Where Media Meets Communication
My first instinct when someone we were media training announced this was to be appalled…
But it is a fair challenge – does the busy executive need to ingest and digest the media to be able to give a good interview?
I know what I said… what would your response be?
Who’s the best person to put forward in a crisis?
How does good crisis comms impact the bottom line?
And lessons from NatWest, the British Museum, BBC and Nike
I had a fab time talking to Mark Schmid on his podcast The Hunch about all of the above, and more.
Listen below or follow this link to The Hunch Podcast Episode with Abby Mangold.
“There’s no escaping it, if you run a high-profile business or organisation you will face a reputational issue in the short or medium term. We asked former BBC Watchdog producer Abby Mangold about the changing media landscape and its impact on how leaders prepare for and handle the toughest challenges.”
The Hunch is a Podcast about data and technology. They love educated guesses and gut instincts, too. The Hunch asks experts to predict what’s coming down the line with a focus on the ‘when?’ and the ‘why?’
We have known each other our whole lives and professionally for almost a decade.
We have run multiple training sessions BUT…
We still rehearse, every time, individually and together, dropping in the odd mistake to see if the other is actually listening!
It’s all about the practice, so when we do it for real we are focussing on the people we are training and what’s going on for them.
There is no corner cutting. And as sisters, we would be the first to call each other out if we were to try!
Make the time, do the practice, make every interview worth it.
How do you avoid on camera confrontation when cameras turn up unannounced?
Following a sharp rise in YouTubers and TikTokers turning up unannounced at client offices and sites – often trying to provoke reactions from unwitting staff, we’re increasingly asked for our advice on how to support teams on the ground.
Watch Abby explain our top tips for avoiding on camera confrontation.
What’s the point of media training? Actually, this great comment from a happy client sums it up perfectly.
Our media training has always been about the live interview experience, a bit of a grilling and lots of confidence boosting to produce your best performance.
You never know, when it comes to the real interview, you might just enjoy yourself!
Is it just me or does anyone else still get that beginning of term feeling?
The end of a holiday is never a highlight. But with plenty of behind the scenes Mangold Consultancy gubbins completed over the summer we are now rested and recharged for a busy Autumn.
Bring it on.
What do you do when you discover one of your employees has behaved inappropriately?
How do you respond when people challenge your business practices on social media?
What do you do when you get a customer complaint?
The list could go on.
Using experience and nous to assess and respond to live issues, based on the specific set of circumstances is absolutely the way to go in an emerging crisis.
Recently however, clients have asked us to compile a “playbook” of responses for the most frequent and reputationally damaging issues, after we’ve completed a reputational risk audit of their competitors and the wider sector.
A playbook is more than collating your “lines to take” or communications responses. Done well, this live document should become part of the Communications Team’s armoury with which you can effectively respond to issues as they develop. The playbook provides important insight such as :
All too often the post-crisis sands of time slip away and soon the next issue is upon you. Taking time to stop and reflect on how you responded and what you can learn should be part of the ‘playbook’.
By taking a quick and thorough sweep of actions post-issue you will assess; did we get our message out there or are we just repeating the same old tired platitudes which don’t cut it with our customers / stakeholders.
Questions to ask post-event are:
Your playbook is the bible you refer to so the next time you’re challenged about the business, you approach it kitted up with knowledge from previous experiences as well as a starting form of words to use in response.
Background image by Joanna Kosinska , book composition by Studio JERO
A candid comment from the former US President giving a rare window into decision making and leadership during an exceptional moment in modern history. Over 90 minutes, the documentary 9/11 Inside The President’s War Room scrutinised the 24 hours after the terrorist attacks on New York’s Twin Towers which claimed thousands of lives, impacting across the world in ways we are still discovering today. The programme featured interviews with the then President, his accompanying entourage that day and decision makers elsewhere, inside a bunker below the White House.
In bringing together these perspectives, it helped join the dots between the multiple ripple effects of this crisis.
Huge congratulations to one of my former bosses, Neil Grant, for Executive Producing such an astonishing piece of TV – the programme afforded a rare insight into a crisis, even more so given the global magnitude of those 24 hours. This is a must watch for all leaders and their teams for its historical significance, and because it demonstrates how we must prepare for challenges and then face into the force of the moment, by drawing on the collective expertise and insight in the room.
Global Media and Entertainment; Health, Sports and Fitness; High Street Brands, City Law Firms and Entrepreneurs. Over the last 12 months we’ve trained senior leaders from some of the world’s biggest and most successful brands.
When we pivoted to virtual media training, we never imagined the roll call of people we would work with. And yet a year on, we have had a privileged and unique insight into a diverse roster of senior leaders from many industries.
Continue reading “5 Lessons from Senior Business Execs to make you a better leader”
📢 I am excited to share the news that Jessie Mangold is our new Client Services Director. Jess and I have been working together for about 3 years. And of course we’ve been sisters a little longer than that!
As a BBC producer I heard many outstanding female voices – from presenter Anne Robinson cross-examining CEOs on BBC Watchdog, to numerous female Executive Producers standing up to big bullying businesses trying to kill a great story.
I was part of production teams crafting complex programmes in challenging circumstances. These experiences shaped my own voice, including in the media training room, where I support people preparing to go on the record or in day to day interactions providing crisis management and corporate communications support.
We were really excited to see Eat Natural on Inside the Factory, BBC2.
In 2019, the wonderful Hannah Norris at Nourish PR asked us to come in and help boost the team and their confidence as they prepared to talk to a BBC TV documentary crew and Greg Wallace during the 2 days long filming for Inside the Factory.
Continue reading “From Media Training to BBC’s Inside the Factory”
As COVID-19 silently crept onto our shores you may have been in regular crisis meetings as the virus’ huge impact took hold. Now, you may well be moving from that heightened crisis state to living with the new “normal”, whatever that looks like for your organisation.
As we all bed into week 5 of the lockdown we thought we’d share some insights on how to adapt from crisis to business-as-usual with some suggested next steps and evidence from our client work.
As TV news anchors around the world set up studios in their homes with teleprompters, specialist lighting, makeup and HD broadcast cameras; interviewees must also up their game. “News” needs experts, spokespeople and human stories more than ever and the best people you will see and hear, the ones who get invited back, have received media & presentation training – even if they are speaking from a laptop in their living room. Continue reading “Media & Presentation Training 2.0”
I have seen some brilliant emails and posts in the last few days – from my local Indian restaurant, Haweli, to Sainsbury’s, to other small business owners like me. It doesn’t matter if you’re big or small; clear, regular and relevant communications are critical.
As we all adjust to the new “normal” personally and “business as usual” professionally, it occurred to me that there are some really simple tips for communicating in a crisis.
Continue reading “How do you keep communicating when the crisis is never-ending?”
Prince Andrew would have done well to follow the Green Cross Code as he stepped into the path of the oncoming Newsnight interview. There has since been much scrutiny of the Royal’s press advisors and why they failed to follow the basics when it comes to media handling in a global reputational storm.
Taking time to stop, look and listen to external communications advisors during a crisis is critical to long term reputation. Like a friendly Green Man, people like us, reiterate life outside the crisis bubble and wider public perception both in the moment and the hours, days and weeks to follow.
🎙️🎥 There was an irony to our latest media training client turning up late… they’d been delayed by Extinction Rebellion protesters; we were about to media train them on their new plastics initiative announcement.
Over the last few weeks there seems to have a been a flurry of “recorded statements” in response to major crises. To be clear, rather than put someone forward to be interviewed by the press, the boss records a statement and it’s posted on the website or via social channels.
You could be forgiven for thinking one news story last month was a digital-misprint. “Grenfell council spends more than £90k on bosses’ bonuses.” But closer reading revealed the headline was correct.
Continue reading “Money talks – what to say on pay, bonus and funding?”
A top-floor view overlooking London’s windswept skyline. This was the suitably dramatic backdrop as big brands meet to discuss industry regulation last week.
Chairing the discussion at PrettyGreen’s agency Breakfast Briefing, I spoke to guests involved with some of the most recognised and well-loved products. Continue reading “Talking regulation with big brands”