WHEN the pandemic looks set to bring your business near to disaster, you might think appearing in front of the media is the last place you’d want to be. But making your plight very public can bring huge benefits – it might even save your company or organisation, if it means the people with the proverbial deep pockets hear your story and come to your aid. There was a great example of this on Radio 4’s flagship news programme Today this morning and it contained many top tips for anyone who still needs convincing of the merits of embracing a media interview. The interviewee was Andy Hall from BIAZA – The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Many zoos are facing financial ruin because of COVID-19, and BIAZA argues that the Government’s offer of a recovery fund, which kicks in only 12 weeks before any potential ruin, is […]

The temptation for hard-hit charities – especially for those supplying an essential service during lockdown and therefore unable to furlough staff – might be to just cling on and try to ride out this pandemic storm. After all, we’re constantly being told, “It will pass”. But when typical sources of funds – fun runs, charity auctions, treks in exotic locations etc.. – have dried up, this is the very time for organisations to be “out there” keeping their profile high in the public consciousness. This is more important than ever, as a study by Pro Bono Economics, reported in The Guardian, revealed: “One in 10 UK charities are facing bankruptcy by the end of the year as they struggle to cope with a £10bn shortfall caused by soaring demand for their services and lost fundraising income due to the coronavirus pandemic.” But if there is a glimmer of good news, […]

About a month ago I wrote a piece on how not to broadcast using Zoom-style platforms, after watching a disappointing  debut by “Independent SAGE” – a group of scientists who have formed a shadow version of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies,  because they’re concerned about a possible lack of transparency from SAGE. It was such a shame, because they surely had so many interesting things to say, but all I could focus on was how their media performances were masking their messages. But having watched one of their recent broadcasts on Youtube, it’s great to see things have improved….well, a bit. They could still be so much better – with very little effort – and, arguably, those efforts would bring big benefits. So for them, and anyone else about to take part in a video news conference, here are some top tips: PERCEPTION MATTERS. I suspect scientists overwhelmingly feel […]

The Coronavirus pandemic has been responsible for so many changes to our lives and although it might not be one of the most serious changes, surely one of the most annoying is the fresh mangling of the English language by spokespeople during media interviews. The horror of seeing their nostrils flare and chins wobble through cameras placed too low during Skype interviews is bad enough, but the audience is now subjected to a new set of grating euphemisms and superfluous language. The Downing Street briefings are a particularly rich source of these. Here are just a few: Hospital settings The NHS is rather keen on this one, as in, “Whilst this guidance is intentionally focussed on hospital settings, including acute, community and mental health, many of the principles will be relevant to other healthcare settings and connecting services, including ambulance, primary and community care”. Remove the word “settings” and what […]

In the space of just one recent edition of BBC Radio 4’s flagship lunchtime news programme The World at One, we heard interviewees commit three “cardinal sins”. Appearing on a programme like that is an enormous opportunity – a chance to reach a healthy chunk of the 11 million listeners the channel has each week. But all too often interviewees assume that because they know a lot about the subject of the interview – after all, that’s why they’ve been invited on – that’s enough. They know what they want to say, but probably don’t think about what the audience wants, or needs, to hear. Indeed, it’s because the interviewee knows so much, it can be much harder to present that knowledge on the spur of the moment in a style and language that the vast majority of isteners will understand.And this probably explains why we heard the following “interview […]

Have you ever watched the weather forecast on TV and realised the only thing you’ve clocked by the end is the presenter’s tie or dress? You don’t have a clue whether you’re in for sunshine or storms, but you know purple is just not their colour…. The same fate can befall a media interviewee – they sit up all night preparing their key messages and then no-one “hears” them when they appear on screen, because the audience is far too distracted by their weird tie/earrings/jacket. So what should you wear to ensure viewers focus on your words, not your wardrobe? – dress in what you’re used to wearing. It’s tempting to don something new for your big TV moment, only to find the collar is too tight, the jacket would challenge an escape artist, the zip jams, or your trousers hang so low, you look like a rap artist.- avoid […]

Good preparation for a media interview is about working out what you SHOULDN’T say, as well as what you SHOULD say. Here are three phrases you should avoid uttering and the reasons why: 1. “No comment”. Imagine you’re the audience, not the interviewee. We ask delegates on our media training courses whether they’ve ever heard an interviewee come out with this phrase (or a variation of it, such as, “I’d rather not comment”) – what did it convey to them?Invariably they say, “The interviewee sounds defensive, as if they have something to hide”. If you don’t want to talk about something, perhaps with perfectly good reason (the information might help your competitors or there’s an on-going investigation, so it would be inappropriate), then say so in another form of words, but explain why you can’t discuss it, e.g., “I understand why you’re asking me that, but the answer would only […]

WHEN Prime Minister Theresa May was interviewed recently on television, there seemed to be clear signs of specific media training. We would also say it seemed the wrong sort. Afterall, when your interview is lampooned on the BBC’s satirical show Have I Got News For You (6’26), you know it’s backfired. So how do you choose the right media training, the sort that suits your needs (or your clients’ needs, if you’re a PR agency)? Every media trainer offers something different and it’s important to ensure any difference matches what you want. Let’s face it, if you wanted to learn Spanish, you wouldn’t go to a teacher who spoke only Portuguese, on the basis those languages have quite a lot in common. A media trainer who offers roughly what you want is not good enough. So here’s a useful guide to help you find the the most suitable training: Decide in […]

What I’m about to write might be met with cynicism in some boardrooms, but bear with me. There’s been one clear lesson the global cyber attack has highlighted and it’s not about constantly updating software or backing up files. No, it’s that the companies and organisations that invested in media training have truly seen the value of it. How? They’ve used the media to HELP them manage what might otherwise have been an overwhelming situation. If you run a GP surgery or a car production line, you might feel the last thing you want to do, when all your IT has gone into meltdown, is talk to journalists, but many of those who did put up a well-trained spokesperson have seen how a media interview proves: – a super-fast way to communicate important information. Whether you want to tell patients to check your hospital’s website for the latest update, or you’re […]

– I know the subject inside out. Well, it’s precisely because you do have so much knowledge on the subject that you should have media training. When a rather unexpected question is posed in an interview that could be as short as a 30-second soundbite, you’ll struggle to distil that knowledge to find the right answer. – I’m never going to go on Watchdog or Newsnight. Maybe not, but there are thousands of consumer or trade magazines, local TV stations  and newspapers, as well as websites, that you could be talking to and they can all help raise the profile of your business. – The journalist will write what they want anyway, regardless of what I say. Some might, but only if you give them the “ammunition”. It’s far easier for them to do this in a print interview, but good training can show you how to avoid this. It’s why, unlike […]