Add these Three Missing Pieces for Better Executive Storytelling

After training hundreds of spokespeople to get ready for their interview close-ups over many years, I’ve noticed a change in the questions and requests from workshop participants. Because of the way journalism and blogging has evolved, there are three new things that all spokespeople feel they need in their communications arsenal before they hit the interview circuit. Context, context, context. Content truly is king, but anyone who is trying to tell a story about their products or services or company...

Taming Tesla: Product Review Drama was Years in the Making

It's been hard to miss the recent Tesla vs. The New York Times story. For those who have missed it, I'll give you the quick rundown. John Broder wrote a review for The New York Times on Tesla's Model S electric car after driving it along the east coast supercharger network. Broder said the car died on him and its driving range did not line up with Tesla's claims. Broder opened up his review by saying "theory can be trumped...

Resolve to Revive Your Communication's Strategies

Just a few days into the New Year and already I’ve abandoned my personal resolutions. Easy come, easy go, I guess. Professionally, however, things are still on track, and with a new At-A-Glance daily planner, they’ll stay on track for the next 355 days. As the calendar ticks from one day and year to the next, it’s not a bad idea for companies to reset their New Year’s resolutions in terms of public relations and marketing. With help from various...

"What Were They Thinking?" Awards -- October Edition

Working chronologically, we're suggesting the "Romance and Political Debates Don't Mix" Award goes to President Obama for his ill-advised shout-out to his wife for their anniversary at the start of the first Presidential Debate. "There's a lot of points I want to make tonight but the most important one is that 20 years ago I became the luckiest man on Earth because Michelle Obama agreed to marry me. And so I just want to wish sweetie, you, a happy anniversary...

Big Bird for President - Tech Bloggers, Twitter and a Presidential Debate

Twitter Steals the Show During First Presidential Debate What happens when you mix technology bloggers, a Presidential debate and Twitter? Big Bird becomes a political figure (hilariously). How? Combine one mention of cutting PBS’ funding, a direct shout-out from Mitt Romney to our favorite oversized, avian childhood memory and 135,332 tweets per minute. Last night’s Presidential debate between President Barack Obama (@barackobama) and Mitt Romney (@mittromney) was the most tweeted live political event in history, amassing 10.3 million tweets in...

You Call It "Pivot," and We Call It "Bridge"

NPR ran an interesting story this morning, in advance of tonight's first presidential debate, about a technique called "the pivot." Political debate consultant Brett O'Donnell defines a pivot as "a way of taking a question that might be on a specific subject, and moving to answer it on your own terms." When we media train executives for interviews, we teach them a technique called "bridging," which helps the speaker "bridge" from an off-topic or difficult question back to their key...

Social Media: Good or Bad For Company Execs?

Image Source: ABA In May, President Obama used Twitter to promote his support of gay marriage. His tweet went viral, being retweeted 50,000 times within the span of eight hours. Not all tweets are created equal, however. And not all go viral, or are received as positively as the president’s was. For executives at high-profile companies, the use of social media can be a double-edged sword. The right tweet or Facebook post can drive attention to a company and its...

Media Interview Tips in a Citizen Journalism World

It only took 30 seconds of listening to NPR yesterday morning for me to hear Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney's infamous "47 percent" off-microphone gaffe at a private fund-raising event. It's one of those remarks that takes on a life of its own and spreads wildly. What the candidate said and meant is not the issue I want to address here. As a PR professional, I immediately recognized that he broke one of the cardinal rules of public figures in a...

Bobby V is a Constant Practice in PR

Bobby, Bobby, Bobby, what are we going to do with you? Image Source: yardbarker.com I thought our little discussion after you marched into Spring Training, guns ablaze, stating that all players, veterans and otherwise, would take buses to and from Spring Training games, would assist in acclimating you to your new job with the one team that all New Englander’s live and die with. I see now that it had little effect. Following that discussion, in which we focused on...

The "Back to School" Kit Bag for Executive Spokespeople

September always brings "back to school" ads and a sense of "getting ready" for something new, no matter whether or not you are sending youngsters off to the classrooms or are heading back yourself as a teacher or a student. We've seen an interesting phenomenon recently that seems to be part of that "getting ready" push -- an increase in requests for media training to help spokespeople learn to tell their story to the media most effectively. Many companies are...