Bad PR: Two Must-Know Media Training Tips

by PR Coach

Michelle Bachmann fumbles the C-word

This week’s media training lesson practically wrote itself.

Two great examples of bad PR interviews: one by wannabe presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann, the other an off the wall,  hyped up new business pitch from two high-tech nerds.

First, Michelle Bachmann drops the C-bomb. No, the other one. Chutzpa! Poor Michelle. Her portfolio of media missteps grows weekly. Not only does she not know what the word chutzpah means when she uses it, she proceeds to mangle its pronunciation.

In this TV interview, Bachmann says: “OK. Here’s the big issue. The President doesn’t wanna have to be confronted with priorities in spending because he has a lot of [sic]  choots-pah. He spent a trillion dollars on stimulus. It failed.”

Failed? So did you Ms Bachmann.

Lesson number one: Be yourself. Don’t try to impress viewers with your language, your education, your knowledge or your chutzpah.

High Tech Bafflegab is a PR Fail

What happens when two high-tech nerds do a deskside client pitch? Disaster!

This tongue-in-cheek video from College Humor shows just what happens when you mix BS with bafflegab in a pitch. While it’s just a spoof, it’s an important reminder to keep your key messages focused on what problems your products or services solve for consumers or clients and why they should care.

Lesson number two: Keep it simple. Cut the tech talk and avoid bafflegab.

These two important media training lessons will get you a long way in your media interviews and presentations.

We’ve got many more media training and media relations resources in the PR Library. Come and explore but please, no pushing and shoving, yelling or chewing gum in the library. And don’t forget to sign up for regular PR tips and topics like these every week or tune in to our RSS feed in your favorite online reader.

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Author: Jeff Domansky is Editor, The PR Coach

Sponsored by:

Marcia’s Makeovers: 24 Press Releases Transformed from So-So to Sizzling
Get Marcia Yudkin’s popular self-study news release writing course. Learn how to transform your news releases from ho hum to hot!

PRWeek Magazine Subscribe to the leading PR news journal.

468x60 logo on right side and green



Previous post:

Next post:

32219001ccac503d69e68d70310998d80fa1de7f507e9b8c79