TEN TIPS FOR WORKING WITH THE MEDIA
I am going to be talking alot about media as we are preparing for October 11,12 & 13 MediaSpeak Symposium
The tips tooday are courtesy of Media Coach Ann Convery
1. The key to connecting with your audience – speak in stories. Find the emotional aspects of your topic.
2. Use numbers, trends and statistics to be instantly more interesting.
3. What if a radio station won’t let me give the 800 number for my book? Say “ a lot of these questions are answered on my website, which is www.xxx.com.”
4. Don’t assume because you are a speaker that you can speak to the media – this is a deadly mistake many professional speakers make. The interviewer wants the real you – conversation, dialogue, humor, and edutainment. If she feels “talked to” or “talked at” in the pre-interview, you will probably not get on air. Media is a dialogue, not a monologue.
5. Get to the point in 30 seconds or less. Have your three most important points down and get them into soundbites.
6. When sitting on TV, don’t hug the back of the chair, you’ll look scared. Gesture, smile, use your hands and move away from the back of the chair occasionally. Tape yourself first at home to see if you have any annoying gestures.
7. Use humor to deflect an attack, sidestep a hot issue, and bond with your audience. A famous example: It has been said Ronald Reagan won the election when Mondale attacked him in a debate and instead of responding, Reagan smiled, shook his head and said, “There you go again.”
8. Good humor dissolves perfectionism, which is the enemy of great communication. A sense of humor about yourself conveys deep confidence in who you are — a very powerful message.
9. Stories sell. Get four or five stories and have them in reserve. Make sure they’re two to three sentences long. Keep them dramatic, with a first, second and third act.
10. Identify the emotional aspects of your topic. What will make your pitch into an emotionally grabbing story?
In my next blog I will send you some more media tips.
