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BROWN BAG WORKSHOP:MEDIA TRAINING

Office of Communications & Marketing

Today’s media landscape• Print/Online

• New Media (Huffington Post)

• Television

• Radio

• Social Media– Blogs

– Facebook

– Twitter

– Pintrest

Where people get “news”

Source: Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism

Why work with the media?

• Promotion of your scholarship or expertise

• Contribute to Georgia Regents University and Health System’s reputation

• Tell our story

Why work with Media Relations?

• We are the spokespersons for the enterprise

• We have relationships with the media

• We have experience with traditional and non-traditional media

• We are knowledgeable about applicable state laws (Open Records Act, Sunshine Law)

• We vet media requests

• We advise on appropriate venues and reporters

• We are trained to handle crisis communications

• We are former members of the media

Timeliness: Why it’s important

• Deadlines are constant

• Reply to media inquiries as quickly as possible

• Expert’s obligation

• Helps to develop reporter/expert relationships

• Media outlets usually work together in which increases your chances of national & international exposure

Media Exposure: How do we get it?

• Responding to media inquiries

• Media releases

• External pitches

• Op-Eds

• Established relationships with institutional experts

• Public Relations Listservs

• Crises

Roles

• Interviewer

– Reporters don’t work for us

– A good reporter is:

• Balanced/Honest

• Quick

• A generalist

• Curious

• Interviewee

What to do when a reporter calls you

• Alert the Media Relations Department before scheduling a time to speak with the media. We will advise on how to proceed and assist in scheduling an interview.

• We’ll ask the questions– Identify the media outlet– What is the story about? – Who else are they talking to?– Who is the right expert?– What is the deadline?

• Relax – you’re the expert, remember?

What to do when a reporter calls you

• USE LAYMAN’S TERMS!

• Don’t “dumb down.”

• Lose the jargon

• Tell it to your mother

• Know your audience

• Don’t assume any prior knowledge on the reporter’s part

Soundbites

• Realize up front that reporters will use about 10 seconds of what you say

• Analogies and visual examples work well

• Arm yourself with some keepers about your area of expertise

– Dull: Premature babies don’t have enough surfactant and may benefit from an endotracheal tube

– Keeper: When babies are born premature, the sacs in their lungs stick together when they breathe in and out. By providing a natural lubricant, through a tube in their airway, we can fix that problem.

Bridging

• Know in advance what you are going to talk about and LISTEN CAREFULLY to questions

• Find a way back to the point you want to make

• Expand or narrow the scope of the question

• Do not speculate. If you don’t know the answer, say so.

• Do not repeat false statements or “toxic” wording

Don’t expect…

• To receive a list of questions prior to the interview

• To approve the reporter’s story ahead of time, but you can offer to be available to fact-check

• To tell the reporter what he or she should write about

• The headline to reflect the content of the story

On Camera Appearance

• Clothing & Makeup

– No sunglasses

– No striped, checkered, plaid, or big prints

– Consider storing an extra jacket/tie in the office

– Women, wear more makeup than you typically do

• Physical

– Speak to the reporter (taped)

– Speak to the camera (live)

– Avoid crazy eyes

– Avoid swivel chairs

– Sit up straight “puppet on a string”

Dressing for TV

• Women

– Bright, flattering colors

– Minimal jewelry

– Flattering makeup

– Professional look

– Avoid busy patterns

• Men

– Conservative colors

– Blue dress shirt

– Professional look

– No busy patterns

– Shave

Quick Tips

• Stand if you’re talking on the phone – it prevents multi-tasking, improves your breathing and you think better on your feet

• NOTHING IS OFF THE RECORD!

• Try to avoid “No Comment”

• You can limit the time of the interview

Media Relations Contacts

• Christen Carter, Director– chrcarter@gru.edu– 706-721-5733

• Toni Baker, Medical College of Georgia

– tbaker@gru.edu– 706-721-4421

• Danielle Harris, Hull College of Business, College of Education, & College of Math and Sciences – deharris1@gru.edu– 706-446-4805

• Denise Parrish, Clinical Affairs: Georgia Regents Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Georgia– mparrish@gru.edu– 706-721-9566

• LaTina Emerson, College of Dental Medicine, College of Nursing, and College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences– lemerson@gru.edu– 706-721-4706

• Jennifer Scott, Medical College of Georgia (student news), Research, and University Partnerships– jscott1@gru.edu– 706-721-8604

• Steven Uhles, Cancer Center– suhles@gru.edu– 706-721-2335

• Sharron Walls, College of All ied Health Sciences– shwalls@gru.edu– 706-721-7955

• GRU Paging Operator

– 706-721-3893– The operator will direct you to the on-call media relations representative (24/7)