Lights!  Camera!  Action!  The Online Reputation Management blog is interviewing former TV anchor Mark Grimm is a speaking coach and media/message strategist. He has conducted one-on-one interviews with Presidents Bush and Clinton. Mark was named ASTD Trainer of the Year in a 20-county region and hosts the Siena Alumni Connection radio show.      

What is crisis communications?

Effectively managing a bad public relations event by using a clearly defined process. 

What are the biggest mistakes you see people and companies make when dealing with the media?

The biggest mistakes I see are a lack of understanding of what the media’s needs are and not being clear and compelling enough with your message.

The post-game press conference by two Xavier hoop players back in December 2011 gave two black eyes to the university after a terrible on-court brawl ended their game with bitter crosstown rival Cincinnati.  Xavier senior Tu Holloway defended their actions by saying, “We’ve got a whole bunch of gangsters in the locker room… We went out there and zipped them up.”  Xavier Coach Chris Mack said of the pair, “At times, they probably don’t represent themselves with their use of words real well.”  Understatement of the year, Coach. [Read more…]