Marie Berbick-Graham's Diary of a PR Girl

10 Interview Dont's a Journalist Should Know

2012-01-17T09:01:00.000-08:00

As Journalists, we sometimes forget that our work should be guided by certain principles, whether or not the media house for which we work, has an editorial or professional code of conduct.

One of the most important things to remember, is that when someone agrees to be interviewed, the Journalist should show him/her respect throughout that interview, regardless of your own perceptions and convictions about the interviewee. It is therefore important for journalists to conduct interviews with certain principles in mind.

1. Do not coerce (browbeat) your interviewee into saying what you want to hear. Some journalists are guilty of browbeating and even badgering interviewees. Overtime these journalists develop a reputation that make people reluctant to be interviewed by them.

2. Do not engage in an exchange of insults with your interviewee. Arguing might seem a natural part of interviewing especially for current affairs but when arguing develops into an exchange of insults with the interviewee, the journalist has crossed the line.

Regardless of how rude your interviewee may appear, the journalist should remain in control of that interview. He/she should make a decision as to whether or not he/she can handle the interviewee without becoming too flustered but do not engage in an exchange of insults. Kudos to CVM TV presenter Kerlyn Brown, for keeping her composure and remaining very professional during that now infamous live interview with politician Everald Warmington last March, during which the politician told her and co-anchor Dwayne Berbick to "Go to hell!"

3. Do not ask too many double-barrelled questions. Ask your questions one at a time if possible. Double barreled questions often lose your interviewee. By the time they begin to respond, they forget what the first part of your question was and may need to ask for a reminder!

4. Limit your use of close-ended questions unless you are seeking confirmation of a point made. Close-ended questions are particularly useful to obtain factual information or yes/no answers.

5. Avoid rudely interrupting your interviewee if you think that he or she is talking too much. Rather, wait until he/she pauses, ask him/her to please hold that thought, then ask your question. Attorney-at law Derek Jones demonstrated this skill quite well, while moderating the 2011 political debates. Some interviewees can be really difficult to control but remain as professional as possible in the situation. If it’s an interview with more than one interviewee, try the “Thank you very much Mr. X. It would be interesting to hear Mr. Y's views on this. Mr. Y, what is your opinion on the matter?"

6. Do not try to religiously stick to the questions you’ve prepared!. It’s a recipe for disaster. Let the interview flow. Listen keenly to the interviewee's responses to keep pace, take mental notes and ask relevant follow-up questions. If you try too hard to stick to previously prepared questions, you can become confused.

7. Do not dart anxious little glances at your tape recorder during the interview. This can throw off your interviewee who will think you are not listening to what he/she is saying. Test the recorder before the interview officially begins. Ensure it's fully charged.

8. Do not rely totally on your recorder. The horror stories of recorded interviews that turned out to be blank tapes are many! Always backup your recorded interview with written notes.

9. Avoid beginning your next question by repeating what you have just been told by the interviewee--especially if it's a radio or TV interview. For example, your interviewee says “I graduated from the Academy two years ago." Do not begin your next questions with “You graduated from the Academy two years ago…

10. This can be a tough one especially when interviewing celebrities but do not be a gusher or act overly star struck. Celebrity entertainment show hosts might get away with this but hard news journalists should show appreciation without being too patronising especially with celebrity interviewees.

The points stated in this article are by no means finite but if put into practice should produce a good interview. Do feel free to share your guidelines with us in the comments section.

Ready to build Brand YOU? Why Personal Branding could be just right for you

2011-12-11T15:20:00.000-08:00

We're almost at the end of another year and what have you done for you? How about trying something new? Like Building Brand YOU? Personal Branding can make the difference between being successful and being ordinary in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

What is Personal Branding?
Are you a public personality, someone who is constantly in the public eye or an ambitious professional seeking to take your career to the next level? Are you good at inspiring others? Are your peers always admiring YOU for something you’re good at? Do you want to stand out from the crowd? If you can answer yes to any of these questions…you are a BRAND. Yes. YOU ARE A BRAND and The PR Girl can help you build and earn money from your brand through Personal Branding coaching.

The PR Girl’s Personal Branding workshops will help you to develop and execute the marketing and communications skills you need to enhance your image and build BRAND YOU.

Who is it for?
Personal Branding can benefit any driven person who wants to stand out from the crowd, earn from their talents or just have a successful career. It's particularly useful for public personalities,professionals, entrepreneurs,entertainers, people whose work places them in the public eye, young executives seeking to make their mark and people seeking to market/establish themselves as experts in any field.

Benefits of Building a Personal Brand (BRAND YOU)
Become recognized and respected for what you’re good at
Earn money from branding yourself
For executives/professionals, make yourself exceptionally attractive to employers in an increasingly competitive job market

Overview of the PERSONAL BRANDING package

There are three main components to The PR Girl’s Personal Branding Workshop labelled Re-TAP ©
o Re-think: Identifying the Brand in YOU. Re-think helps you identify and package your most marketable talents/characteristics.
o Re-align: Building Brand YOU: Re-align guides you how to market yourself as a brand with proven Personal Branding techniques. Coaching includes image management and media relations.
o Re-position: How to build equity and sustain BRAND YOU. Re-position guides you to grow and protect Brand YOU.(Trademark and copyright laws are examined).

NB: PB is offered in groups or through private coaching sessions. Email The PR Girl at mariebg79@yahoo.co.uk for further information about coaching sessions scheduled for January 2012.

Why a press release isn't always effective at getting you publicity

2011-12-10T07:09:00.000-08:00

How many press releases have you issued in recent times without getting the desired outcome—publicity? A colleague PR Practitioner confided to me recently, that these days it’s the toughest she’s found it to get publicity for clients in her 20 something years of being in the PR business. So why is this? Perhaps she is still thinking and using strategies that worked 20 years ago but are no longer as effective today.

Publicity is an important part of building a client’s profile and for a long time, issuing a press release has been one of the most popular ways of getting publicity. However, things and times are changing and depending on the nature of the matter for which you seek publicity, the press release might no longer be the most effective way of getting publicity.

So, your client donated a dozen computers to a school today or the company has a new CEO. Sure—to you that’s big news but the reality is to the editors or news managers, it isn’t. So you’ve got to find the best way to pitch your news-make it interesting enough for the journalist to want to take a closer look and the press release might not be the best strategy. Here are a few things to note.

Your client/company doesn’t always have to be in the headline
PR practitioners need to understand that your client doesn’t always have to be in the headline to reap the benefits. Sometimes it’s better to allow someone else to tell the story. For example if your client or company donates computers to a school, the first thought for a headline is probably “Company X donates computers to so and so institution”. Yes, that’s an accurate headline but what makes it deserving of a space in the paper when there are so many other companies doing likewise? Instead, try using the human interest approach—whose life is it changing? Let those people do the talking for you.

Sometimes you just need a good photo
They say a picture can tell a thousand words and that is so true in the news business. There are times when all you need to send to the media (newspapers), is a good photo that is accurately captioned. Unfortunately, some PR practitioners still believe that submitting a smiling photo of the CEO or a well orchestrated photo of key players is the best option but it’s not. Dozens or even hundreds of photos come to the editor from various sources everyday including their own photojournalists so you need to get creative! When you are competing with similar news (such as those nice donations companies make to charity), you need to find a way to stand out. Look out for different kinds of photo opportunities—think outside the smiling well posed photos and find something different. Also, know your industry publications and the various newspaper sections. This will help you to figure out what publication is most appropriate for you to send that photograph to.

Think and write like a journalist
In this fast paced news environment where an editor has to go through many press releases, all competing for a space in the newspaper or a few minutes of airtime, the PR practitioner needs to know how to grab the editor’s attention with the first few lines of the release! Yes, news writing skills are essential in this business. The PR Practitioner needs to think like a journalist and write the release like a journalist probably would write the story. Sometimes there is a good story there but your writing/story telling skills are so poor that the release gets tossed before the editor gets a chance to find the news in it. For example, at the beginning of the release, you might ramble on and on about the “how” part of the story when you really should be telling the reader “who” and “what” the story is about and leave the “how “ for later in the release. Remember the inverted pyramid news writing guide? It directs you to put the most important information first. Try to apply it when writing your release.

Help the media to understand your business
Do you have a client or work for a company that is doing great things at the micro or macro level but no matter how hard you try, journalist just do not seem interested in your story? If your answer is yes, perhaps you are one of those PR people who need to help the media to better understand your company/client’s business. For instance, I’ve had to work very hard to get the media to support clients whose businesses are of a highly technical nature. I found that the average Journalist doesn’t have time to figure out what all the technical terms in a release means so I’ve had to work with clients to break down technical terms, create information materials that are simple but very interesting to stimulate the journalist’s interest.
So in cases of apathy, inviting a journalist to visit the company and taking them on an educational tour of the facilities might be far more effective than issuing a press release. Awareness is one thing but if the media do not understand and appreciate the nature of your client/company’s business, you’ll have challenges getting publicity for all the things that make your company such a good corporate citizen.

Build Relationships with the Media
You’ve got to get out from behind your desk and go meet the people in the newsrooms. I can’t stress this enough. It’s good to get to know news editors, assignment editors and programme producers when you’re in the PR business. Remember, news staff come and go. The editor with whom you had a good relationship might move on tomorrow and what happens then? When you can call an editor and discuss a pitch or share a story idea with him/her, and have them send a reporter to get the story, that’s an invaluable relationship. And don’t call only when you need a favour or they’ll figure you out pretty soon –news people know when they are being used for selfish gains.

There’s no hard and fast rule about how to get publicity but experience teaches wisdom so you can learn a thing or two from the ideas I’ve shared. Good luck!

5 Sure Ways to Mismanage a Crisis

2011-04-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

Managing corporate crises can be a tough job, especially the media relations aspect of it.

Companies need to be proactive—be prepared for any eventuality- and have a strategic crisis communications plan. Here are five examples of how you should not respond, in the event of a crisis situation in your organization.

All are drawn from observing the manner in which successive Governments,politicians, public personalities and some Jamaican corporate entities have handled crises in the public sphere over the years.

1 Tell your critics to “shut their damn mouth.”
– Comment made by Alston Stewart, former Chairman of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), at a press briefing held in April 2005, to address allegations of corruption at the NSWMA. He directed critics to come forward with evidence or ‘shut their damn mouth!’

2 Refuse to admit and apologise when your company is at fault.
When your company fouls up, don’t act like you’re not at fault. Admit and apologise. Take corrective action and put in preventative measures. The more excuses you come up with to avoid taking responsibility, the more ammunition you’ll give the media. Your stakeholders will also begin to question your credibility and this breeds mistrust. If you are a publicly traded company, a negative reputation can affect the value of your stock. So think long and hard about whether being ‘pig headed’ is worth it.

3 Say “No comment” when the press calls.
Why people still use the ‘no comment’ excuse to avoid talking to the media is beyond my comprehension. When you stonewall the media, they are inclined to think you’ve got something to hide. Saying ‘no comment’ to the media is like telling them to“bring it on baby!”
They will then begin to dig deeper and harder and put you under more pressure to get the story. So just get a good PR adviser and they’ll help you handle the media.

4 Act pig-headed and arrogant during media interviews.
The bottom line is this--if you're not ready to be held accountable for your actions, don't take to the airwaves. An angry person or one who thinks he/she, as an individual,--is bigger than the matter that is of public interest,is not the best representative to speak with the media. Think JLP Member of Parliament Everald Warmington who simply felt that the journalist's questions were too probing when asked about his dual citizenship and responded with the now infamous 'Go to hell!" quote. So if you messed up and are not ready to take responsibility for your actions, don’t even think about going on air until you can be rational.

5 Chastise or March on media houses that do not give you favourable coverage.
Former Prime Minister of Jamaica, the late Michael Manley led a march on the Gleaner Company in 1979, for allegedly misrepresenting his speech given at a conference in Cuba. In recent times, the Jamaica Labour Party administration has taken issue with how the media has reported several matters, including the Dudus/Mannat issue.

There are indeed times when the media needs to be chastised but determining the best way to go about it can be tricky because when the media is against you, you’re never in a good place. So someone might need to 'bell the cat' but marching on a media house is never an option that I’d recommend to a client.

News Values Every PR Practitioner Should Know

2011-04-13T03:34:00.000-07:00

Editors often complain that many press releases which are sent to the newsroom are a waste of their time.

One of the main reasons for this is because public relations professionals, particularly those who have not worked in a newsroom, do not know that there are factors—known as news values, that editors use to measure a press releases’ news worthiness.

Here are some of the News Values--which determine whether or not a story you pitched is worth publishing.

Impact-- How significant is this news in terms of public interest and people impact? How many persons will be affected by the information contained in your press release and to what extent? For example if you are the PR person at the Jamaica Flour Mills and your company increases the price of flour, your press release will make the news because the price increase will automatically affect the baking industry and send up the price of bread, which almost everyone eats, everyday. If there's a natural disaster and you work for a disaster relief agency, your Press Release about how many persons have been affected by the disaster, how many are in shelters and what your organization is doing to assist is likely to make the news.

Celebrity or public personality-- Stories involving celebrities and public personalities often make the news because people are interested in reading about them. People just can’t get enough of the drama surrounding the lives of celebrities and public personalities. They are fair game in countries like the United States but the mainstream Jamaican media is a bit more conservative about reporting on the private lives of public personalities--mainly because they fear a libel suit. Anyway, people still want the inside scoop so there’s always the online news and gossip sites.

Currency-- Timing is everything in news so unless it’s something like a new development in an ongoing big story, avoid sending out a week-old press release.

Tragedy— PR practitioners know first hand that good news isn’t the most attractive bait for journalists. Crime stories, tragic incidents or generally negative happenings are often considered more newsworthy than the press release about how many computers your company donated to a school. Some newspapers as a policy, try to refrain from placing negative stories on the front pages but the truth is, bad news and sensationalism sell newspapers!

Unusual/Shocking—Unusual looking things, unusual people and unexplainable incidents make the news because they are not things we see or experience in our normal everyday lives. Therefore the farmer with the cow that gave birth to a two-headed calf will make the news, as will the policeman who attempts to eat the money he bribed from a motorist!

Proximity and Relevance—The Gleaner, Observer and Sunday Herald are national newspapers therefore their coverage is nationwide. On the other hand, regional newspapers such as The Western Mirror and North Coast Times concentrate on covering stories which are of interest to people within their respective regions. So think about relevance and proximity before you send a press release to regional publications.

How’s Your Company’s Media Relations?

2011-04-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

Developing and maintaining a good relationship with the media is no easy task—but it’s achievable. The relationship can seem like a love/hate one, especially in the early stages as Public Relations executives have come to realize.

Regardless of how good a relationship a PR executive might have with journalists, he/she will NEVER be able to fully control what is published about their company or client.

The key to getting the best out of your relationship with the media is to develop a good and honest working relationship with key journalists, while accepting that you do not control them.

Apply all honest and ethical means available to protect your company or client’s reputation but DO NOT lie to a reporter—when the truth comes out, you’ll be the one with a soiled reputation.

Like yourself, a reporter is just doing his or her job, so be courteous and helpful whenever they seek you out for information---and not only when it serves your interest.

Be genuinely helpful and don’t pretend you want to be their best friend either—reporters aren’t silly, they know how to spot a fake.

Finally--sending some reporters gifts will not get you more favourable coverage, it’ll only make them more suspicious of your motives!

Quash the rumour mill before it becomes your 'spokesman'

2010-10-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

One of the most proven statements in the discipline of corporate communications is that "when the communication channels in the organization fail, the grapevine flourishes." So true. If you don't tell your staff the bad news yourself--someone else will and more often than not, information gets distorted-- as different persons add or subtract along the grapevine!

So take a moment to think about it. Where or from whom do you get important news about happenings at work? When "something is going down", such as people are about to get laid off, the CEO or some other senior manager has been fired- how do you know about it? A colleague may whisper in your ear, someone might drop you an "unofficial" email or worse--you hear about it from the media.

Many companies fail to put in place and manage proper communication channels through which they inform their most important publics--staff--about important developments. They make the mistake of keeping information to themselves, allowing it to trickle out "unofficially." Bad move.

If you're the communications executive within a company that does not have an effective internal communication system--no clear policy on how important information gets to the staff and other publics, you're not doing your job. Plain and simple.

Get your company's management to understand the importance of having effective communication channels that can manage the rumour mill in the event that certain issues arise. If they show apathy, give them a reality shock! Pull the most shocking examples of what happens to companies that don't take employee communication seriously-the Internet is full of them. Ensure the lesson incorporates the impact of poor employee communication on their bottom line! Think dollars!

With the current global economic crisis, many companies are facing hard times. You might be considering staff cuts and the last thing you need is for them to learn of their ultimate fate, from the media! Sona Hathi of Melcrum, recently shared a story from which we as communicators, can all learn.

"A friend of mine who works for one of the troubled Icelandic banks was recently told that the parent company had gone into administration. This news was made worse by the fact she found out, not by someone in charge, but through the rumor-mill," she said.

Hathi notes, the story appeared on a news website before the staff was informed by management, about whether there was any truth to the matter! "Within minutes, rumours were circulating as to everyone's fate. A senior manager did speak to all employees, but only much later in the day once the gossip had taken hold." she said.

Management needs to also realize that some companies do have employees that are trusted "sources" for journalists. So it is very possible that the "confidential" company information that ends up on the news came from inside! Why do you think Nationwide Radio often seems to know what’s going on even before the people on the inside do?

The lesson from the experience of the Icelandic bank is that management's failure to be proactive forced them into a reactive mode. Whenever this happens, employees are likely to treat with suspicion, anything management tells them. In short, your employees are less likely to trust you when you tell them "after the fact". The first thing the management of that bank did wrong was, they waited too long to formally clarify the rumours with their staff.

In this regard, some of our local CEOs can learn a thing or two from former head of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Huntley Medley. When he was relieved of his post at the JIS, Medley quickly took steps to control the rumour mill. He called the managers together the next morning and told them himself.

"As a communicator, you can't stop people talking or gossiping," says CEO Aniko Czinege of Workwise Communication, "but you can make sure that you don't create the environment where employees rely on rumor to obtain their information."

Czinege shares a few tips with communicators, on how to control the rumour mill when things go wrong within the company.

• Be proactive and be the first with information and context. Rumors cease to be exciting when they're out in the open so use two-way leader meetings, i.e. brown bag lunches to "out" rumors. Prepare the leader in advance and help support the meeting by taking the role of asking the challenging questions that are on employees' minds i.e., the rumors.

• Provide a report back from the feedback session on the intranet or company newsletter.

• Be even more open and transparent with performance data i.e., sales figures and customer data.

• Have reliable contacts throughout the organization to check the status of rumors and staff morale.

• Avoid hiding and over-spinning communication. Don't overreact to rumors – provide the right information and let it "run".

• Get information out early and explain that you will provide regular updates, rather than letting rumors proliferate whilst you wait.

• Understand where the rumors usually start. There are often functions that are the first with the rumors. You can then work with the function head to improve the communication.

• Monitor industry websites for any mention of your company's plans.

In any field, nothing advises action better than experience. But these tips will set you on the right path to becoming more proactive with the management of your company's communication channels.

5 tips for a better Press Release

2010-09-13T06:31:00.000-07:00

We've been told over and over that one must be guided by the universally accepted Who, What, Where, When, Why and How format when writing a press release. But as many of us have found, sometimes issuing a press release can be a waste of time if you miss the meat of the matter.

Here are five tips to help you write a better press release:

1. Picture an inverted pyramid—the most important information in the release goes at the top. The reader must be able to get the jist of the story from the first sentence so ask your self “ What is this Press Release really about? Where’s the ‘news’ that I want to share?”

2. Use active language: News is more interesting when written in the active language so leave the passive voice for features. Forget “Two employees were today recognized at a long service awards ceremony by company X.” Instead write “Company X today recognized two employees for over 20 years of exemplary service to the organization.”

3. Keep things very simple: Do not begin with the long-winded explanations and technical jargon, which often turn people off from reading the story. Instead of “Jamaica Flour Mills has announced an increase in the price of flour due to further devaluation of the Jamaican dollar.” Go for immediate impact with a more attention grabbing human interest lead such as “Consumers will begin paying at least $5 more for a loaf of bread as of Monday” then explain why.

4. Don't forget the quote. It is essential that you include quotes from key persons involved in the issue that is being addressed by the Press Release. Quotes add credibility to your release.

5. Include a photo -- An accompanying photograph may boost the chance of your Press Release being published so ensure you caption and include one with the press release. However, DO NOT embed the picture into the release if you are emailing it. Save the picture as a separate file and do include your contact details: Be sure to give the name and contact details for the person who is best able to provide further information about the press release.

How to write and deliver a knock out speech!

2010-09-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

Delivering a speech can be a nerve racking experience for many persons, especially those who are not comfortable with speaking in front of an audience. Even for those who've done it over and over, there will come a day when you feel that tinge of nervousness. Believe it or not, I have been speaking in front of an audience and training others to do so for years, yet I still get nervous sometimes! I too have had moments I'd rather forget but what's important is that you learn from them. Note that preparation is key to overcoming shyness, drymouth, nervousness and other embarassing stumbling blocks to good public speaking.

Here are some tips to help you plan and deliver a good speech.

Somethings to consider when planning your speech

1. Why am I giving this speech? ( purpose)
2. Who am I talking to? (audience profile: age, profession, cultural background, etc)
3. What’s the best medium to communicate with them? (visuals, plain talk, flip chart)
4. What do I hope to achieve? (end result)

Parts of the Speech

(A) Introduction-Your introduction must immediately grab attention.

How to start big

* Tell them a story
* Use strong imagery
* Tell an appropriate joke
* Use audio, music, lighting, or other equipment to spice up your entrance on
stage
* Promise them you won’t be long (be sure to follow through on that promise!)
* Make an interesting comment on something the person who spoke before you said
* Make and keep good eye contact

B) The Body

How to develop your speech/presentation and build momentum

* Include information of interest to the audience
* Use facts and figures
* Tell them something they did not know before, but make it relevant
* Speak to, not at your audience (use conversational style)
* Use visuals: include graphics, pictures, tables, graphs where necessary
* Use active, not passive language (e.g. you should, not you can)
* Be convincing (believe what you are saying or the audience won’t believe you!)
* Use up the space you have (don’t hide behind the podium)
* Use pauses, silence for emphasis
* Ask rhetorical questions
* Use rhythm (as appropriate) in your speech (think Martin Luther King’s I have
A Dream)
* Speak in threes, use alliteration or repitition for emphasis
* Keep sentences short and punchy
* Avoid ACRONYMS and "big" words these distract your audience

(C) End

How to finish on a high note

* Reinforce your point
* Summarize
* Call your audience to action
* Tell them what you are going to do now
* Leave them with strong imagery e.g. "For the last ten minutes that I stood here talking to you, twenty more child prostitutes would have contracted HIV AIDs on the streets of our tourism capital. But you have the power to save twenty times that number, simply by signing this petition." (this will prompt them to think about what you are proposing).

Finally, don't be afraid to practice your speech in front of the mirror. The visual might not be appealing but don't sweat the small things. Exercise your tongue and jaw before you begin speaking and do have a glass of water (not lemonade) before you take to the stage.

Oops!... Common grammatical errors to look out for in everyday writing

2010-08-13T10:09:00.001-07:00

The English language can be very tricky sometimes and common writing errors can make you look…, er…semi-literate. Here are some common writing errors to avoid…

1. It's and Its: - "It's" is a contraction meaning "it is." Example: It's a good business move. "Its" shows possessiveness or ownership, Example: The company has lost half its management team in six months.

2. You, Your, and You're: You used instead of your is often a typographical error but you're is the contraction of "you are” eg. You're a good person. Nonetheless it’s commonly confused with your, which is a possessive pronoun.

3. Lose and Loose: Loose can have several meanings in English and is used as an adjective, adverb, or a verb. For example: Unattended children ran loose through the store. But lose is always a verb: His boss told him to lose his negative attitude while serving customers.

4. Compliment and Complement: - We compliment others on the things we like about them while complement is most commonly used to indicate that two things go well together. For example: The cream furniture complements the mint green of the room’s walls.

5. Assure, Insure and Ensure: Assure, ensure, and insure all mean "to make secure or certain." But assure is used with reference to a person in the sense of "to set the mind at rest": For example, "He assured her of the money-back guarantee."

Ensure is used in reference to making certain a specific action is taken e.g. Her attorney ensured she read the fine print thoroughly.

Insure, is used in the commercial sense meaning, "to guarantee persons or property against risk”. For example, she did not insure her business, now she’s lost everything.

5 tips for positive body language in business communication

2010-08-09T06:14:00.000-07:00

Good body language can make or break your career! Ensure you have great posture and that you exhibit the right non-verbal messages when dealing with others.

In business communications, over half (about 55 percent) of our total communicated message is sent through our body language. Twenty-two percent is the tone of voice we use, and a mere seven percent is portrayed through the actual words we say!

Be advised that body language communicates our feelings, attitudes and intentions to others. In your interpersonal communications, you need to be mindful of:

1. Gesture -(how we use our arms and hands)
2. Expression-(the way we signal with our
faces)
3. Posture:-(the way we hold our bodies, this
tells how we feel about our selves)
4. Touch:-(how we touch, where and how)

The way we dress also says a lot about our personality, role, job status, identity and level of confidence.

Regardless of how articulate and attractive you are, you need to ensure that your body language is in sync with what comes out of your mouth.Here are five tips for positive body language:

1. Maintain an open-body posture. Are your arms folded? Do you have your hands in your pocket? If you are seated, are your legs crossed away from the other person? Keep an open and welcoming body posture throughout the conversation. When standing, stand upright. Hold your head up.

2. Make eye contact. If you don't make and hold eye contact,the other person is less likely to trust you.

3. Give a nice firm handshake. Watch those hands!During your meeting, don't hide your hands. Don't put them in your pockets or hold them behind your back. If your hands aren't showing it sends a subliminal message that you can't be trusted -- that you have something to hide.

4. Nod to show interest and comprehension. Nodding while the other person is speaking sends a visual cue that you are listening to and (hopefully)understanding what they are saying.

5. Smile and show enthusiasm when you are greeting people. If you say you are pleased to meet someone, look and act like you mean it!

Simple email etiquette to save you from bagging your head

2010-08-03T06:12:00.000-07:00

Email has become an important mode of communication both for business and pleasure. But how aware are you of the power of an email? The email you send this minute, that is intended for a specific pair of eyes can end up on the computer screens of millions of people within seconds. So do think about what you say to someone else in an email and how you say it.

Here are a few guidelines for business emails:

1. Include your name, title, department, place of work, address and telephone number on your business email correspondence.

2. Always remember to address people by name in your email. Remember you are talking to someone, not something!

3. Avoid using Kind regards at the end of an email in which you communicate a subject matter that is of conflict between you and the receiver. It may be perceived as an insult.

4. Be careful how you use the word Kindly in your correspondence. Kindly is often interpreted as a command and many people are offended by it.

5. If you are ccd on an email, it's good manners to acknowledge receipt even if it means responding with the term 'noted.'

6. Spell and grammar check your emails. We all get caught sometimes!

7. Do not include XOXOXO on your business emails. It is unprofessional to do so.

8. Avoid using popular texting language in your business emails. No PPL, DWL or LMAO.

9. If you are offended by the tone or content of an email, do not respond right away. Wait until you have calmed down before responding.

10. It's OK to tell someone 'You're hired' via email (you should still provide them with an original job letter) but 'You're fired' via email, is considered taboo. Don't go there.

So next time you write that business email, read it through carefully before clicking the send button. Ask yourself, is there anything contained here that is likely to embarrass me should it be seen by someone other than the person for whom it is intended? If your answer is no, you're less likely to have to place a paper bag over your head, should it end up on the computer screens of millions of other email users.

Brian Schmidt shares his top five brand building tips

2010-07-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered why some brands dominate the market while others, although of high quality just never realize their full potential? One of Jamaica's brightest Media Marketing executives-- Brian Schmidt, Marketing Manager at Irie FM, shares some insight into how you can avoid some common mistakes and build a successful brand.

1. Focus on owning a category: It is better to be known as the main person in one category of business than to compete as just another player/product in the market.

2. ALWAYS try to be different: No matter what product/service you are promoting and regardless of size.

3. Keep things very simple: If your offer is too complicated, the consumer is less likely to react to it. A single strong proposition that people can easily relate to, works best.

4. The competition is within the consumer’s mind -- not with other people in your line of business.

5. Never deceive the consumer: The consumer (end user) is your most important customer. You can never buy trust.

Brian Schmidt is the Marketing Manager at Irie FM, and the brains behind many of the reggae radio’s major creative marketing successes over the years. He is also a past president of the Media Association of Jamaica (MAJ).

Tips to sharpen your interviewing skills

2010-07-29T07:38:00.000-07:00

Antony Jay writing in The Listener, said “Every interviewer must from time to time wonder whether he is not a licensed confidence trickster. Through sympathy and insight he extracts quotes whose value and impact are far more obvious to him than the interviewee who supplies them and the personal relationship which gained them was possibly taken by his subject as the start of a friendship, whereas for him, it was simply the day’s assignment."

If we look back at the now infamous Martin Bashir documentary, “Living with Michael Jackson," it becomes apparent Antony Jay is right.

But the ability to conduct a good interview is an essential skill for media workers. The interviewer should be able to apply certain basic interviewing skills to not only extricate the information required, but to overcome the challenges normally associated with conducting interviews.

Why conduct interviews?
Journalists conduct interviews for several reasons:

* To get information (essential part of investigative journalism)
* To comment on, justify or interpret (e.g. those “Impact” or “This Morning” interviews)
* To recount a personal experience or get reactions to an event (Popular on Prime Time News and News Watch and might I add they are often very sensational!)
* To explore (or enjoy) a personality (e.g. Barbara Walters Specials, Profile with Ian Boyne, The Desmond Allen interviews and Pure Class cover stories).

Preparation is key
However, preparation is key to getting a good interview and the journalist who takes on an interviewee without any kind of preparation no matter how small, is likely to struggle. My very first experience with taking on an interview without any preparation was in 1998, when I was asked to interview then Miss Universe, Wendy Fitzwilliam. When I received the call, it was less than two hours before the scheduled interview time. With little or no time to do any research and armed with only what I knew from the history of the Miss Universe Pageant and watching Wendy’s coronation show, I simply had a 10-minute heart-to heart chit chat with her, which ended up with the headline “Ten minutes with Miss Universe."

How do we achieve our objectives?
To ensure a worthwhile interview, the journalist must first establish the purpose of the interview. Ask yourself, why am I doing this interview? What do I want to achieve from this interview? Is my interviewee capable of giving me what I want from this interview?

Talk to the right people
Ask any Journalist what they like about the people who are often quoted in news reports and they’ll tell you that they love dealing with these people because they are willing to talk to them.

But one of the pitfalls that journalists, (particularly broadcast journalists conducting live interviews) should try to avoid is, using an interviewee who is unqualified to comment on a particular issue. This can be very embarrassing for both interviewer and interviewee as the interviewee who is ignorant of the subject matter, might either waffle or ramble on much to the chagrin of the viewers or listeners!

It is advisable for the journalist seeking a good interview, to use an interviewee who is articulate. Nothing is more useless than an interviewee who has the answers you seek but is unable to articulate them! The fact is not many persons are comfortable talking with a camera trained on them. Some people will freeze and begin to stutter the minute they see the camera, so choose your interviewee with care!

Whether or not the interviewer gets a good interview or achieves his objectives depends on among other things, preparation and the interview techniques used.
The following points are essential to getting the best interview you can:

Before the interview:
1. Research your subject thoroughly
2. Explain the process (for broadcast) to the interviewee before going on air
3. Put your interviewee at ease. Smile. It encourages your interviewee to relax.

Remember, the impression you make on the interviewee, is crucial to the success of the interview. So next time you have an interview to do, think on these things, be prepared and go knock em' dead! (not literally of course).

Nationwide News’ Liz Bennett on 7 media relations don'ts and how to get it right

2010-07-28T04:54:00.001-07:00

Nationwide Radio’s Programmes Manager, Liz Bennett, is a stickler for quality in the gathering, production and delivery of news. An experienced Journalist and media practitioner who was taught by one of the best in the business (Cliff Hughes), Liz took the time to share with the PR Girl, seven media relations weaknesses that she thinks PR practitioners should focus on improving. Here is Liz’s response to yesterday’s blog “Are you a Publicity Hog.”

Hi Marie, I find your PR articles quite instructive. As a media practitioner, I am taking the liberty of adding a few 'don'ts' for some persons who are in the PR field. (besides, I am now on vacation leave, so I have some rare free time!)

1. Sending large files - some PR practitioners need to appreciate that their emails are among scores received by newsrooms daily. Compress those files. Utilize online software like You Send It, where you can just send us a link to those large files.

2. Take time to understand your media-It’s unlikely that a radio or television station will have use for the ten photos from an event...even those media houses that carry news content on their websites. I’m in radio, don't send them to me. Select which media houses are more likely to use them and zero in on those.

3. Audio- Although many PR practitioners tend to focus on print, electronic media can be a big help as they reach a wider cross-section of Jamaicans on a daily basis. Thanks to INTERNET streaming, our audience extend to well beyond our shores. Help us to help you by sending relevant, clean sound bytes from an assignment, in addition to the press release.

4. Quality of sound bytes - Don't sit at your table and press the'record' button on your recorder and expect good sound quality . Not with the sound of glasses and other utensils dominating that background! That's a wasted effort! It won't be used by any well-respected newsroom. (So get up and go place the recorder on the lectern or table where the main speaker is).

5. Give us catchy leads and headlines- It helps when the PR person – (like you Marie) have some experience in a newsroom so he/she knows how to craft a release and an advisory that will grab the attention of the news editor. We go through a lot of requests everyday and decisions are often made not just by who is going to be speaking, but what is included in the release, or how an upcoming event is 'sold' to us. For example:

"Grace Kennedy hosts press conference on its latest quarterly results," is probably not as catchy as "Grace Kennedy CEO to make significant announcements at Quarterly Results Press Conference," (or something like that). With the former headline,we can probably rely on a press release to get that info,whereas, with the latter, we're probably more inclined to attend the press conference to get the news first hand and any follow-up interviews that we can score.

6. Know the media house's programmes! - Don't always 'net fish' and send your information to every media house with the hope that someone will carry it. It’s nice when a PR practitioner sends a release with a note that states: "I think you may find this useful for your afternoon business news". It’s more personal,and we have greater appreciation for you and your colleagues when you take the time to study our programme line-up.

7. Don't call us by another media house’s name! - " Hi Liz,would News Talk be interested in an interview with..." I DON'T WORK AT NEWS TALK. Get it right because calling us by the wrong name is a turn off.

Elizabeth Bennett is the Programmes Manager at Nationwide News Network, which includes Nationwide 90 FM. Listen to Nationwide Radio live at http://www.nationwideradiojm.com.

Are you a publicity hog?

2010-07-27T04:53:00.000-07:00

It’s no longer a Hollywood thing-- many politicians, celebrities and well-known personalities are famous for hogging publicity. In fact, a well-known public personality in Jamaica practically snatched a hat from a company’s representative at a recent national exposition, just so he could present the hat to one of the country’s senior leaders and get a photo opp!

Word from media circles is that a female politician relishes seeing herself in the newspapers so much that she calls up the editor to ask why her photo from particular events were not published! Then there is a Minister who warned his PR people when he took office: "If you can't get me in the papers at least once a week, your job is kaput!"

Well they say any publicity is good publicity but here are my top tips to the folks who wish to avoid becoming the butt of newsroom jokes.

1. Issue Press Statements on matters of real interest to the public.

2. Think carefully before you make declarations to the Press on issues that are outside your area of expertise.

3. If you are approached by a photographer at an event, be charming and cooperative but do not sneak into other people’s photos.

4. Don't call up an editor and rant about why the photo of you was not published!If it's interesting, they will carry it.

5. Do not show up at private social events uninvited!

Tips for submitting photos to the media

2010-07-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Information Technology, PR practitioners can now eliminate the printing and courier costs which were up to a few years ago, part of the ritual associated with submitting photos to newsrooms.

Some practitioners still print and send hard copies of photos but many others simply rely on email to submit photographs to news outlets.

Here are some tips to note when you are submitting photos to the media for publication:

1. If you are sending a hardcopy of a digital photo to the newsroom, print on good quality photo paper and attach it with paper clips to your page which contains the caption. You can also staple the photo onto the page but staple once--only at the edges-- not within the image. Do not glue the photo onto the page.

2. A high-resolution printer such as the HP7310 can be a good investment for the PR practitioner. Shop around for good quality photo paper, which come in glossy, low sheen or matte finish. Some photo paper even come already marked in various sizes such as 4x6 or 5x7, which can be detached without having to use a guillotine.

3. A busy editor who receives hundreds of emails daily can easily miss a photo sent by email. Do follow through with a phone call to the editor, informing him or her that the photo was emailed to them

4. A photo, which is embedded in a word file (e.g. a press release) and emailed to the editor, loses some of its reprographic quality. More often than not, an embedded photo is not used by the editor because of the poor reprographic quality. It’s advisable to email photos as separate image files, eg. Jpeg or GIF.

Survival Tips for the New PR Practitioner

2010-07-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Lizzie Grubman’s fly on the wall reality show, working in PR is often seen as a glamorous job which requires little more than a host of charm and good media contacts.

But good PR practitioners will tell you-- this business is far more than that. Those of us who operate small but efficient Public Relations consultancies know that it takes much more than being a great schmoozer, to run a successful PR business.

Here are some survival tips that my colleague Tracey Hamilton and I have put together for the new PR Practitioner.

1. Invest in the tools you need to run an efficient business and DO invest in
your own personal development.

2. Do not hire as full time staff, people whose skills you do not require on a
day-to-day basis.

3. Set growth targets, define objectives for your Public Relations operations.
Know where you want the business to be in 5-10 years and clearly define how
you will achieve those goals.

4. Establish lines of credit with essential suppliers, do not attempt to pay up-
front for everything!

5. Develop a good working relationship with your bank. This relationship will
come in pretty handy when you need that overdraft facility or financing for
your business.

6. Learn the business barter game. Why pay cash sometimes when you can trade
services with a supplier?

7. Estimate realistic working hours and other resources that need to be costed to
the client.

8. Never ever ever give a client an unrealistic budget! Whatever the costs, don't
try to hide it.

9. Understand the importance of timely and relevant information.

10. Be credible and available to your clients, their publics and the media
especially in a crisis situation.

11. Network, Network, Network! A good PR practitioner is like a hairdresser. Once
you do a good job and remain credible, the clients will not only stay with
you, they will recommend you to others.

When clients ignore your advice and things go wrong

2010-07-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

What do you do when a client does not take your advice for a project and things go awry? This is one of the questions I recently posed to a colleague of mine who is one the hardest working PR professionals I know. “Give them options”, she said. “You can tell them it’s best to do it this way and if they decide to do it their way, and things don’t work out, at least you DID tell them. They can’t say you haven’t done your job”, she said. And she’s right.

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Expect disagreements—As an event planner or PR professional, you will have disagreements with clients from time to time. The fact is you cannot force a client to take your advice. You can point them in the best direction that you know based on your experience as the expert but at the end of the day, the choice is theirs.

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Clients will challenge you-- While you may be the expert, with PR being such a highly creative discipline, some clients will challenge your knowledge and even try to prove to themselves that they didn’t really need you in the first place. “I had a client who didn’t take my advice on a project. They decided to do it their way and things went very wrong. They came back to me and they have never ignored my advice since!” my colleague informed me.

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Give constructive criticism-One of the best ways to point out weaknesses in what the client proposes, is to make constructive--not destructive criticism. Don’t just look for the faults and point them out with a smirk on your face. Suggest ways to improve it.

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Don’t pretend you know it all – Some consultants make the mistake of pretending they know everything and that simply is not advisable. Remember, there’s always something you do not know so don’t make the mistake of acting like you are infallible.

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Don’t curse off the client— As silly as it sounds, there is a motto that a lot of consultants, particularly those with international experience adopt “The client is always right”. Sounds like a bag of bull, doesn’t it? Well, I lost a contract once, simply because I told the client they needed to be more accountable. So start thinking, “the client is always right”, if you want to survive in consulting.

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Know when to bite your tongue-Clients will piss you off from time to time but as a professional communicator, you need to know how and when to respond. Most of the time, If I were to say what I was thinking at the very moment a client draws my ire, I’d probably be without one client today! Learn to bite your tongue, count to ten slowly and sometimes…just sleep on it and see how you feel the next day.

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Learn to take criticism—As the consultant, you’re probably better at giving criticism than you are at taking them. But there will be times when the client takes your advice and things still don ‘t run smoothly, so learn to develop a “broad back”.

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Walk away- When all is said and done, the consultant who is not happy with a client, has the option of ending that relationship. If you strongly believe that the client’s failure to take advice could damage your reputation, or if the client’s way of doing things is unethical, or goes against your principles—may be it’s time to call it quits.

Does a Public Relations Consultant really need an office?

2010-04-22T09:07:00.001-07:00

One of the good things about being a PR consultant is that you really don't need to rent an office...unless you want to. Ninety nine percent of the time you go to see the client so you really just need a telephone, computer and a filing cabinet to place your files.

If you've got space at home, why bother with the overheads? Unless of course, like me, you're a mother of young kids who choose to demand your attention when you're in the middle of a meeting with associates or create a racket in the background while you're talking to a client on the telephone!

When I moved into an office, I decided I 'd had enough of that and got some office space in Kingston. I must admit it's sweet relief as I can talk to clients without fear of my son crying or throwing a tantrum in the background.

Interestingly though, it took me at least two weeks to get used to the idea that I had an office to get to by 9:00 am as most of my time was spent on the road doing logistics, meetings and so on.

Some days I'd pop into my office for an hour or two because with a laptop computer, Blackberry, and jump drive I already had my office with me! Boy, I cannot imagine life without these gadgets!

Quite a few of my PR colleagues work from home and they find it mighty economical as there are no extra set of bills to pay at the end of the month. While it's more economical, working from home does have its drawbacks though.

The business of PR is one that is heavily focused on image and prospective clients may hesitate to hire a PR consultant who "works from home". They might not need to visit your office but some clients, particularly Blue Chip companies, still prefer to know that you've got one!

A former boss of mine who ran a PR consultancy from home, was actually asked to find an office in Kingston's business district as a pre-requisite to getting a contract with a Blue Chip company.

I still believe that when you're a new fish in the business, it's best to work from home until you've built up a good client base that can guarantee income that will comfortably cover your overheads. Otherwise you're likely to find yourself swallowed up by bills and barely able to keep afloat in this business.

Until next time... work hard and play fair.