Another one of my Twitter discoveries is Kathleen Hessert the President of Sports Media Challenge. She has help revolutionize Twitter in the sports world and the specific example I am aware of his tutoring of Shaquille O'Neal who has really maximized twittering in the marketing of his own individual brand. She has worked with Olympic athletes and professional in all the major sports markets as well as on the collegiate level. She has an outstanding website with great pointers for coaches, athletes and executives at: http://www.sportsmediachallenge.comHere is an example of some of the things you can find at her site:
No athlete or coach likes to lose. So what do you do for a competition? You prepare yourself to win. The same goes for media interviews. The best interviewees create win-win situations. You can communicate your agenda by issuing a clear, specific message. On the other side, having their byline with a top story satisfies the media's need to win.
Preparing yourself to win in an interview is critical. It’s a waste to simply show up and answer the reporter’s questions. By doing that, you hand over the power. When bad publicity spreads in nanoseconds, there’s a lot at stake! Protect yourself with an IRA. No, this didn’t just become a financial planning seminar. This IRA is a tool for reputation management.
I for Influence.
Exert influence over the direction and tone of the interview and the ultimate story. Do this by entering with a sharply focused agenda. Ask yourself what one thing you want the audience to remember most. Practice saying aloud in a concise sentence. In the interview, look for ways to incorporate it often enough so that it resonates.
R for Responsible.
Make yourself responsible for the accurate picture the story paints. No one else will do this for you. It’s your reputation at stake, so make it your responsibility to get your facts right, be clear and memorable.
A for Accountable.
You hear all the time, "It’s a free country, I can say whatever I want." That’s true, but be accountable for it. Sometimes that will mean saying you’re sorry and living with the results. Make sure you don’t place blame, but be accountable for finding a solution to a problem you may have contributed to.To help you with your IRA, you can also use this checklist to prepare for your winning interview:
What do you want to achieve with this interview?
Define your agenda.
What don’t you want to happen?
What tone do you want to create?
Who else will be interviewed?
Anticipate tough and predictable questions. Plan answers to them.
What stories, examples, analogies can you use to make you and your message more interesting, relevant and memorable? Obviously, you may not need to go to great lengths to prepare for every interview. But if you want to create that win-win situation with the media, make the most of an interview by knowing your agenda and finding ways to communicate it.
Here is a great article that speaks to the influence Kathleen is having in today's sports world: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/technology/internet/05link.html
