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Manufacturing Company
Development of Media Skills; ability to promote company effectively to both trade and general media; handling of hostile crisis interviews
Situation - A large American manufacturing firm with a presence in 45 countries and offices in Europe needed to develop a small team of top-level executives who could both speak to the media in general terms about their business, and calmly handle any major crises which developed.
Intervention - We developed a two-day programme for four participants on each day. On the first day, the team were tutored in the development of sharp, focused, positive key messages, allied to a clear description of the company, its products and services. Instruction was given in how the media operate, the practicalities of interviews, and how to bring an interview alive. Genuine excerpts from relevant newspapers and TV programmes were examined in order to see how expert interviewees put such techniques into practice, and how poor technique can lead even the most quick-witted and articulate individuals into dangerous waters. Each person was interviewed four times on a variety of aspects of their company’s operations, each interview becoming more testing, requiring a higher standard of precision with the delivery of facts, and an enhanced ability to recognise lines of questioning and deal with them openly, positively and safely.
On the second day, participants learnt the six golden rules of handling the media in a crisis. Their understanding of these rules was developed in a series of increasingly difficult and complicated crises, each scenario having been prepared beforehand with the company’s press team. Face-to-face, down-the-line, “live”, recorded, TV, press and radio interviews were conducted, with little time being allowed for preparation and discussion.
Outcome - Eight people over two days developed from being complete media novices into competent and enthusiastic interviewees. A major advantage was a greatly increased sense of control of an interview under all circumstances, from the most benign and straightforward trade press interview, to a hostile and aggressive “surprise” location TV interview undertaken whilst a life-threatening international crisis developed.
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