The demeanour and style you adopt when being interviewed on television or radio can often depend on the country where you’re being interviewed and the type of news station that’s putting you in front of the camera or microphone. This should also influence the sort of words you use. It would take a year to […]
Advice from a journalistic setting
I woke up over the weekend and turned on my radio to listen to the BBC News. I had tuned in a few minutes too early and therefore caught the end of a religious programme. Someone (I didn’t catch their name) was being interviewed. I don’t think I have ever heard an interview in which […]
A Tale Of Three Crises
Take three airlines, three different crises, three very different responses. By comparing all three it is possible to gain a valuable insight into how to deal with a crisis. Or not. In September the low-cost airline Ryanair announced that it would have to cancel thousands of flights because of a huge rostering error. Hundreds of […]
Time to shut up – knowing when to stop in an interview
When you are presenting a news programme on radio or television, one of the most important things you have to keep in mind is the second hand on the clock. Overrunning is a broadcasting war crime. Producers, sitting in the gallery next door, tear their hair out if the presenter allows an interview to go […]
Laura Kuenssberg fights back against the “nasty brigade”
The BBC’s Political Editor, Laura Kuenssberg, has gone public with how she’s been coming under attack by trolls from across the political spectrum on social media. Aside from highlighting the nasty vindictiveness of many who use social media, the interview, given at a business lunch by Ms. Kuenssberg, also reflected the extent to which a […]
When the story breaks:
Handling crisis communications
It’s five minutes past five in the morning. You had been hoping for another hour in bed before starting the two-hour commute to work. Suddenly, though, your mobile phone starts ringing on the bedside table. The person calling you is the overnight security officer on duty at your company’s head office, where you work. He […]
When to ask for copy approval
Aside from turning into what seemed like a bit of a she-said-we-said argy-bargy-Saga-drama, the Claire Balding copy approval episode gives anyone who is likely to do print media interviews some very useful insight. (Incidentally, Saga Magazine said it did not give copy approval; instead “quotes were checked for accuracy alone”.) So that’s all good, as […]
Why the broadcast interview is in danger
Have you wondered why broadcast interviews, like a Chinese meal, often leave you unsatisfied and wanting more? One reason is that the most interesting interviewees are rarely seen these days. Leading figures in business, industry and the arts are increasingly reluctant to step forward because the format and nature of broadcast interviews is more and […]
Why communications via the media are at an all-time low
The media are no longer a channel through which good communication thrives; rather they are a vehicle that exposes increasingly bad communication. Whether it’s government departments, major companies or public service bodies, the days when most of them knew how to speak directly to their customers or the public are over. They are drenched in […]
How do you handle the media when a cyber attack makes you wanna cry?
Cyber hacking is a big talking point right now for our clients – from global software companies keen to learn how to give an expert opinion to the media in “non-geek speak”, to firms who want to understand how they should react publicly when their data is attacked. And here’s why: just under half (46%) […]
