Brad Phillips - The Media Training Bible: 101 Things You Absolutely, Positively Need to Know Before Your Next Interview

Copyright 2013 by Brad Phillips

Mr. Media Training and The ATMs are trademarks of Phillips Media Relations, LLC.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please email the publisher at .

SpeakGoodPress

1050 17th Street NW, Suite 600

Washington, DC 20036

ISBN-10: 0988322013

ISBN-13: 978-0-9883220-1-1

LCCN: 2012917377

The Media Training Bible is a must read for learning best practices for creating, delivering, and staying on message with the mediaa reference youll want on your top shelf.

Wayne Bloom, CEO, Commonwealth Financial Network

If more politicians read The Media Training Bible, there would be many fewer embarrassing stories about them featured on Political Wire.

Taegan Goddard, Founder and Publisher, Political Wire

In a chaotic media landscape, Brad Phillips offers a thorough and engaging guide to getting your message out authentically and effectively. Take Brads advice to heart. The little things do matter. Ive witnessed a mans ill-chosen words on national television implode his career, and a woman who handled a difficult interview so well she transcended the controversy swirling around her. Brad can help you avoid the former and execute the latter.

Richard Harris, Former Director of Afternoon Programming, National Public Radio and Former Senior Producer, ABC News Nightline

Through a perfect mix of lessons, case studies, and exercises, Brad Phillips unlocks the secrets of becoming an effective spokesperson. I refer to The Media Training Bible before every interviewand you will too.

Tod Ibrahim, Executive Director, The American Society of Nephrology

Everyone who speaks to the mediaand anyone who mightshould read The Media Training Bible before even thinking about doing another interview. Executives and other professionals will want to keep this invaluable resource within reaching distance for many years to come.

Russ Mittermeier, President, Conservation International

The Media Training Bible is the most comprehensive and well-reasoned resource on this topic I have ever read. Well-organized and thorough, it contains everything necessary to prepare readers for contact with the media, regardless of whether they are a novice or a seasoned veteran. Brad Phillips leverages his unique background as an ex-member of the media and an active media trainer and commentator to create a powerful resource that can be used again and again. Public relations professionalsand the executives they serveshouldnt be out there without it.

Linda Carlisle, Corporate Communications Manager, Elkay Manufacturing Company

The Media Training Bible goes far beyond the standard media training guides and is must-reading for anyone who would be the least bit frightened by an unexpected knock on the door from the local TV news crew. Brad Phillips 101 lessons will arm you with everything you need to know to be interviewed by even the toughest bulldog reporter and not only survive, but thrive, in the spotlight. More than three dozen case studies show you how to avoid costly mistakes made by celebrities, politicians and others who didnt understand the confusing rules of the media game. (The media know the rules, but they dont want YOU to know.) Dont pitch stories and dont accept requests for media interviews until you read this book.

Joan Stewart, Publisher, The Publicity Hound

Brad Phillips book will become THE Media Training Bible for CEOs, leaders, and spokespersons who want to be a winner with the media. Phillips shares what reporters need, how to craft your message, and how to deliver it simply and effectively in every medium. Its loaded with practical, tactical and proven advice from a true media training pro. After 30 years of PR consulting and media training myself, Ive never seen the topic so well organized and practically delivered.

Jeff Domansky, The PR Coach

Brad Phillips has produced an excellent resource with The Media Training Bible. It does in fact live up to its promise with over 100 lessons in what to do, say, and think (or not to do, say or think) before ever embarking on the often treacherous journey into MediaLand. The book is very comprehensive, a compelling read, and very practical. I highly recommend ita must for anyone contemplating a media spokesperson role.

Jane Jordan-Meier, Crisis Coach and Author, The Four Stages of Highly Effective Crisis Management: How to Manage the Media in the Digital Age

The key to success with media interviews is preparation. The Media Training Bible is one of the most insightful and easy-to-use resources for communications professionals and business executives to prepare for any type of interview.

Dave Groobert, U.S. General Manager, Environics Communications

The advice in The Media Training Bible is both timely and timeless, filled with hands-on guidance that can be applied immediately.

Michael Sebastian, Managing Editor, Ragans PR Daily

We live in the age of the headline.

To grab a persons attention, news organizations have roughly the time it takes a person to read a headline before their eyes are pulled somewhere else. With such frayed attention spans, todays news consumer increasingly wants their information packaged and sold to them in seven-second sound bites and 140-character tweets.

Even in todays fast-paced media culture, there are ways to present a cohesive message. But it requires training and practice, even for straightforward interviews with a reporter you know well. You want to answer the reporters question honestly while conveying your message, and do all of it without sounding canned or robotic. Its a tricky business.

Brad Phillips understands this, because he is a former journalist, having served under ABC Newss Ted Koppel and CNNs Wolf Blitzer. In The Media Training Bible, hell share what he learned both inside the newsroom and in the media training studio room. You will find tips that will make you a more effective spokesperson, rules of the road for working with journalists, and important advice on body language and attire. Youll learn how to create a winning message that appeals to journalists and the public. Youll also find guidance on how to prepare for and manage a PR crisis, an essential component of any spokespersons jobespecially in the age of the headline.

Often, an organization will stumble into a PR crisis because the person speaking on its behalf is not prepared to talk to the media. Sometimes, even well-prepared speakers can commit a blunder by briefly straying from their message. This is what the media likes to call a gaffe, and it will haunt spokespersons and CEOs.

Take, for instance, the Deepwater Horizon disaster. In April 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 workers aboard and unleashed an oil spill that lasted for three months. To date, it is the largest accidental marine petroleum spill in the history of the oil industry.