Talking Heads by Eric Krell Prime-Time Players Once consultants have wrestled with the value of conducting television interviews, a more formidable challenge awaits. "Consultants are big on theory and management models," says Brian Delaney, Esq., president of Clarke & Co. Inc., a media and communications company in Boston, and former press secretary for U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy. "But if they want to reach their critical audience through television, they have to be perceived as solving real problems rather than as annunciating a theory. If consultants don’t get their message down to a level where it is understandable and can be used to solve a problem, then no one who sees them on MSNBC will remember what they said or why they said it." "Too many consultants turn off the media out of rudeness or ignorance," says Rothenberg. "Even if you’re too busy or don’t want to speak to the subject, let the media outlet know. You want to remain in the Rolodex." Mary Civiello, the former co-anchor of NBC’s "Today in New York," now runs her own media-training business, which includes several consulting clients. "The people we would go back to all the time were those who were accessible, responsive, and helpful — and those who weren’t defensive," says Civiello. "If you don’t have the answers, send the reporter to someone who might have them. Being helpful during the good times becomes extremely important if bad times occur." (Although he or she may be no Brokaw, their Rolodex will likely be reshuffled after a consultant from, say, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young postpones an interview until the deadline has passed, or someone from, say, Accenture calls to cancel an interview 20 minutes after it was scheduled to begin.) Part of being brief is being likable, Civiello notes. "Consultants are used to having all the answers, while television reporters are generally populists," she says. "They’re asking questions for the common man. And you’re more likely to come across well if you can speak that way. There is nothing lost in speaking in clear and simple language regardless of what you’re doing. People want to listen to people they like. That comes through in print, but it’s particularly true for television. Look at George W. Bush during the recent campaign. Content magazine noted, accurately I think, that he managed to neutralize his biggest weakness, which was a perceived lack of intelligence, by being likable with reporters." Consultants who want to boost their brand recognition through television should keep in mind that intelligence often takes a back seat to perception. "The first question asked when a television reporter calls to find a source: ‘Is the person media-savvy?’" notes Delaney. It doesn’t matter that my IQ is 180, that I have five degrees, and that I’ve written several books. If I’m boring, deadpan, or too complex, I will never get asked back." Television savvy boils down to common sense: Be brief, solve problems rather than get bogged down in theory, share personal experiences, give examples, speak in bullets and phrases. And keep it real. "You can overprepare," Rothenberg says. "Look at Al Gore. It’s important, most important, to be natural." Media training for consultants should focus on message development and distillation. Unlike their clients, consultants rarely are called on to, say, explain why their company dumped harmful chemicals into the Hudson River. So, consultants who seek to sharpen their on-air skills through media training should focus on ways to get their points of view to become part of the story rather than on ways to respond to crises. And, of course, media training should focus on the art of brevity. After all, even intelligent and talented thinkers have succumbed to the allure of the sound bite. Excerpt from Consulting Magazine, February 2001