Handling the Media Before They Handle You
by Chris Wailes
October 06, 2009
Media relations is a critical discipline for any executive. A strong working knowledge of how the media operates and how to ensure your messages are conveyed positively in a news piece can greatly benefit C-level executives and their companies. As the face of your company or organization, it is your chief responsibility to project the professionalism and transparency that your stakeholders — customers, investors and others — demand.
Many executives are not properly trained in media relations etiquette, and those who do receive training often get it years after they’ve been in an executive position. Rather than waiting until a reporter is knocking down your door, Pierpont Communications advises its clients to engage in media training proactively and early in their careers.
Recently, Pierpont Executive Counsel Terry Hemeyer and Vice President Chris Wailes traveled to Austin, Texas, to lead a day-long seminar on media relations to Evening MBA students at the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business. The seminar, a first for the EMBA program, included educational presentations and one-on-one video interviews designed to illustrate proper – and improper – ways to respond to difficult questions, as well as spark robust discussions about the relationship between corporate America and the media. The group of 64 EMBA students also learned the impact of the media on audience perception and business vitality, the importance of media relations, the evolution of media platforms and how to identify “friendly” versus “hostile” media. The seminar finished with two real-life business crises that the students attacked in groups of four, before hosting a simulated press conference.
These up-and-coming executives represent the future of today’s business. The skills garnered during the day-long seminar will help equip them with the knowledge, skills and strategy necessary to navigate a media interview and know what to say and how to say it so their critical key messages don’t end up on the editing room floor.
Don’t be left behind – media training is better before a crisis arises. Appropriate response (to any situation), delivered articulately and positioned smartly, can help you retain and increase market share and manage public and shareholder perceptions.
Pierpont’s clients are regularly interviewed by every major media outlet around the globe — from the
New York Times to the
Financial Times, CNN to FOX News, and even down to the individual community level. Let our team of experts help you prepare for the difficult questions.