News

Mangled Meanings

gordon.riyadh@gmail.com (Riyadh Gordon) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:50:20 +0000

Sometimes, people just don’t think through what they’re saying. That’s especially true for those overused, tired phrases that are buried so deeply in our subconscious that we seem to regurgitate them with little cooperation from our brain.

But when it comes to articulating key messages to an internal or external audience, you need to ask yourself if you’re really saying what you want to say – well before you put your foot in it…

Messages need to be organized into cohesive, informative narrative so that there is little room for doubt. The real risk of journalists quoting you out of context may very well be minimized if you root out meaningless phrases before you put voice to them.

Surviving the cut and thrust of reporters

gordon.riyadh@gmail.com (Riyadh Gordon) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:31:19 +0000

There is one over-arching and oft-repeated gripe from my Media Training clients – and that is that they don’t trust the media as reporters use devious tactics to catch them off guard.

Journalists maintain it’s their job to ‘get the story’ – and if that means making use of what is told to them in confidence, well so be it. But that type of frivolous rationalization doesn’t do much to make your job as a spokesperson any easier.

You need to enhance your organisation’s reputation, to consolidate positive messaging in the eyes of the public, and to maintain credibility. All a really tough task when faced with a reporter’s intimidating questions.

Put your Media Trainer in the Hot Seat!

gordon.riyadh@gmail.com (Riyadh Gordon) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:22:14 +0000

So, you’ve identified the need for a Media Trainer. There’s a message your company spokesperson needs to get out there, or there’s something uncomfortably controversial that needs to be communicated before it is misconstrued.

Retaining someone to provide a service you’re not too sure about can always be tricky – be it a computer techie, lawyer or - the topic du jour – a Media Trainer.

The fact is that your company’s reputation is way too important not to vet a potential advisor.

Below is a list of questions to ask any potential Media Trainer. By putting him/her in the proverbial ‘hot seat’, the responses should provide you with the critical insight you need to to make an informed decision about whether to use their services or not.

Is no comment an acceptable response

gordon.riyadh@gmail.com (Riyadh Gordon) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 09:46:28 +0000

No comment?? Well at least not yet…

“No comment is a splendid expression. I’m using it again and again.” Winston Churchill

I frequently have delegates in Media Skills Training workshops making the emotive point that they believe ‘no comment’ is a perfectly acceptable response to a question from a journalist.

Well, if you believe as a company spokesperson that ‘no comment’ is a good enough comment, don’t be surprised when the reporter assumes the worse, because stone-walling the media just sends out a whole bunch of negative messages.