Mr. Media Training

Accepting Submissions: What I’ve Learned As Spokesperson

Brad Phillips @MrMediaTraining — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:12:50 +0000

I’m pleased to announce a new feature that will allow readers to learn from one another. Plus, it will give you an opportunity to gain some free publicity! What have you learned about being a media spokesperson? Have you: Learned a vital lesson as a result of making a big mistake while speaking to a [...]

The Five Reasons Reporters Ask Tough Questions

Brad Phillips @MrMediaTraining — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:12:09 +0000

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 Four Media “Untouchables”

Brad Phillips @MrMediaTraining — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:12:52 +0000

A few years ago, I provided media training to an executive who worked for a private water company that provided water to a few hundred thousand local residents. One of their customers hadn’t paid his bills for three years. They sent him dozens of past due notices and numerous letters trying to make him aware [...]

Should You Quit Twitter To Repair A Bruised Image?

Brad Phillips @MrMediaTraining — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:12:57 +0000

An incident involving a controversial performer earlier this week brought up a question I’ve been thinking about for a while: when should a public figure – a CEO, a sports star, or an entertainer – stop using Twitter? Here’s the background: Chris Brown is a 22-year-old R&B singer who’s burned up the charts over the [...]

Pop Quiz: Can You Finish These 20 Advertising Slogans?

Brad Phillips @MrMediaTraining — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:12:40 +0000

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, ________ ________ ________ ________ [...]

Five Tips To Help Your Next TV Appearance Run Smoothly

Christina Mozaffari — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:14:35 +0000

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 [...]

You Can Say It, But You Can’t Walk Away From It

Brad Phillips @MrMediaTraining — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:12:28 +0000

He’s at it again. You may remember that last month, Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas refused to attend a White House ceremony celebrating the Bruins’ championship. At the time, he posted his rationale on his Facebook page (he believes the government has grown too large). Mr. Thomas followed up with another post to his Facebook [...]

My Rape Charge Was Dropped. Now What?

Brad Phillips @MrMediaTraining — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:12:11 +0000

After beating charges of larceny and fraud in 1987, former U.S. Secretary of Labor Ray Donovan famously asked, “Which office do I go to get my reputation back?” I thought of that phrase last week when the co-anchor of Fox’s Good Day New York, Greg Kelly, returned to work after rape charges that had been [...]

What Whitney Houston Taught Us About Communications

Brad Phillips @MrMediaTraining — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:10:20 +0000

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 [...]

How To Survive An Ambush Interview (Part Two)

Brad Phillips @MrMediaTraining — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:12:44 +0000

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 [...]