they’re all wondering what they’re going to do to make a comeback. And we’re all scared, because this isn’t a game.

The people of Detroit know a little something about this. They almost lost everything. But we all pulled together, now Motor City is fighting again.

I’ve seen a lot of tough eras, a lot of downturns in my life. And, times when we didn’t understand each other. It seems like we’ve lost our heart at times. When the fog of division, discord, and blame made it hard to see what lies ahead.

But after those trials, we all rallied around what was right, and acted as one. Because that’s what we do. We find a way through tough times, and if we can’t find a way, then we’ll make one.

All that matters now is what’s ahead. How do we come from behind? How do we come together? And, how do we win?

Detroit’s showing us it can be done. And, what’s true about them is true about all of us.

This country can’t be knocked out with one punch. We get right back up again and when we do the world is going to hear the roar of our engines.

Yeah, it’s halftime America. And, our second half is about to begin.”

So what lesson can President Obama and the eventual Republican nominee take out of this ad? That this is the precise type of language Americans demand from our presidential candidates.

There have been eight general elections since the beginning of the 24/7 media age in 1980. In all eight, the candidate with the more optimistic message has always won. That’s not to say we can’t handle tough truths – we can. But we want them delivered from a sunny candidate with a “can do” message, not from a dour candidate who fails to inspire us.

1. THE OPTIMISTS
2. Ronald Reagan, whose 1984 “Morning in America” campaign was the obvious inspiration for this ad
3. George H.W. Bush, who promised a “gentler, kinder” nation in 1988
4. Bill Clinton, who encouraged “don’t stop thinking about tomorrow” in 1992 and promised to “build a bridge to the 21st Century” in 1996
5. George W. Bush, who ran on a platform of “compassionate conservatism” and who almost never allowed a pessimistic word to cross his lips.
6. Barack Obama, whose “hope” and “yes we can” campaign was a salve in 2008, during the worst economic downturn in decades
7. THE PESSIMISTS
8. Not coincidentally, all of the presidential losers since 1980 have been perceived as pessimists: Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, George H.W. Bush (as compared to Bill Clinton), Bob Dole, Al Gore, John Kerry, and John McCain.

It’s easy to see the theme here. President Obama has started to pivot to this type of optimistic language, and he demonstrated in 2008 that he has the capacity to deliver it well. Mitt Romney, assuming he gets the nomination, will need to quickly pivot to this type of rhetoric as well. His attacks on President Obama are fine and expected. But they’re not enough.

When trying to predict the outcome of the 2012 election, you can almost forget about the economy and foreign affairs. Ask yourself one question: Which candidate’s rhetoric is most like Clint Eastwood’s? The answer will likely determine which man is sworn into office on January 20, 2013.