Scary, Scary Media?

As of late, many of my MSU assignments have had me, in one way or another, open communications with various media outlets. While it is sometimes frightening (because hey, let’s face it: a bad conversation can get you blacklisted from an organization), I’ve pretty much come to the realization that with adequate preparation and a friendly attitude, communicating/working with the media isn’t really that scary at all.

However, I’d have to say the scariest part of working with the media has to be opening the lines of communication… aka, the first e-mail, phone call, etc. Really, the “fear” comes from the unknown; we don’t know who to expect, what kind of personality the voice on the other line holds, or exactly what these people want to hear. So yeah, while that can be quite scary and all, its definitely important to recognize the purpose of the call in the first place: to successfully “sell” whatever it is you have in an effective, efficient and concise manner.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that, regardless of our irrelevant fears, life is going to force us to become effective communicators. Most of our futures will rely on similar types of skills. So while working with the media isn’t as easy as brushing your teeth, it shouldn’t be as scary as those “I’m naked and talking to a room full of people” dreams…

…or whatever.

-RB