One of the biggest mistakes I see with media spokespeople is their failure to show enough empathy for victims. If a spokesperson is responding to a crisis or negative event that hurts people, the first message must always be empathy for the victims. It doesn’t matter whether you are at fault. You can show empathy without taking responsibility. For example, if there was an explosion at your work and someone was killed, you wouldn’t want to take the blame for it...

Recent media stories have highlighted how important it is for schools to have robust public relations policies. Here are four headlines from major NZ newspapers in the last 10 days: ‘Police probe school bullying’, ‘ERO confirms school’s woes’, ‘Pupils suspended for hazing’ and ‘School Principal faces inquiry’. Negative media coverage can seriously lower a school’s reputation. This can have major ramifications. So what must a school do to deal with the threat of negative media coverage and reputation loss among important...

John Key refused to answer questions in Parliament this week about phone conversations with Cameron Slater because he was wearing the hat of National Party Leader at the time, not the PM. This was a fair reply, but it does raise an important question. What hats do you wear when talking to the media? And more importantly, do you know what hats your staff wear? If you don’t, this could come back to bite you. For example, there have been incidents...

The next Labour leader must be the contender with the best media skills because it’s television where elections are won and lost. Much has been said about the likeability of John Key. And remember about 99 percent of potential voters only ever see him on TV. That’s why media skills are so vital. It surprises me when we hear all sorts of other reasons about who should make up the Labour leadership. Should it be a white male? Should a woman...

Anyone reading news coming out of the US lately could be forgiven for thinking the Ebola virus will wipe out the entire world population. That might be a slight exaggeration, but it does highlight that the news media is interested in selling newspapers, not necessarily giving a balanced account of issues. Sensationalism sells, so that’s what many media outlets will look for in their stories. For example, let’s assume three scientists all have different views over how many people will die...

It may seem pedantic to some, but by using the language of denial again this week, David Cunliffe did little to distance himself from his wife’s admission that she set up a Twitter account to attack her husband’s rivals. I’m not saying the former Labour Leader had any knowledge of it, but by saying to reporters: “I’m not into gutter politics,” he did himself no favours. He should never use his own name and the words ‘gutter politics’ in the same...

John Key The Prime Minister was clearly rattled early in the campaign with the release of Dirty Politics. But once he got through the first Leaders Debate, he was back to his usual high standard. He stayed on message consistently, and got his points through clearly with his use of personal stories and analogies. (These were covered in earlier blogs.) David Cunliffe The Leader of the Opposition had a great campaign when it comes to media appearances. He is an expert...

A few weeks ago I discussed how effectively John Key uses personal stories to get his points across. Another way he does this successfully is by using analogies. This was apparent again in last night’s final Leaders Debate. At one stage he was making the point that if people wanted a National-led Government, they should vote for National. He was telling National voters not to support a party like the Conservatives instead. He was concerned some people may do this so...

Body language is usually the deciding factor in leader’s debates, and last night’s was no exception. Both David Cunliffe and John Key were very much ‘on message’. In that sense, you could call the debate a draw. Cunliffe’s big message was the need for fairness, while Key’s focus was on his government’s economic record and the importance that its policies continue. However, where Key was dominant was in the area of body language. As we emphasise to our media training clients,...

One of the best ways to make a point stick with audiences is by telling personal stories. This is particularly important for extended media interviews or live debates when answers can be longer than short sound bites. That’s because people are far more interested in personal stories than abstract points. So if the point can be made by telling a story, it’s far more likely to be heard and remembered. John Key has always been an expert at this. There were...