Heard a story today of an athlete back in the day who was set for accolades, and when his Sports Information Department realized that meant lots of interviews and exposure, they set about to get him some interviewing help. Seems he leaned a lot more to the second half of the “student athlete” phrase and his on-camera/soundbite skills left a little to be desired.His SID sent him to a local TV reported, and they established a weekly meeting where they’d work on something new each week. They formed a few human interest stories and worked on how to avoid the “if it wasn’t for football, I wouldn’t be playing football today” answers. This was before consulting was known as consulting, but that’s what it was. And the results turned out to be a winner. Not only did he win the highest honors due his sport/position, he made a name for himself and garnered a lot of attention for the university. He went on to become an airline pilot, which relies on communication every day on the job.Point is, if you’re going before the scrutiny of the public — product announcements, sales calls, meet-the-press, address the troops, look-what-I-did-on-my-summer-vacation, I-deserve-a-raise — you need the skills to create and deliver your message effectively.
Solicit help in areas where you lack the ability to carry the load all the way to the winner’s circle.
