Bill Gates was purported to have said: "If I was down to my last dollar, I'd spend it on public relations.” Now that could have been a cleverly crafted sound bite, engineered by his spin doctors, but there's no doubt that Microsoft first built its reputation in the pages of Fortune Magazine and the Wall Street Journal, before it took to advertising.
The technology sector has a strong appreciation of the value of media relations, with companies like Microsoft driving media relations and reputation campaigns that run into millions of dollars each year. Part of this includes ensuring that spin-doctors and image masseurs massage the public profiles of CEOs and other wannabe business celebrities until they're capable of delivering first-rate interviews.
Despite the desperate need for business executives to become more media savvy and literate locally (just look at Obama vs McCain for the obvious benefit of the perfect sound bite), few, if any, South African books have been written on this subject. Yes, there are academic tomes designed for PR students, but nothing of substance that offers an intelligent, yet practical guide to the local media landscape.
That's until Clive Simpkin's book on “Media Appearance Secrets” came along. A former New York consultant who coached congressmen and senators in the US government in media skills, Simpkins has worked with four African heads of state, numerous captains of industry and business celebrities on leveraging media opportunities.
The book's exactly what some technology executives need to ensure they don't end up giving mumbling, monosyllabic interviews like Joaquin Phoenix's now legendary gaff on The David Letterman Show.
BOOK EXTRACT: “Media Appearance Secrets” by Clive Simpkins.
Why you need media skills coaching
It was Richard Nixon who infamously said (on tape!) to Henry Kissinger in1972: 'Never forget: the press is the enemy. The Establishment is the enemy. The professors are the enemy.' I can't speak for the 'Establishment' or for doddery leftist professors - but his comment on the media was plain wrong. They're not the enemy. They're the umbilical cord to your public - and a highly cost-effective one at that.
In the global village, no executive worth her or his salt should get to executive level without learning how to handle print and electronic media interviews or conferences. Here's why: Take the business, advertising, marketing, PR, communications, events, corporate social investment and other budgets of your business. Let alone the value of goodwill and reputation. Add them together. They'll typically amount to many millions. In just one badly handled interview, a single person in your organisation (it could be you!) can nullify the energy, effort and money behind all those budgets. One injudicious comment, one inappropriate non-verbal gesture, one poorly contrived answer or, heaven forbid, lie, is all it takes. There are numerous, exquisitely embarrassing examples.
Not only will ineptitude with the media impact negatively on your organisation. You'll send signals clearly indicating the gap in your own business education - with no acceptable explanation for that gap. Your media competence, or lack of, can dramatically affect your career development.
[Clive] Simpkins has worked with four African heads of state, numerous captains of industry and business celebrities on leveraging media opportunities.
Mandy de Waal, ITWeb contributor
It was Walter Bagehot (pronounced Bad-jit), the British parliamentarian, who said: 'Do not let in daylight upon magic.' The whole purpose of media coaching is to remove the veil of mystery and let in daylight - so you see there is no magic. Anyone with reasonable intelligence can be coached to do good interviews. If you apply yourself to it you can become very good. Most of the techniques are common sense. However, the unfamiliarity of the particular medium is what makes people think that a press, radio or TV interview takes special aptitude. Not so.
The thought of media coaching might (but shouldn't) be a little intimidating. However, the thought of sitting opposite an insightful, persistent interviewer, when you're not appropriately equipped, should be really intimidating. So make the informed choice. Put any ego aside and adopt the attitude that intelligent people are always determined to continue learning until the day they die. Those who are already good, always want to be better.
Media Appearance Secrets by Clive Simpkins
Paperback
EAN: 9780620431125
Publication Date: January 2009
Publisher: CSSC PUBLICATIONS
Available at Exclusive Books.
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