What the Media Mentor Can Teach You

As your media trainer, I'll provide you with the strategies and tactics you need to carry out successful television, radio, and print interviews. And I won't serve you boilerplate media fare; I'll tailor my advice to your specific project and personal style, offering you both instruction and opportunities to engage in dry runs through mock interviews and roleplay. Here are some of the subjects I generally cover during mentoring sessions depending on your level of experience, the nature of your project, and the volatility of your topic:

Media Basics
On-Air Crisis Management
Panel Situations
Demo/How-To Shows
Parting Moments

Media Basics
You'll learn how to:

Identify your key media messages that hosts and audience will associate with you.
Package your messages into meaningful sound bites and deliver them with laser-sharp precision.
Steer the interview in the direction in which YOU want it to go.
Seamlessly integrate your book title or product name into the ongoing dialogue.
Transform nervous energy into a radiant presence.
Avoid common pitfalls that can derail even the best interview and sabotage your credibility.
Anticipate tough questions and devise winning answers that put the interview back into your hands.
Handle callers with aplomb.
Be at your best in front of cameras, microphones, and telephones.
Turn print interviews and deskside briefings into tomorrow's stories.

On-Air Crisis Management
You'll learn how to:

Maintain your equilibrium in the face of incompetent, indifferent, or hostile hosts.
Deal with off-the-wall, dimwitted, or belligerent callers.
Turn around an interview that's moving slowly or heading south.
Apply Bennett's "Triple D" salve to tough, burning questions: Dodge, Deflect, and Discombobulate.
Use ju-jitsu media techniques to deal with aggressive or combative hosts looking to get a rise out of you or to start a fire fight amongst panelists.

Panel Situations
You'll learn how to:

Abide by the rules of "panetiquette" — "dos" and "don'ts" of participating in a panel discussion.
Hog the limelight during a panel discussion — without looking like a hog.
Reclaim your turf if a dominant panelist steals the show from you.
How to survive the crossfire of panel discussions and emerge from the battle victorious.

Demo/How-To Shows
You'll learn how to:

Handle the logistics of setting up a demo table or counter in a typical television studio.
Stage an engaging demo that draws in the host as your partner.
Expect the unexpected, think quickly on your feet, and improvise your way to success.
Convey visual information in a radio or print environment.
Provide high entertainment that compels viewers/listeners/readers to buy your book, product, or service.

Parting Moments
You'll learn how to:

Wrap up an interview by reinforcing your media messages.