Archive for September, 2012
Sunday, September 23rd, 2012
When Apple released its latest software update for iPhones, one new feature intrigued me more than others: spoken, turn-by-turn directions from Apple Maps.
I wondered if this app would allow me to replace the GPS I place on my vehicle’s dashboard. And would I no longer need to pay to regularly update a GPS?
My excitement quickly turned to disappointment. The spoken part of the turn-by-turn navigation is not available for my older iPhone.
A few days later, I saw the promoted Tweet at the top of this blog:
“@MapQuest: Free voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation for *EVERY* iPhone – ”
I almost always skip over promoted Tweets. I don’t even read them most of the time. It’s as if I see out of the corner of my eye the small symbol representing the promoted Tweet and quickly avoid looking at it. I’m seeing (and not reading) more promoted Tweets. I’m receiving more messages encouraging me to promote a Tweet myself. I wasn’t buying any of it.
But the Tweet promoted by MapQuest stopped my scrolling finger in its tracks. It was as if I were the Tweet’s ideally drawn up target audience. I favorited the Tweet and later tried out MapQuest’s spoken, turn-by-turn navigational app, making myself the almost too perfect example of using social media to convert readers into customers.
Do promoted Tweets work? For me personally, not most of the time. Only one has spoken to me. However, in a game such as baseball, success is reached by getting a hit only 30% of the time. Someone might argue my one example shows how well promoted Tweets can succeed.
I’m also curious if this example was simply a successful shot in the dark or part of a well-crafted strategy. Did MapQuest somehow know I needed spoken navigation? Did people with no need see the same Tweet?
One of social media’s most difficult aspects is ROI. Some of those considered experts sound like professors when writing about ROI, but I often feel like they’re full of it and put emphasis on statistics that mean little in reality. Sharing anecdotes might be just as important in determining what in social media actually works.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Sunday, September 23rd, 2012
A doctor was giving a mock interview during media training with a health insurance company. She appeared to demonstrate a strong grasp of the complicated facts and delivered her messages with the authority of a college professor.
But there was a problem. I wasn’t following her. Her analysis was sometimes over my head and filled with so many facts, I couldn’t focus on her key points. I began to drift. Most people who watch her won’t be sitting in a room of silence. Distractions will tug at their attention. With smartphones, alerts, notifications, emails, texts and people surrounding us, our ability to hold someone’s attention to listen to our message is more challenging than ever.
However I zeroed in when the doctor made it personal. She relayed the story of a relative and his difficult experience with a serious healthcare issue. Hearing this story quieted the distractions. The doctor finally spoke my language. She no longer played the role of room professor. She transformed into just a regular woman who related to the same healthcare concerns other, non-medical people worry about.
The doctor asked if she should talk about her relative. She inadvertently began speaking about him and hadn’t considered his story a powerful way to connect with viewers.
Your personal anecdotes can be more effective in relaying your key messages than methodically delivering a list of well-researched facts. Plus making it personal makes you real. Relating to someone sometimes is more important than showing off your credentials. Connecting with me on a personal level with even complicated topics will more likely turn down the volume on your biggest competitor: distractions.
Tags: Communications, health insurance, health insurance company, healthcare, healthcare issue, media, media training, mock interview, PR, smartphone
Posted in Media Relations | No Comments »
Saturday, September 22nd, 2012
I’m a former TV investigative reporter. People often called me to help resolve their problems. Some complaints were baseless. Some I resolved behind the scenes. Others led to on-air special reports. Now I sometimes share our consumer experiences, knowing others likely have faced similar situations. We also believe sharing these stories is part of the essence of social media.
A health insurance company says it declined me coverage due to information in my medical records I had never heard of before. How is this scenario possible?
Our healthcare broker indicated this is an important matter to resolve. The medical records information previously unknown to us could prevent me from obtaining in the future both health and life insurance.
“Obamacare!!!” wrote a Facebook fan.
I don’t understand why he connects my situation and healthcare reform.
“Someone stole your ID?” asked another Facebook fan.
I don’t think anyone stole my ID. Someone at the doctor’s office confirmed the information in question is in my records. She said she did not understand the meaning of the information. I asked to talk to the doctor. She said she would leave a message for the doctor’s medical assistant.
A Facebook friend wrote, “Our new insurance did the same thing to [my wife] and she is the single healthiest person I know…by a long shot.”
Another Facebook friend posted, “Unbelievable. Fight it!”
“Be very PRO ACTIVE!!!” wrote another on Facebook.
As of writing this, neither the doctor nor his medical assistant called me back. I’ll keep you posted.
Update: I talked on the phone with the doctor. He is surprised the insurance company denied me coverage due to the information in my medical records. He says the information in question falls within the normal range. He will write a letter I can submit to the insurance company as part of my appeal.
Update: Doctor writes letter stating I’m in excellent health and clarifies misinformation.
Tags: Communications, Facebook, health, health insurance, health insurance company, healthcare, healthcare reform, investigative report, investigative reporter, life insurance, media, medical assistant, medical records, obama, PR, Social Media
Posted in Consumers | No Comments »
Friday, September 21st, 2012
I never wanted to portray myself on TV as a reporter shaped in the mold of a game show host or a character from the movie Anchorman. My goal was to deliver news in a conversational yet professional manner indicating I had more than a clue about the topic.
But my casual delivery now and then indicated, often wrongly, I was less than interested. That’s an actual possibility considering how often journalists cover the same story repeatedly. However I did not intend to appear bored.
It is hard to fully explain, but I’ve always contended that by the time a TV station relays your image to someone’s 60-inch screen at home, the transmission somehow dumbs down your delivery a notch or two. My technical theory could be faulty, but I more than once saw myself on TV apparently delivering the news with much less zip than I thought I had.
My theory is mostly irrelevant. The important part is remembering to pump up the volume. I recently watched an obviously well-versed doctor during media training. Before her mock interviews in front of the camera, she spoke with passion at a large conference table while discussing healthcare with the other participants. But when she spoke in front of the camera during a practice interview, she left behind some of that spunk.
Another theory I consider more practical is we sometimes without knowing it become more reserved when our environment turns even slightly less comfortable. I imagine the doctor is more in her comfort zone talking to colleagues in a group setting than holding a one on one discussion with a media trainer under hot lights.
One of our clients earlier this year gave numerous, energetic interviews during the same day. However I noticed his delivery appeared slightly less energetic during a live, remote newsroom interview with an anchor. Those types of interviews in a bustling newsroom while answering questions from someone you can not see are awkward.
I often tried to solve this conundrum by pushing my energy up a notch or two above normal. Don’t yell. But give your sentences some oomph. This initially may feel uncomfortable. You may feel like you’re rising too close to an Anchorman goofball. However I often found, after watching myself on TV, the extra boost of energy translated into a nice, confident delivery on air.
Of course, another theory is some people are simply boring. The problem is the media often doesn’t invite those experts back.
Tags: anchorman, communication, Communications, healthcare, interview, interviews, journalist, journalists, media, media training, mock interviews, newsroom, PR, reporter, TV station
Posted in Media Training | No Comments »
Thursday, September 20th, 2012
When we talk to people, we sometimes sense they are not pondering a single one of our words. On the other hand, we know some listeners are keeping up with our conversation by their verbal cues:
“Uh-huh.”
“Right.”
“On my goodness!”
Journalists often use this “I’m paying attention” technique during interviews. But unless your talk ultimately is presented as text, I say zip it. Your dialogue of “Uh-huh” and “Right” is an extra sound track. Hearing your sweet nothings collide with a subject’s perfect sound bites will likely frustrate you later. Show you care by simply nodding your head. But don’t sound off even if softly.
Tags: Communications, interview, interviews, journalist, journalists, PR, sound bites, video, video production
Posted in Video | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 19th, 2012
I was ready to try a new auto shop. A few years ago, a TV assignment took me to a AAA Auto Repair shop. I’m not referring to a shop “approved” by AAA. I’m talking about a series of auto shops owned by AAA.
This concept intrigued me. If one of AAA’s responsibilities is to help steer us toward honest mechanics, I assume honesty would be in its highest gear at a shop owned directly by AAA.
I hadn’t taken my car to one of these shops. None of the locations was conveniently close until a new one recently opened.
After an oil change at the new shop, a AAA Arizona service advisor named Dave recommended I consider soon replacing the car’s timing belt. I had a choice: Do I play macho man and pretend to understand the mechanics of a timing belt? Or do I play reporter, acknowledge to myself that the concept of understanding cars skipped a generation and ask lots of questions? I decided to play reporter.
Due to a timing belt’s location, Dave couldn’t show me my car’s timing belt. However he took me across the lobby and showed me a model of an engine’s timing belt. I don’t recall, without requesting, someone before at an auto shop pulling me off to the side to show me a visual. Then he led me outside to another vehicle where someone had already removed parts allowing me to see a timing belt and how it works.
How many times have mechanics used their hands and words to try to describe car parts we would better understand by conducting a Wikipedia search? Dave went out of his way to help me understand a timing belt.
The cynical side of you may wonder why I’m going out of my way to praise an auto shop. AAA is not one of our clients. But cars are a big part of our lives especially when they are not working properly. I’ve conducted much research over the years trying to determine honest and qualified alternatives to dealerships. And when someone like Dave and AAA make a first good impression, I like to share this information.
Plus, any business, from a public relations point of view, can learn how small steps such as Dave’s can help you on the road to further success. A little extra effort can help secure a customer a longer time.
Tags: aaa auto, Arizona, auto shop, auto shops, car parts, cars, mechanics, oil change, PR, press, Public Relations, reporter
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 18th, 2012
You are allowed to make statements that may not be elegant. But assuming no one outside your four walls will hear your words is a dangerous conclusion that can lead to ugly results.
This is basic media training in a modern world where about the only device still unable to record you is a refrigerator. I often stood in front of a camera long before a TV station actually took me live. But while standing and waiting there, I reminded myself to never say anything I wouldn’t want people to hear. I wasn’t yet on live TV, but I was wearing a microphone. Someone somewhere could hear me and simply needed to push a button to record me.
“Don’t say stupid things in any setting because everyone has a camera,” a TV news executive producer told me the day after Romney’s controversial video surfaced.
Despite this, I still saw politicians compile a string of curse words during side conversations while waiting to appear live. Some of the videos on YouTube showing public figures caught unknowingly on camera are legendary.
A big, red flashing light won’t warn you someone is capturing your words. And spreading those words is easier than ever.
Maybe you tell it like it is. That’s OK. Just ensure you really feel the way you do because someone just might share your comments with an unintended audience.
Tags: executive producer, live tv, media, media training, news, politicians, PR, tv news, TV station, video
Posted in Media Training | No Comments »
Monday, September 17th, 2012
A mistake some journalists make when reporting is running at the mouth. They become so engrossed in their stories and extraneous details, they take us down a path of way too much information. Brevity and being concise is not their strength. I see it often in live shots. Reporters feel obligated to talk and they keep doing so until they’ve basically moved onto a new topic. And sometimes we no longer know what the heck they’re even saying.
This also is one of the biggest problems I see when conducting media training. Consider it like one of those small snowballs that rolls and rolls until it becomes this giant monster of ice thundering full speed down a hill. People start off nailing their key messages but feel obligated to keep talking. One thing leads to another and before they know it, they’re giving enough details for a CSPAN special.
This leads to a bigger problem during media training. As people dig deeper into details, the details are more difficult to manage. They are harder to explain. And sometimes, the details flowing out someone’s mouth are incorrect. Someone else in the room will say, “Well, that’s not exactly correct.” That’s when someone slides into the rabbit hole and reporters pounce, sensing a bigger story.
Keep your answers simple. Stick to your headlines. Don’t delve into the nitty, gritty details unless absolutely necessary. No one is requiring your answers to be a certain length. Don’t feel awkward and obligated to keep schooling a journalist on a subject. Often, the best choice is just be quiet for a moment.
Tags: journalist, journalists, media, media training, PR, reporter, reporters
Posted in Media Training | No Comments »
Sunday, September 16th, 2012
For a while, my mom would not loosen her grip on reading the newspaper or watching the evening news. She laments how people prefer to read headlines than stories and how subjectivity is replacing objectivity on air.
Then she bought an iPad. As if she hadn’t believed the technology headlines, the ability to read numerous newspapers online and in the palms of her hands fascinated her. She began considering what was once the unthinkable: canceling her newspaper subscription.
I already knew how often her eyes looked upon her iPad. She began replying to my emails within hours instead of the following day. And her responses mostly ended with the preprogrammed “Sent from my iPad.”
She recently reminded me something I told her about working in a TV newsroom. Near my desk, the anchors read on live TV afternoon teases to persuade viewers to tune into the 5pm news. I sometimes laughed at the teases, whispering to co-workers how I could learn the rest of the story immediately by Googling the topic. Some producers surprised me by not realizing people no longer needed to sit on the edges of their seats and wait hours to hear the latest details. The way the public consumed the news had changed and some in the business were, in a sense, still pecking away at typewriters.
I guess my point never fully resonated with my mom until she said how she feels addicted to her iPad. She feels addicted to knowing every minute might bring a new detail to a developing story and today’s technology puts those constantly changing headlines at her fingertips.
The frequent scenes of people in restaurants or just about anywhere always staring down at their tablets or smartphones bring their own troubles. People appear to make less conversation and miss the little things occurring around them. But on The Flip Side, the evolution of journalism is unmistakable, although my mom has not abandoned the evening news. She might not watch ABC, CBS or NBC live anymore. But she never misses it due to her DVR.
Tags: CBS, ipad, journalism, live tv, media, Media Relations, mom, nbc, news, newsroom, PR, producer, producers, smartphone, technology, tv news, tv newsroom
Posted in Media Relations | No Comments »
Thursday, September 13th, 2012
The way your department welcomes or “onboards” new hires can set the course for the employee in many ways – including engagement. In larger organizations, it’s not uncommon for employees to get swept up in the sea of their own area once company orientation is over. Many companies are so focused on terms like “customer experience.” What about the “employee experience” or “new hire experience”?
It’s not uncommon for a new hire’s team to welcome that person – and whoosh! They are swept in by the silo’s strong tide, rarely wading out into the rest of the division’s waters. If you work in a large division made up of many small departments, how can you enhance the new employee experience? How can you make it a consistent experience that reflects what your division is all about?
- Take the new hire on a “tour” of the division. It’s always good to feel welcome when people take time out of their busy schedules to step away from their desks and say hello.
- Create a mini new hire curriculum. This can include fact sheet handouts or brief presentations for each department within your division.
- Post relevant educational materials (fact sheets, glossary of key terms, FAQ) on the intranet, Yammer or other internal social media sites used by your division.
- Arrange time with the division leader. Many senior execs make a point to sit down with new hires and get to know them a bit more. But many execs don’t and that’s a missed opportunity to build a connection as well as help the new hire understand their role in the bigger picture.
- Create an itinerary of meet and greets with other key business partners around the company. This can help set the course for business relationships by giving your new hires a chance to chat with people outside the division before they cross paths with each other in a future meeting.
Tags: communication, employee communication, engagement, new hire experience, new hire onboarding, new hire orientation
Posted in HR Communications, Internal Communications | No Comments »
