Spokespeople, public relations professionals, subject matter experts, even CEOs and senior level executives may need to decide what to wear for a print, radio, or televised media interview. So, we polled social media to ask our viewers, “What should you wear in a media interview?” The experts have weighed in, commenting with bite-sized bits of […]
Tips From Our Viewers: What Should You Wear in a Media Interview?
October 6, 2016 by · Leave a Comment
Share your media relations advice: Is it ever okay to go off the record?
July 18, 2016 by · Leave a Comment
By Gerard Braud – Speaking off of the record is triggered by either an incentive from the spokesperson or a suggestion from the reporter. It usually happens when the interview reaches an impasse because the spokesperson knows that if he says more, his comments will compromise a relationship or expose confidential information. Sometimes the […]
You Answered: What is the Best Way to Get in Touch with a Busy Reporter?
March 17, 2016 by · Leave a Comment
By Gerard Braud – Public relations and communications professionals know that it takes a long term relationship with the media in order to grab their attention. That is why I asked for your bite-sized bits of best practices for getting in touch with busy reporters. Senior communicators weighed in on our social media accounts and […]
BraudCast Question: What is your best advice to persuade your executives or CEO to take a media training class?
October 5, 2015 by · Leave a Comment
By Gerard Braud – CEOs and executives may fear embarrassment in a media training class, they may have a hectic schedule, or can’t justify spending their revenue on a media trainer. Public relations professionals and internal communications professionals often have a difficult time getting their CEO or executives to put media training on their calendar. […]
BraudCast Question: How quickly do you need to issue a public statement when a crisis happens?
September 20, 2015 by · Leave a Comment
Organizations often spend hours writing press releases and public statements and reviewing them with their public relations professionals and legal teams before they are ever presented to the media. This only allows the media to become impatient and frustrated and eyewitnesses to begin speculating. For effective crisis communications and employee communications, how fast should a company release a […]
Tutorial #15 How to Prepare for a Live Skype Interview with Local or National Media
June 25, 2015 by · Leave a Comment
Tutorial # 15 By Gerard Braud – In this series of 23 articles and videos, you will learn the skills needed to film and publish an online news report video about your crisis. If your event is newsworthy and your video is shot professionally, it could lead to a live interview with local or national […]
7 Frightening Media Realities for Public Relations
June 17, 2015 by · Leave a Comment
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By Gerard Braud –- As the media changes, your media relations strategy must change with it. We covered these changes and strategies in detail at the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) conference in San Francisco during my Monday morning workshop, #IABC15 The Changing Media Landscape. For those of you who attended the workshop, this […]
Media Training Case Study: Political Season Is Upon Us
April 14, 2015 by · Leave a Comment
By Gerard Braud – In yesterday’s article I mentioned The New York Times called me Friday for a comment about Rand Paul’s hostile interview with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie. When the Times starts calling for observations, that means the political season is in full swing. You can learn a lot about your own media interview dos […]
The Self-Centered Media and How it Affects You
March 10, 2015 by · Leave a Comment
By Gerard Braud – The media love their gadgets. They also love promoting their gadgets. At KSLA 12 in Shreveport, Louisiana, LifeEye12 was our mother ship. That is why I laughed so hard when the opening scene of the movie Anchorman shows Ron Burgundy stepping out of his helicopter. I’m not, however, laughing at CNN’s […]
Selecting the Right Spokesperson: Should it be Multiple People?
February 5, 2015 by · Leave a Comment
Who should be your media spokesperson? In this series of blogs, we have reviewed the argument for the CEO serving as the spokesperson and the PR person serving as the media spokesperson. Consider option 3: Should a Variety of People Should Serve as Your Media Spokespeople? A subject matter expert, with proper media training, can be […]
Marshawn Lynch and the High Cost of Super Bowl Media Interviews
January 27, 2015 by · Leave a Comment
With Super Bowl media day at hand, Marshawn Lynch, the media shy Seattle Seahawk, can expect more attention for what he does NOT say than what he DOES say. In the past the NFL has issued fines as high as $100,000 for Lynch, because he didn’t want to talk to the media. Can Marshawn’s media […]
Media Training 28: Speaking Off the Record
December 19, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com Never agree to speak off the record. This lesson really could end with just that phrase: Never speak off the record. Speaking off the record has been taboo among the wisest media trainers and public relations sages for decades, but rarely do I teach a media training class in which I don’t […]
Media Training 27: Body Language
December 18, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com What you don’t say is often as important or more important than what you do say, when you are talking to a reporter. How you stand, how you act, how you fidget, how you move, how you stutter, how you sit, and where you look, all says a lot about you. […]
Media Training 26: Looks are Important
December 17, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com Looks are important. With just three lessons left to go, I would be remiss not to cover some important basics, such as how to dress for a news conference. Dress for men has always been easier than dress for women in the world of media. That’s because men’s fashions tend to remain […]
Media Training 24: Death by News Conference
December 15, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com Many reporters fear what I often call “death by news conference.” In lesson 17 we discussed the concept of committing news as a premeditated act. Reporters hate to cover news conferences for two main reasons. The first reason is because usually there are way too many spokespeople saying little if anything […]
Media Training 21: The Secret to Handling Negative Questions
December 10, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com Most questions from most reporters are negative. News in general tends to be negative because it is usually about serious change or a disaster. I wish news wasn’t negative, but I spent 15 years in the business trying to change that and couldn’t. Then I’ve spent every year since 1994 trying […]
Media Training 19: Preparing for a Desk Side Visit
December 8, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com If you are a big organization, occasionally a reporter from a major media outlet will call and ask for permission to do a “desk side visit.” Be careful. These can be deadly. A desk side visit is when a reporter wants to come by the office, not to write a particular […]
Media Training 14: Reporters like to Speculate
December 1, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com What’s the worst that could happen? How much worse could it get? But what if… ? Oh, those great “what if” questions. Reporters love the what if question. Why? Well, reporters lover a great story and sometimes the story doesn’t materialize the way they hoped it would. Remember all the lessons […]
Media Training 7: Never get in a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel
November 18, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com I find it unbelievable that in the 21st century we still find executives who don’t want to take on a reporter or news outlet that has wrongly damaged their reputation. The traditional way of responding to a media outlet that makes a factual error is to ask the management for a retraction. But […]
Prescriptions for Great Media Interviews: Secrets You Need to Know Before Talking to Reporters
March 20, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
By Gerard Braud The doctor’s resume was impressive. It demonstrated a successful practice, plus a history of research and teaching. The ABC News program 20/20 wanted to do a story about the doctor’s research. The teaching hospital selected me to be the media trainer. After the best research possible, to prepare, I called the public […]
Lesson 3: It’s About Me
May 7, 2009 by · Leave a Comment
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com My wife often reminds me that it’s “not about me.” But she forgets that I come from a 15 year career as a journalist, where everything was about me. Everyday it was my story; my interviews; my scoop. Reporters have big egos. Accept it. You can’t change it so don’t even […]
