Cameron Freeman | 416-533-6024

Internet Strategist, Managerial Anthropologist, Rogue Archivist

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  • About Cameron R. Freeman
  • Socio-Cultural Anthropology
    • The Applied Anthropology Group
    • Anthropology of Culture
      • Population Control and the Colonization of Women’s Bodies in a Neo-Liberal World
      • Marketing Feminine Hygiene in a Capitalist Consumer Driven Society
      • Israeli Personhood and the Politics of Reproductive Technologies
      • The cultural biography of the Verner’s Pattern prismatic compass
      • Kinship, Kin Cues and the Fulfillment of Institutional Aims
    • Anthropology of Religion: General
      • Anthropology of Indigenous Peoples
      • A Comparison of Schleiermacher’s Inner Religious Sanctuary and the External Domain of Robert Orsi’s Religious World
      • Religion: The promise of an afterlife
      • Spiritual Interventions: Inside A.A.’s Fundamentalist Healing Program of Faith With Works
    • Medical Anthropology
      • Book Review: Reproducing Jews: A Cultural Account of Assisted Conception in Israel by Susan Kahn
      • Illness Narratives and the Construction of Self and Healing
      • Collaborative partnering with traditional healers for improved access to ARVs in rural Malawi
      • Ayurvedic Ethics and Modern Medical Ethics
    • Anthropology of Religion: Hindu Tradition
      • Constructing and Deconstructing the Bonds of Modern Guruship in the Cult of Sai Baba
      • Maintaining the Guru’s Hegemonic Influence Over Devotees
      • Christianity in British Colonial India and the Crystallization of Modern Hindu Religious Identities
      • The Dynamics of Bhakti in the Guru-Shishya Relationship
      • A Film Critique of Robert Gardner’s Video Ethnography: Forest of Bliss
      • To Love Siva is to Know Siva: Reflections on Ciruttontar—the Little Devotee
    • Anthropology of Religion: Asian Traditions
      • A Precis of Thomas A Wilson’s Sacrifice and the Imperial Cult of Confucius
      • A working definition of the Chinese term ‘wuwei’ (nonaction, doing nothing)
      • Chinese Popular Religion
      • Shang Divination: A Theocratic Stage for Emerging Chinese Religious Thought and Practice
    • Anthropology of Indigenous Peoples
      • Settler Colonialism and Eliminating the Native
      • Identity, Social Invisibility, Institutional Structures of Violence and the Mortality of Aboriginal Women
      • Define or be defined: Constructing indigenous identities for health and well being
      • Recovering Native Identities: From a traumatic ruptured past to a locally driven pan-Native spiritual present for holistic health and well being
      • The Legacy of Colonial Intrusions and Native Women’s Health
    • Anthropology of Religion: Judeo-Christian Tradition
      • Scribes, Prophets, & Temple Priests: The process of establishing and maintaining Judean boundaries through the canonization of scripture.
      • Honour and Shame and the Qualifications of the Overseer (bishop) in Timothy 3:1-7
      • The successful transmission of Paul’s expectations for a centrifugal missionary tradition in the early Christian Church
      • A hypothesis for the original oral version of the Parable of the Sower
      • Jesus and First Century Jewish Purity Laws
      • Who were the post-Wycliffe Lollards, what did they practice and what became of their movement?
      • Holiness Snake-handling: A Context for Pentecostal Epistemology
  • Principia Discordia
    • Contemporary Archaeology
      • WW1 Verners pattern MKVII military marching compass
      • Antique gramophone lovers beware of crap-o-phones and franken-phones
      • Come into my parlor for afternoon tea and listen to my “authentic” Victor Victrola
    • Confessions of A Cult Leader: My Lifestream Seminar Experience
      • Confessions of a Cult Leader or How I learned to get the best of life running a personal development seminar company.
      • Confessions of A Cult Leader: Thursday Evening of the Lifestream Basic Seminar
      • Confessions of A Cult Leader: Friday Evening of the Lifestream Basic Seminar
      • Confessions of A Cult Leader: Saturday Morning of the Lifestream Basic Seminar
      • Confessions of A Cult Leader: Saturday Afternoon of the Lifestream Basic Seminar
      • Confessions of A Cult Leader: Saturday Evening of the Lifestream Basic Seminar
      • Confessions of A Cult Leader: Sunday of the Lifestream Basic
      • Excerpt: The pit: a group encounter defiled, by Gene Church and Conrad DCarnes. (Out of Print)
      • Courage
      • Please Hear What I’m NOT Saying
      • Love is NOT enough! – A Handout at the Lifestream Basic Seminar
      • The girl I used to know – A Handout at the Lifestream Basic Seminar
      • The Penalty of Leadership – A Handout at the Lifestream Basic Seminar
      • The Little Boy who put the world back together: A story by Jim Quinn, Founder of the Lifestream Basic Seminar
      • Clarifying questions – Asked throughout the Lifestream Basic Seminar
      • Guiseppe – A story by Jim Quinn, Founder of the Lifestream Basic Seminar
      • Mexican Crabs – A story by Jim Quinn, Founder of the Lifestream Basic Seminar
    • Charles Haanel: The Master Key System
      • Part One: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Two: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Three: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Four: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Five: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Six: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Seven: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Eight: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Nine: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Ten: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Eleven: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Twelve: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Thirteen: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Fourteen: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Fifteen: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Sixteen: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Seventeen: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Eighteen: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Nineteen: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Twenty: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Twenty-One: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Twenty-Two: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Twenty-Three: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
      • Part Twenty-Four: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel
  • Presentations
    • Rules For Results
    • Media Skills Training
      • Case Study: Guerrilla tactics for maximizing the results of your media campaign
    • Keynote & Workshop Accolades
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Media Skills Training

Learning Objectives

Primary

  • Understand contemporary Canadian media.
  • How to maximize opportunities in working with the media.
  • How to minimize the risks in working with the media.
  • How to control media interviews.

Secondary

  • To rehearse key messages and answers to difficult questions.

Media Basics

  • Contemporary Media
  • Media Opportunities
  • Media Risks
  • Control
  • Managing the Interview
  • Key Messages
  • Answering Questions
  • Do’s
  • Don’ts

Contemporary Media

Characteristics

  • Highly influential
  • Overworked, underpaid, under pressure
  • Focused on social issues, politics
  • Lack knowledge of business, technology, science
  • Have a pack mentality
  • Looking to inform and entertain
  • See everything in black and white
  • Looking for different sides of a story

Information Sources

  • Their own files
  • Other media reports
  • On-line data bases
  • Governments
  • Industry associations
  • Employees
  • Neighbors
  • Customers
  • Suppliers
  • Competitors

Media Opportunities

Print

  • Two to ten inches
  • Can be read many times
  • High credibility
  • Easily reproduced i.e. clippings
  • Permits detailed description
  • Variable audience size

Television

  • Fifteen to ninety seconds
  • Seen once, except re-broadcast
  • High credibility
  • Easily reproduced (less convenient)
  • Picture worth a 1000 words
  • Verbal descriptions – less detail
  • Mass audience

Radio

  • Ten to thirty seconds
  • Heard once
  • Easily reproduced
  • A headline service
  • Smaller audience

Media Risks

Interview Styles

  • Comedian
  • Interrogator
  • Machine Gunner
  • Interrupter
  • Paraphraser
  • Pal

Reporter

  • Ignorance
  • Skill
  • Attitude
  • Editorial bias
  • Poor preparation

Spokesperson

  • Lapsing into conversation
  • Ignorance
  • Nervousness
  • Attitude
  • Poor preparation
  • Tape recorders

Media Control

Content

An unmanaged interview (a casual conversation)

  • Ten different questions.
  • Ten different answers.

A managed interview (a business meeting)

  • Ten different questions.
  • Two or three consistent answers.

Only you have 100% control of what you say!

The media relations process

GOOD NEWS

Objectives

  • Enhance corporate/brand reputation
  • Positive management profile
  • Reach a broad audience
  • Sustain media interest
  • Get key messages out
  • Take control of the story

BAD NEWS

Objectives

  • Protect corporate/brand reputation
  • Protect management profile
  • Confine reach, duration
  • Minimize media interest
  • Get key messages out
  • Take control of the story

GOOD NEWS

Tactics

  • Key messages
  • Q&A
  • Media Kit
  • B-roll (B-rolls are broadcast quality, professionally shot
    video clips), stock photos
  • Photo ops
  • Train spokespeople
  • Media advisory
  • Media releases
  • Follow-up calls
  • News conferences
  • Special Events
  • One-on-one interviews
  • Monitor coverage

BAD NEWS

Tactics

  • Key messages
  • Q&A
  • Media Kit
  • B-roll, stock photos
  • Stand-by statement
  • Train spokespeople
  • Media releases
  • Regular bulletins/briefings
  • News conferences
  • Special Events
  • One-on-one interviews
  • Monitor coverage
  • Correct rumours

Screening Questions

  1. What is the reporters name, phone and fax numbers?
  2. What is the subject of the interview and which specific angles will the reporter be exploring?
  3. What is the real deadline?
  4. Will the interview be live or taped?
  5. How long will the interview last and where will it be conducted? (to be negotiated.)
  6. Where will the article appear: news, lifestyle, sports, etc.?
  7. When will it be broadcast or published?
  8. Who is the audience or reader?
  9. Who else will the reporter be talking to?
  10. Can I help you ensure accuracy before it is published/broadcast?

Managing the Interview

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Your Rights and Options

  • Accept/Refuse
  • Win
  • Draw
  • Lose
  • Maintain a relationship

Duration

  • Time Frame
  • Graceful ending

Location

  • Office
  • Plant
  • Store
  • Outside
  • Inside
  • Across the table

Re-ask

  • Multiple takes

Dress

  • Business Attire
  • Shirt/Blouse
  • Casual

Posture

  • Standing
  • Sitting

Key Messages

Ask yourself, What do I want them to remember?

  • Fewer than twenty words.
  • No more than five messages.
  • Simple Words
  • Punchy appropriate phrasing.
  • Interesting, different, unique – newsworthy.
  • Support with clear simple examples.

Answering questions

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Position

  • State your key message up front.

Evidence

  • Simple examples, meaningful to your audience.
  • Stress the benefits, local angles, accentuate the positive.

Summary

  • Restate your key message.

Use Transitional Phrases

  • Your readers would be interested to know
  • Thats an interesting question; let me remind you though
  • Before I forget, I wan to tell your audience
  • Let me put that in perspective
  • Whats important to remember, however
  • What I really want to talk to you about is
  • Whats most important is
  • And dont forget
  • Before we get off that subject/topic let me add
  • Thats no my area of expertise but what I can tell you is
  • What Im really here to talk to you about is
  • Let me just add…

Use Transitional Phrases

  • Thats a good point…I think your audience would be interested in knowing that
  • That reminds me
  • Let me answer you by saying that
  • Let me give you some background information
  • Lets take a closer look at
  • Thats an important point because
  • What that means is
  • Another thing to remember is
  • Now that youve covered, lets move on to
  • You may be asking why is true
  • Whileis certainly important, dont forget that
  • As I said…

Remember to…

  • Prepare messages and answers in advance, know your story, rehearse.
  • Research the opportunity beforehand.
  • Dress appropriately and arrive early.
  • Understand your rights.
  • Give your business card and info kit to reporters – fax key messages after a phone interview.
  • Ask for the reporters business card.
  • Treat each interview as special – as an opportunity.
  • Respect a reporters deadline and be responsive.
  • Be yourself, be honest.
  • Stay calm in an interview, watch your demeanor.
  • Stick to your key messages and keep it simple.
  • Establish business relationships with reporters, and media outlets.
  • Be confident – you are the expert.
  • Mention the name of your organization or its products if the story is positive.

Remember NOT to…

  • Use jargon.
  • Feel obligated or pressured.
  • Guess, speculate or comment on rumors.
  • Assume anything.
  • Say, no comment.
  • Repeat a negative.
  • Use sarcasm.
  • Speak off-the-record.
  • Let a reporter put words in your mouth.
  • Speak on behalf of other organizations.
  • Express a personal view.
  • Mention the name of your organization or its products if the story is negative.

Media Skills Summary

  • Interviews are business meetings.
  • Know and deliver your key messages.
  • Practice and prepare.
  • Understand your rights.
  • Accentuate the positive.
  • Maintain control of the interview.

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