Keeping the Wolves at Bay: Media Training by Jonathan Bernstein -- Book Review

A new edition of the definitive "how to" guide that will help you improve the success of your dealings with the media, Keeping the Wolves at Bay: Media Training by Jonathan Bernstein is a necessary tool for any business person involved in media relations.

Taking into account that the term media has changed in the many years since the first edition of this book was published, Keeping the Wolves at Bay will provide you with tips on how to handle the media as it is defined today, in a world that includes 24/7 news coverage, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other social media.

Keeping the Wolves at Bay gives the reader insight into the minds of journalists, offers tips on how to get ready to be interviewed, discusses the Three C's of crisis communication, touches on how body language can impact interviews and the importance of developing your message, provides keys to media interviews, and more.

Bernstein takes the time to discuss dishonesty during interviews, along with the price you'll pay. This books also provides examples of the "right way" and the "wrong way" to handle a crisis.

Keeping the Wolves at Bay is chock full of information for a book that is under 100 pages. Bernstein has taken his many years of experience and turned it into a book that business leaders will certainly want to read and refer to frequently. I also felt that those involved in public speaking in general would find this book helpful.

For much more information about Jonathan Bernstein, visit – http://bookpromotionservices.com/2010/04/28/about-jonathen-bernstein/

Website Address: www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com

Primary Blog Address: http://bernsteincrisismanagement.blogspot.com

Buy Your Copy of the Book – www.thecrisismanager.com


Title: Keeping the Wolves at Bay: Media Training
Author: Jonathan Bernstein
Publisher: Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc.
SRP: $29.95 (PDF) $49.00 (Print)

Top Three Mistakes People Make When Dealing with the Media (And How to Avoid Them) by Jonathan Bernstein

Every media interview, whether on-camera, by phone or even by email, is a unique opportunity to communicate your key messages to your stakeholders. Such important occasions should not be taken lightly, and yet completely preventable mistakes are often made by spokespersons. Here are three of the biggest mistakes – and how to avoid them.

1. Failure to Prepare

Even the most naturally skilled interview subject has a dramatically higher chance of being unhappy with the results of media contact if he/she fails to prepare for that possibility. Preparation includes:

 Media training using realistic scenarios ranging from the mundane to crisis-level situations.

 Crafting and memorizing key messages for topics on which you’re likely to be quizzed in advance of any interview.

 Doing some research on any media interviewer before an interview is given so as to understand the type of reporting that journalist typically does (e.g., friendly or hostile, pro-business or anti-business, balanced reporting or clearly slanted).

 Practicing to refine skills in between actual media interviews. Long periods of time can pass between interviews for many spokespersons. One or two days media training does not turn someone into an expert spokesperson – practice and experience can do that, if the spokesperson has the necessary basic talent.

2. Underestimating Non-Traditional Media

Today, ‘media’ doesn’t just mean traditional media (newspapers, radio, TV), but also “social media” that takes many different forms, including blogs, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and FriendFeed. All of them featuring information – sometimes about you and/or your organization – on a 24/7 news cycle.

Additionally, the lines between print and broadcast media have completely blurred. First, all of them have websites, but on the LA Times website, for example, you’ll find video. On Fox News’ website, you’ll find print. All media sites archive their stories, sometimes for many years, so a single piece of bad news can haunt you for a long, long time. The ‘blogosphere’ can act as a repeater, and distorter, of traditional media coverage, and there’s been more than one traditional media outlet that used a blog as a source.

It’s a mistake to underestimate the impact of someone whose blog is popular, who has hundreds or thousands of friends in their Facebook or Twitter network, and/or who regularly expresses their opinions via YouTube or other social media sites. They can hurt – or help – you just as much as any newspaper or broadcast outlet.

It is critical that all organizations have someone on staff, or on contract, who understands how to both monitor non-traditional media and use it for communicating both routine and crisis-level messages.

3. Treating the Media Like the Enemy

If you want to make a major mistake, tell a reporter that you think he/she has done such a bad job of reporting on you that you'll never talk to him/her again. Or badmouth him/her in a public forum. Send nasty emails. Then sit back and have a good time while:

 The reporter gets angry and directs that energy into REALLY going after your organization.

 The reporter laughs at what he/she sees as validation that you're really up to no good in some way.

Most reporters are not out to get you and, even for those who are, its rarely personal; they are ego-driven and their goal is the same as any employee’s – professional advancement.



Jonathan Bernstein is author of Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training and president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy based in Southern California.

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