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Five Tips for a Top Media Training Session

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Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be interviewed by the press? More and more these days, the press are bloggers who also can be your friends, family and your neighbors! But, what happens when that blogger also turns out to be a writer for Bloomberg, who then turns out to be a reporter for Bloomberg TV? Well, it’s your time to really shine.  If you’re reading this, perhaps you’re looking for Tips on Avoiding Media Mishaps. However, this post is for current and potential clients looking to get the the most out of their upcoming media training session!

Here are 5 Tips for a Top Media Training Session:

  1. Share your stories: Watch and read old interviews you’ve participated in. Bring the clips to the trainer of print articles you liked/did not like. What was wrong with it? What was your best/worst experience with the press? Share this with the trainer so you can assess and avoid the same situation again.
  2. Trust the camera: The camera doesn’t lie. Watch yourself with a keen eye during the playback session. Discuss what can be done differently, accept the feedback and go back and try it again. We are often our own worst critics, however, a trainer has the skills to help you move beyond the negative self talk and come up with solutions to be a more effective communicator.
  3. Turn off the noise: Try – just try – to focus on the training. Imagine you are really in a press interview. What is it like to work with a journalist? Turn off cell phones, complete your texts and get to work. This may be your first (and last?) time you ever get to work with the press.
  4. Appearance does matter: Wear an outfit that you believe will appear well on camera. This is practice for the real thing. This includes hair, make-up and attire. Wear solid colors, not too much jewelry, no patterns or prints and avoid t-shirts (even if you are practicing for print interviews – appearance and professionalism is important).
  5. Prep yourself and your team: Prior to the session, prepare yourself – or your team — with the right messages: Do you know what you want to say about your company? How about your product, tech or APP launch? So many clients walk into the training and don’t understand this time is about delivering the message. If you need time to develop the message, schedule a separate session and get those messages in place prior to a media training.

Ideally, you will also match yourself or your client with the right trainer: Is the trainer the right person for you? Are you able to take advice from a man, a woman? Do you need broadcast TV preparation?  Do you want to hear the truth? Do you need to have a current news reporter giving you advice? Find a trainer that fits in with your needs. Understand that many trainers have news backgrounds, and while that helps polishing up for an on-air/print interview, often these trainers don’t have the experience of working with companies and understanding their needs from an interview. On the other hand, does the trainer have PR experience? If that’s the case, ask if they have any experience serving as a spokesperson.

Personality matches do matter. Watch on-air clips or read print articles of the trainer and ask yourself, “Is this someone that I would want to give me honest and direct feedback, and can I take it from them?” If the answer is “yes” you’ve got yourself a partner to help you navigate the press for the day, and well beyond.

Binay Curtis is a media professional with more than 20 years of experience working in front of and behind the camera. She’s not shy at telling the truth and learning from her own mistakes as well. Follow Binay @Galaxysix around the web.

 

Refresh: Roller Coaster Ride For Obsessed Overnight Camp Parents

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Since so many of us are clicking “refresh” on summer overnight camp photos, I’ve posted my thoughts and reflections from last year’s camp experience below. This year, I vow not to click “refresh”… as much.

This summer, I sent my daughter to overnight camp for the first time. Two weeks before she was supposed to leave, I was surprised I never heard a word from the camp. What to pack? How
 should I prepare my child? What if she got homesick? Parenting preparation? Kid preparation? I was left to my own devices (uh oh). As a communications professional, I was surprised the camp didn’t send us “how-to tips” such as preparing your child for sleepaway camp or preparing the parents for children to go away. Sure, the packing list was on the site, but I needed a little something more to help guide our child to this new adventure and stage in her life. Left to my own devices, I sent multiple texts to friends, who thankfully, understood my desire to prepare emotionally ahead of time. Camp Communications Tip #1: Text other mothers for support.

I figured out the camp communicates with parents once their children arrive via blog entries and photos. Once the lines of communication opened up, I was surprised at my reaction (aka “obsession”). Each day I went online and searched for photos of my daughter. In the first set of photos, I saw kids from last year greeting each other with a huge hug after they got off the bus. Since this was my daughter’s first year as a camper, I was worried she would feel lost and alone while the other children were hugging their friends from last year. I thought to myself: How was she feeling? Did she know where to go? Who was going to tell her how to get to her cabin? How to unpack?  I didn’t cry when the bus left our neighborhood, but I did cry while reviewing the photos of her arrival.  I was worried. Camp Communications Tip #2: Review the blog – do not obsess. Do not obsess. Do not obsess.

One day later, the camp posted a photo of her with a smile on her face, standing by her cabin. My thoughts ran wild: this is a fake smile. Not a bright smile, just a simple, unsure, I’ll be OK smile. Two days later the Camp Director posted a blog describing that my daughter was on a day trip. My mind raced. Was she having fun? I thought it was amusing that school field trips (15 minutes away) require several forms to be signed before they could go, while camp required none. Camp Communications Tip: Go back to Tip #2.

Each day as I anxiously read the blog and sorted through hundreds of photos, I couldn’t wait until I caught a glimpse of my daughter. Was that her behind the other kids? Was that her in the water? What shirt was she wearing?  The lack of direct communication was very difficult. When our first letter arrived it had about 3-4 sentences: “Dear Mom, Dad & Devin, I’m having a good time. Here are a bunch of addresses I need. Also, I need stamps.” Word on the street is that this was a long letter.  I’ll take it. Any form of communication. Camp Communications Tip #3: Write a lot, but don’t worry about responses.

I worry about many things, but I was still shocked about the roller coaster of emotions each time I read the camp blog, saw the photos and read letters from my daughter. I was truly relieved when I saw several fantastic photos of her big smiling face. By the end of two weeks, I knew she was happy, not from the letters, but I could read her body language. I saw the sparkle in her eyes, emotion on her face, an expression of happiness and clear signs of confidence. She was psyched. She was loving life. She felt free. Camp Communications Tip #4: Body language is everything.

Sure enough, upon pick-up day, I also cried. My husband couldn’t believe it and said, “We are getting her now. There ’s no reason to cry.” I guess it was a huge relief this roller coaster ride ended, AKA, summer camp. And….she had a fantastic time. Turns out, she didn’t want to leave. Camp Communications Tip #5: Let it go.

Below is a photo of my daughter on Day 2 of overnight camp this year. I’m pretty sure she’s in her “happy place.”

Binay Curtis is a communications professional based out of San Francisco, CA. When she’s not helping a company communicate, she can be found at Cross-fit, with her family, online at wwww.galaxysix.com, or just about any social network.
 

Lessons From Dad: Building Business with Conscience

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Alan dad

****REPOST ALERT- ON BEHALF OF MY DAD’S 74th BIRTHDAY***

Recently, an article written in the Chicago Reader 23 years ago resurfaced online about the growth of my father’s pharmacy business.  The article highlighted how my dad built his business by trusting customers  living with HIV/AIDS to pay back his local pharmacy so they can receive their medication in a prompt manner.  It emphasized how he got to know each of his customers, their families, and often made home deliveries at no extra charge.  I remember sitting in the back of the car whining about having to make so many stops, and today I realize the amazing business he was building during those stops.

My father sold that pharmacy a long time ago and he currently works for Walgreens. Just like he did at his own store, he greets customers by their first names, spends a lot of time answering questions (based upon his experience, not Google!) and I’m sure he’d make a home delivery if Walgreens would allow it.

NormandiePharmacy-2

My father taught me a lot about customer service. Because of his example, when I work on individual and group media training sessions, I try to honor that person’s individual story. I provide the personal service they need and create a long term relationship. My goal is for people to feel comfortable coming back to me for advice. I received a call from a CEO last week in a panic needing a quick interview coaching session. I made my first house call.

My father proved the importance of customer service, being kind and respectful while growing a business.  Most of his customers paid him back. Enough paid him back so that he could support our family. The true definition of success for people like my father is the ability to provide for a family and grow a business *while* being kind to others.  As I continue to grow my public relations and media training business, I will always keep this very valuable lesson in mind.

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Thank you, Marco!

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Thank you Marco Rubio for providing me fuel for my media training sessions today! There are lots of bloopers, but this very well tops it. During my media training sessions, I often train people on the non-verbal and the verbal communication – how the two meet…I recently added to the presentation: “55-80 percent of communication is non-verbal.” I have no idea where to credit the source, but, now, I’m so much more secure about that fact. What did Marco Rubio say? Does anyone know?

Thanks, Marco!

Thanks, Marco!

When I started writing this post YouTube had the video without a commercial; 10 minutes later a Maybelline advertising came up at the beginning.  Here it is, if you are the only person in the world who hasn’t seen it! Next time you are in a media training lesson, remember, go back to the basics – that’s what can make or break your 15 minutes of fame.  The question is: did he make it or break it?

The end of an Era for PR?

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I have had many mentors throughout my career, but the people that really shaped my career were my supervisors* at Edelman Public Relations. Daniel J. Edelman, the Founder of Edelman Public Relations,  passed away Tuesday. Is this the end of an era?

Dan made so many valuable contributions to PR, including media tours with the Toni Twins, Morris the 9-Lives Cat, KFC and others. I remember calling the press for the Butterball Turkey Talk Line, touring with Eddie, the dog from “Mad About You,” and traveling with Morris, the 9-Lives  Cat. Imagine media training a cat. Not easy.

Morris

Back in the early 90’s, PR with Morris the Cat

But, what I really remember about Dan Edelman is how he always recognized his staff for doing great work. In a post I wrote a couple of days ago,  I indicated that sometimes a PR firm’s results don’t sync with a client’s expectations, thus a frustrating outcome. However, Dan seemed to always recognize hard work and wrote ‘Edel-grams’ in handwriting when an account person/team deserved the praise.  Twenty years later, I dug out those notes, as seen here:

Daniel Edelman Memo

Thank you Dan, for always appreciating the hard work that goes into Public Relations. Thank you for establishing the amazing firm that helped launch my career in public relations and media training, and for running a respected family business that continues to thrive today. Your memory will live on.

Edelman Memo 2

* Thanks to Nancy Ruscheinski (who credits my work with her addition to Dan’s hand-written note, showed me how to work hard and have fun, and always supported my work) and Alix Salyers (who probably is cringing at the typOS made in this post), but  taught me about being tenacious, yet respectful, with the press, clients and peers.

Crossfit and Public Relations Intersect

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I love Crossfit. I’m addicted. Maybe the way I was addicted to aerobics in 1986, step aerobics in 1987, and pretty much everything from 1988 – 1992. If you knew me during this time, you probably saw me teaching at the gym, or rushing to or from a workout. Following college, I became addicted to running, swimming, biking, triathlons, Bikram Yoga – you name it, I taught it, ran it, gave it a whirl.  I’ve pretty much been chasing the perfect image since I was 16.

Then I became an image expert when I was 21 years old. Creating headlines for fitness magazines, and image campaigns for Life Fitness (makers of the Lifecycle) and NordicTrack. At Edelman Public Relations, I trained executives and spokespeople to speak to the press and shaped their company image so consumers would want to buy their product. When a client wanted media attention, I helped create a story or event to get coverage in everything from Muscle & Fitness to the Today Show and The Wall Street Journal. But, at times, clients were still not happy. I remember when my client from Life Fitness saw the piece in The Wall Street Journal and simply wrote, “…Wall Street Journal is good.”

Life Fitness "kudos"

Setting goals (and meeting them) became an important part of the job. What did the client want out of the program? Was it press? Events? Speaking opportunities? How many impressions did they want? Working at one of Silicon Valley’s leading PR firms during the dotcom boom helped me identify and re-evaluate the importance of setting goals. Working with high profile companies like Yahoo! and Apple demanded that we achieve these goals.

Crossfit captures your attention by asking you to set some goals. Unlike an aerobics class, where you work to get to a weight or image you want, Crossfit demands that you set fitness goals for that day, while your coach and fellow Crossfitters hold you accountable for achieving them. These are not weight goals, such as “I want to weigh 110 lbs.,” (which would be nice), but, more like, “I’d like to push press 110 lbs.” There are goal trackers online for the amount of weight you lift, and goals are reflected in the WOD (Workout of the Day). The goals have to do with the number of reps, time completed or amount of weight you lift. It keeps you coming back for more.

Setting goals with your public relations firm, team or consultant may include the amount of placements, the amount of APP downloads or the quality of the placement. To me, the latter is the most important. If you get a placement in The Wall Street Journal that is consistent with your message, that can’t be beat. It is beyond “good.”

Let’s face it: setting goals helps us all work harder. In Crossfit, “PR” stands for Personal Record. What is your PR this year? What are your goals, for life, work and play?

As a consumer or a client, you need to decide who will help you do the heavy lifting to achieve your goals.

at TJ's Games...

at TJ’s Games…