Media training is not just for political candidates…
One conversation can influence your career. I know that is a little dramatic, but an interview with a reporter on any given day can potentially help your company position itself against the competition, open doors for your sales organization, give the marketing department a great article reprint for collateral or content for the company website. That one conversation could also position someone as an authority figure on a particular subject.
On the downside, a bad interview can have an equally negative impact. On one such occasion, a former client and friend shared information with a reporter as “background information” – this information made its way into the article and was attributed to him. It made him look bad to his board of directors, and I believe it was the proverbial “straw” that led to his departure from the company. His story gets more interesting and this event may have been a door opening to a new career. That is, however, another story.
So from a practical standpoint, what does an executive or subject matter expert (SME) need to know heading into an interview? Here are five rules:
➢ Understand the desired outcome
➢ Speak to the reader or audience
➢ Prepare and practice
➢ Make it easy for the reporter
➢ Know the rules of engagement
➢ Recognize what is happening and respond appropriately
This blog entry is not a “how to,” but rather a call to action. An interview is not a casual conversation or opportunity to feed the ego. Done right, media training can yield significant returns for you and your company.
Good luck!
On the downside, a bad interview can have an equally negative impact. On one such occasion, a former client and friend shared information with a reporter as “background information” – this information made its way into the article and was attributed to him. It made him look bad to his board of directors, and I believe it was the proverbial “straw” that led to his departure from the company. His story gets more interesting and this event may have been a door opening to a new career. That is, however, another story.
So from a practical standpoint, what does an executive or subject matter expert (SME) need to know heading into an interview? Here are five rules:
➢ Understand the desired outcome
➢ Speak to the reader or audience
➢ Prepare and practice
➢ Make it easy for the reporter
➢ Know the rules of engagement
➢ Recognize what is happening and respond appropriately
This blog entry is not a “how to,” but rather a call to action. An interview is not a casual conversation or opportunity to feed the ego. Done right, media training can yield significant returns for you and your company.
Good luck!
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