When the Headline Is You: An Insider’s Guide to Handling the Media
Jeff Ansell
(Jossey-Bass) $35.95
Media calls and crisis situations can be fear-evoking moments when you’re the one returning the call on behalf of your retirement residence. Jeff Ansell’s new book, When the Headline Is You: An Insiders Guide to Handling the Media is a must-read for understanding how to successfully navigate any scenario–good or bad–that involves responding in a credible and persuasive way to a reporter’s questions.
As an experienced media and crisis communications consultant, Ansell has dealt with some of North America’s most high-profile issue management scenarios, and his book draws in many examples you’ll recognize. His practical approach, including a Media Messaging Toolkit, a six-step interview and a message delivery exercise, take you through the necessary stages of proactively building an issue-management framework for your retirement organization that will help manage and protect your reputation.
As Ansell points out, “People who talk to the media are only as good as their worst quote.” You need to proactively approach every media situation, not only your message but also how to deliver it so that it makes its way into what is reported. Next to having media training with Ansell himself, this book will give you strategies that will help you create meaningful responses and maintain trust with your key stakeholders.
With the rapid pace of the media cycle, as well as the increased media scrutiny on seniors’ issues, the old adage “be prepared” has never been more necessary.
About Sharon Henderson
If time is money you’ve made me a weatlheir woman.