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VIEWPOINT: Media Training in a Digital Age: Why Strategy is Stronger Than Tools
Sometimes it’s hard to believe that we’re only 250 years removed from when we received pertinent information from messengers riding horses who galloped through the night to make sure we knew what was going on. We’re 75 years away from a time when less than 50 percent of households owned a telephone or radio, and […]
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Sometimes it’s hard to believe that we’re only 250 years removed from when we received pertinent information from messengers riding horses who galloped through the night to make sure we knew what was going on. We’re 75 years away from a time when less than 50 percent of households owned a telephone or radio, and got their news that way. Now, all it takes is the combination of a smart phone and a keen observer to press record, and the whole world knows. Our ever-evolving digital landscape and 24/7 news environment means every interaction is under a microscope. We’re all just one moment — and a good internet connection — away from being the subject of a positive story or viral escapade.
In this digital age, we all know being hyperconnected presents opportunities and challenges. In an instant, sometimes seemingly on the flip of a coin, it can make or break our reputations. As public-relations professionals, we’re hyper aware of this paradox. We rely on the magic of media training to help us preserve as many reputations as possible among our clients and the organizations we serve.
When it comes to media training, we find many people can get distracted with imagery of reporters, microphones, and cameras. It’s not always intuitive to deduce that media training is less like preparing for a high-stakes trial and more about learning how to effectively communicate. Maybe we can shift perspectives by presenting it this way: If we can speak comfortably and confidently to members of the media — whose job is to be the voices of our communities — we can speak to anyone.
Media training teaches us about who we are as communicators, encouraging us to think critically, strategically, and thoughtfully about what we’re saying, why we’re saying it, and who we’re saying it to. From a business perspective, it teaches offense so that defense isn’t ever needed.
To make this seem less daunting, the good news (pun intended) is we’re further along in mastering these skills than we think, and it’s thanks to lessons learned during our pandemic pivot. Nearly every industry embraced digital connection. Virtual-meeting platforms became classrooms where we learned techniques to help us improve communications skills and — whether we realized it or not — become spokespeople when reporters call, email, and in this digital age, DM us and our organizations.
Collectively, we’re more conscious of our body language and speaking patterns. We’ve learned to keep facial expressions in check and be thoughtful about where on our computer screens we’re looking to simulate real-life eye contact. Virtual meetings have also taught us to be more succinct and strategic with our word choices, eliminating at least a few “ahs” and “ums” from our vocabularies. However subtle, these nonverbal and verbal improvements boost credibility and trust — two important qualities that successful spokespeople have — and help us be more engaging storytellers.
Formal media training builds on this foundation by encouraging organizations to be strategic about what they say, and what they don’t say. In media training, individuals learn how to finetune messaging for clarity and consistency to deliver messages across multiple media platforms. Finessing the messages delivered in person or on camera for digital spaces (including the web and social media) unlocks more opportunities for organizations to connect with key audiences. For example, rewriting TV-ready messages into lighter, informal language for social media (particularly in response to direct Facebook messages) helps strengthen relationships by addressing followers’ questions in a way that feels personal to them. This elevates credibility, builds brand recognition, and establishes your organization as a reliable information source and thought leader in your expertise areas.
Not only is our digital world hyperconnected, but it’s also hypercompetitive, too. When organizations master the art of storytelling learned through media training, they become persuasive marketers positioned to gain an edge over peers.
Media training helps uncover gaps in an organization’s overall strategy and structure, arming participants with detection tools to be able to anticipate various situations. Your organization likely has emergency management protocols to follow when crisis or disaster occurs, such as severe weather events or when safety is at risk. Media training complements preparedness training, enhancing your playbook by encouraging leaders and spokespeople to practice how they would respond publicly in various crisis scenarios. In media training, communications teams can pre-draft “holding statements” before the pressure is on. By being proactive, organizations eliminate or minimize reputational damage and maintain trust in the event they’re tested later.
When organizations invest in media training, they’re demonstrating commitment to supporting their teams to make sure they have the resources they need. When your leaders and spokespeople react and respond calmly, it has a trickle-down effect. Employees will feel calm, safe, and valued, which will help maintain morale and employee retention.
Sometimes, business leaders think they’re keeping up with the digital times by outfitting team members with the newest gadgets and tools to communicate, but it’s just as important to train all operators in strategy. Think back to Paul Revere’s “Midnight Ride.” While communication has certainly come a long way since lanterns in churches, horses, and loud voices were our most reliable tools, Revere and those “in the know” still formed a solid strategy to make the most of the tools they could access.
In the present day, we have cell phones with the ability to record, send, and post — all at the click of a button — but our challenge is that we aren’t always equipped with the know-how when a moment goes viral. Media training helps to get us over that hump. Media-trained individuals are positioned to respond proactively, comfortably, and confidently in positive moments and ahead of potential tumultuous ones. Media-trained organizations boost credibility, reaffirm positions as trusted, reliable information sources, and are poised to have an advantage over industry peers who do not invest in this resource. Remember, if you can talk to a member of the media, you can talk to anyone.
Alice Maggiore is the director of public relations at Strategic Communications, which says it provides trusted counsel for public relations, including media strategy, media training, media outreach, monitoring, and analysis. For more information, visit: www.StratComLLC.com
Study shows excitement and concerns about AI use in the workplace
A report by Resume Now, a career and résumé service, shows that workers have conflicted feelings about artificial intelligence (AI) and the future of a workplace dominated by AI. The State of AI in the Workplace report found that workers of all ages had concerns about AI including whether it will negatively affect their mental
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A report by Resume Now, a career and résumé service, shows that workers have conflicted feelings about artificial intelligence (AI) and the future of a workplace dominated by AI.
The State of AI in the Workplace report found that workers of all ages had concerns about AI including whether it will negatively affect their mental health while also feeling excited about its possible uses in the workplace.
“No technology, not even the proliferation of the smartphone, has caused a disruption like the one AI is poised to create,” Heather O’Neill, Resume Now career expert, said in a news release announcing the report results. “AI has already begun to change the way people across industries do their work, and our research shows that workers have some serious concerns about the impact this technology will have on their work lives, personal lives, and mental health. Employers must take swift action through training and education to soothe these fears and create a harmonious workplace. If employers don’t execute this transition well, there will be a major upheaval in the workforce.”
Almost two-thirds of those surveyed — 63 percent — have some fears about AI technology, with 61 percent fearing the use of AI at work will increase their chances of experiencing burnout. Young workers — those who are age 25 or younger — have the most fear of AI-related burnout, with 87 percent expressing concern, while 73 percent of those ages 26 to 40 and 47 percent of those 41 and older are concerned.
Another 62 percent are somewhat or very afraid of losing their jobs due to AI.
Forty-nine percent of women believe AI use in the workplace will negatively impact work-life balance, a bit higher than the 43 percent of all those surveyed who are worried. Among those concerned, those ages 41 and older have the most worries with 51 percent saying they believe AI will have a negative effect on work-life balance.
On the more positive side, 78 percent of respondents feel either somewhat or very positive about using AI for work purposes, and 62 percent believe that AI technology will positively impact the workplace. More than half (51 percent) of workers age 25 and under reported very positive feelings about AI use at work.
Most workers, 88 percent, have at least some confidence in their ability to use AI tools for work-related purposes, with men and younger workers showing the most confidence.
The survey included 1,150 American respondents on March 11 and 12 of this year.
Resume Now says it provides job seekers with the means to create a résumé with pre-written, industry-specific phrases and recruiter-approved templates.
SUNY Poly nursing programs receive accreditation
MARCY — SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s nursing programs have earned initial accreditation and reaccreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the university announced. The process is designed to ensure a standard of quality for all nursing programs offered in the U.S. The rigorous process requires an extensive self-study and review of documents, community responses, faculty
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MARCY — SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s nursing programs have earned initial accreditation and reaccreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the university announced.
The process is designed to ensure a standard of quality for all nursing programs offered in the U.S. The rigorous process requires an extensive self-study and review of documents, community responses, faculty responses, administrative support, and student-outcome measures.
Accreditation for new programs is awarded for five years, while previously accredited programs can be reaccredited for up to 10 years.
SUNY Poly’s new doctor of nursing practice and certificate of advanced studies in psychiatric nursing and the certificate of advanced studies program for the family nurse practitioner and nursing education programs all earned the full five-year accreditation.
The previously accredited registered nurse bachelor’s degree, master’s degree in family nurse practitioner, and master’s degree in nursing education programs were each given 10-year accreditations.
“SUNY Poly’s nursing programs continue to be at the forefront of nursing practice and education,” Provost Andrew Russell said in a news release. “Moreover, they are helping to produce the next generation of healthcare professionals that the world desperately needs. I applaud all of our nursing faculty for their commitment to our students and for their contributions during the accreditation process.”
The programs are offered through SUNY Poly’s College of Health Sciences, which, through state investments, is updating its nursing laboratories to accommodate additional clinical stations with manikins and up-to-date simulators. SUNY Poly is also expanding its health-sciences wing in Donovan Hall, including the establishment of the Center for Healthcare Innovation. The center is a collaborative effort to address increasing mental, physical, and environmental-health needs. It will also facilitate entrepreneurial efforts in the health fields; promote multidisciplinary research, clinical practice, and program development; enhance applied-learning opportunities for students; and cultivate community partnerships and initiatives.
SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in a number of areas of study including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, engineering technologies, business, communication, and nursing.
VIEWPOINT: Leadership and the Laws of Thermodynamics
I’m not an engineer, physicist, or scientist by education or occupation. However, when not reading material from my field of expertise (leadership), my genre of choice is theoretical physics. I’m not trying to impress anyone here; on a good day, I comprehend roughly 40 percent of this material. I engage with these topics for enjoyment
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I’m not an engineer, physicist, or scientist by education or occupation. However, when not reading material from my field of expertise (leadership), my genre of choice is theoretical physics. I’m not trying to impress anyone here; on a good day, I comprehend roughly 40 percent of this material. I engage with these topics for enjoyment and continual learning. And, occasionally, I’m able to see a connection between the complex laws of the physical world and the principles of leadership.
I’ve recently noticed that as chaotic as interpersonal relationships are, certain patterns keep cropping up. Theories and models will never perfectly predict human nature, but some concepts are useful in explaining the way people behave.
I think I have noticed a pattern worth surfacing. I believe there is a connection between thermodynamics and leadership. I think that the laws of thermodynamics just might govern leadership — or, at the very least, we can use these classical principles of physics to draw a useful metaphor in the leadership realm.
First, what is thermodynamics? According to Oxford Languages, it is “the branch of physical science that deals with the relations between heat and other forms of energy (such as mechanical, electrical, or chemical energy), and, by extension, of the relationships between all forms of energy.
Leadership is an energetic activity. Leaders utilize, convert, empower, and expend energy. Energy, in physics and everyday life, is the ability to do work. At Emergent, we help leaders develop their potential by focusing on the most effective and balanced use of energy. We accomplish this through weekly planning, focused intention setting, and active energy renewal. Energy is one of our main focuses because it is the only means by which meaningful change is realized.
And here are the laws:
1st Law: Energy cannot be created or destroyed.
We all know this law from high-school science classes. But what does it have to do with leadership?
Energy is and always will be. It’s not something we can buy or sell, or even something we can waste or use. It’s there, all the time. So, we can hold the confidence of an abundance mindset. Energy is always abundant. It may not always feel that way; we get tired, resources seem to dwindle, and motivation and engagement can be challenged. However, the first law reminds us that there is abundance — all we need to do is find it and tap into it.
2nd Law: The entropy of the universe tends to increase.
To understand the second law, we first need to understand entropy. Entropy is defined as a system’s unavailability of energy to do work. It is often associated with randomness and the gradual decline toward disorder.
Entropy is always increasing. Yes, it’s a real bummer. When I first grasped the concept of entropy, I felt like we were all doomed. But that’s not what it means for leadership.
Leaders will be most effective when they work to restore energy in themselves and coach others to do the same. As we know from the first law, we cannot create energy, but we can and must restore our energy in all forms to be effective. Be on guard against chaos.
3rd Law: A perfect crystal, at zero Kelvin, has zero entropy (this is a big deal.)
Crystallization is the opposite of entropy. just as order is the opposite of chaos. Leaders create order in their organizations through effective team development, clear goals and objectives, and aligning the team on values, vision, and mission. Through the crystallization of culture, community, and teams, leaders apply the third law and reduce entropy in their organization.
I challenge you to think about how the concepts explored in these laws — energy, abundance, entropy, and crystallization — apply to your leadership. What lessons might you take from the bare facts of the universe?
Bill Berthel is a partner with Emergent, L.L.C., a provider of executive coaching and leadership training, based in Syracuse. Contact him at Bill@GetEmergent.com
VIEWPOINT: Stay Alert: Government & School Orgs Targeted by Cyberattacks
What do Huber Heights, Ohio (population 43,439), Cullman, Alabama (population 14,775) and Scotland, Connecticut (population 1,576) all have in common? Yes, they represent a cross-section of “small town America.” They also were all victims of costly cyberattacks in 2023. Unfortunately, these municipalities are not unique in their experience with cybercrime. In 2023, government organizations and
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What do Huber Heights, Ohio (population 43,439), Cullman, Alabama (population 14,775) and Scotland, Connecticut (population 1,576) all have in common? Yes, they represent a cross-section of “small town America.” They also were all victims of costly cyberattacks in 2023.
Unfortunately, these municipalities are not unique in their experience with cybercrime. In 2023, government organizations and schools across the nation experienced financial loss and disruption of life-saving services, including first responder services, as a direct result of cyberattacks, such as ransomware, phishing, denial of service, and business email compromise.
Municipal services are a key part of America’s critical infrastructure which makes them all high-value targets for cyber criminals. It is imperative that local-government officials not only understand the unique risks these attacks pose, but also how they can protect the vital services as smaller entities with limited budgets and staffing.
Here are a few ways a municipal organization can improve defenses and become a harder target:
Monitor your accounts daily. It seems simple, but daily checks can help you identify suspicious activity early. The sooner a breach is discovered, the quicker you can engage your banking institution to start its processes and prevent further loss. Time is also important in some cases where fraudulent charges only have a 24-hour window to be returned.
Implement digital fraud controls on your bank accounts. The majority of cyberattacks on government entities are motivated by financial gain. Manual vigilance is a good first step, but that alone isn’t enough in an ever-changing sophisticated criminal world. Technological solutions, like Positive Pay, protect municipal accounts from many types of check and ACH fraud, and are essential for any government.
Make sure your cyber-insurance and crime policies are adequate. The vast majority of businesses and government entities cannot effectively recover from cyberattacks without the incident-response expertise, breach management services and financial security of properly designed cyber and crime-insurance policies. If you don’t have one of these policies, reach out to your insurer and learn more about securing one. If you do, have a discussion to ensure your coverage is adequate.
Engage your financial institution’s information security and fraud risk teams. Information sharing is key to defeating cyber criminals.
Leverage free resources. The following free resources will help you assess cyber risk and prioritize controls to implement:
• State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Government Coordinating Council | CISA — The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has numerous resources dedicated to assisting state, local, tribal and territorial governments to improve cyber defenses.
• Getting Started | NIST — The National Institute of Standards (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) is a popular cybersecurity risk-management framework with ample resources to help you improve your overall cyber risk-management strategy.
• CIS Critical Security Controls (cisecurity.org) — A prescriptive, prioritized, and simplified set of best practices that you can use to strengthen your cybersecurity posture, aligned with the risk-management practices in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF).
The unfortunate reality is that the question is not if a cyberattack will happen to your municipality; it is when. By taking the time to ensure you have the appropriate prevention tools in place, you can help mitigate the costly and concerning impacts to your residents.
Brendan Baxter is senior VP for public sector business development at NBT Bank.
OPINION: The U.S. will eventually elect a woman president
Claudia Sheinbaum made history [in early June] when she became the first woman elected president of Mexico. What will it take for a woman to become president of the United States? I think we will eventually elect a woman president. There is no shortage of highly qualified women in politics. Women have shown, time after
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Claudia Sheinbaum made history [in early June] when she became the first woman elected president of Mexico. What will it take for a woman to become president of the United States?
I think we will eventually elect a woman president. There is no shortage of highly qualified women in politics. Women have shown, time after time, that they can handle the tasks of governing. Most Americans say a woman president could do as well as, if not better than, a man.
We came very close, obviously, in 2016, when Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost to Donald Trump [in the] Electoral College.
But there is no question that women continue to face challenges in politics. Some people still hold the stereotype that only men can be strong leaders. Women are judged differently on their appearance, dress, and age. They can be seen as weak if they show emotion.
And that’s a problem. When it comes to finding leaders who can address our nation’s problems, we can’t afford to write off half the population.
In Mexico, there was no question the next president would be a woman. Sheinbaum, who will take office in October, won decisively. Her leading opponent was also a woman: Xochitl Galvez.
Sheinbaum is certainly qualified. A former mayor of Mexico City, she has a Ph.D. in energy engineering. Her campaign benefited from the support of current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, but she is expected to be more data-driven and less combative in her approach.
It may seem surprising that Mexico elected a woman president before we did. Mexican women didn’t get the right to vote in national elections until 1953, which was 33 years after women in the U.S. Mexico is known for a culture of “machismo,” and violence against women is a huge problem. But recent reforms gave women more political access. Women hold half the seats in Mexico’s Congress, and the chief justice of the Supreme Court is a woman.
Women have come a long way, obviously, in U.S. politics. When I arrived in Congress, in 1965, there were only 11 women in the House of Representatives and two in the Senate. Today, there are a record 126 women in the House and 25 in the Senate. But the glass ceiling of the presidency hasn’t been broken, even though we’ve seen many examples elsewhere of women as strong national leaders.
Margaret Thatcher was the longest-serving prime minister of the United Kingdom in the 20th century. Angela Merkel was chancellor of Germany for 16 years. As early as the 1960s, India chose Indira Ghandi as prime minister and Israel chose Golda Meir. Women have been heads of state in Brazil, the Philippines, Ireland, and dozens of other countries.
The U.S. elected its first woman vice president, Kamala Harris, just four years ago. Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to be speaker of the House, first won the office in 2007. Harris and several other Democratic women ran campaigns for president in 2020, and Republican Nikki Haley made a challenge to Trump this year [in the Republican primaries].
The rise of women in politics has unquestionably been good for our country, and we should encourage it. Many talented women have strengthened our ability to solve difficult problems at all levels of government. But it takes more than talent and drive to be successful in politics. To reach the top, it also takes the right circumstances, especially for women.
Eventually, we will elect a woman president, and that will be an important milestone. When it comes to leadership, we need all the talent we can get.
Lee Hamilton, 93, is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years (1965-1999), representing a district in south-central Indiana.
4 Steps in IT Offboarding to Protect Data & Minimize Risk
When employees are laid off or let go, the conversation of technology offboarding can be an uncomfortable one. However, cybersecurity and data protection must be
CPS Recruitment — a provider of direct-hire recruiting, temporary staffing solutions, contract, contract to hire, and payroll services to corporations nationwide — announced that it
CPS Recruitment — a provider of direct-hire recruiting, temporary staffing solutions, contract, contract to hire, and payroll services to corporations nationwide — announced that it
Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse tech hub wins $40 million for semiconductor-manufacturing activity
DeWITT, N.Y. — U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D–N.Y.) on Tuesday announced a $40 million federal award for the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse tech hub, known officially as the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub. The millions in federal funding are meant to “further position Upstate [New York] as a semiconductor center for the world,” Schumer’s office said
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DeWITT, N.Y. — U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D–N.Y.) on Tuesday announced a $40 million federal award for the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse tech hub, known officially as the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub.
The millions in federal funding are meant to “further position Upstate [New York] as a semiconductor center for the world,” Schumer’s office said in the Tuesday announcement.
“We are making I-90 America’s semiconductor superhighway, and in a few years, a quarter of all the chips manufactured in the United States will be along this corridor,” Schumer said in his remarks. The lawmaker announced the funding during a morning visit to Inficon Inc. at 2 Technology Place, off Fly Road in the town of DeWitt.
“This is a monumental day for upstate New York,” Schumer said to open his address. “One that I have long envisioned and spent years fighting for.”
The NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub is the “first in the nation” to receive a major tech-hub award from Schumer’s CHIPS & Science Law, the Democrat noted.
Schumer had announced the tech-hub designation for the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse during a visit last October to Saab Inc’s Syracuse operations in DeWitt. The tech-hub designation was created as part of the federal CHIPS & Science Law.
When the competition started, 400 regions applied for the funding and 31 were designated tech hubs. Only 12 are getting advanced financing for the tech-hub program, Schumer said.
“It’s going to train the next generation of our workforce. It’s going to fill in gaps to make sure that Micron’s $100 billion investment not only attracts new supply-chain companies but also helps existing companies grow and enter into the semiconductor field,” Schumer told those gathered at Inficon, including local officials and Inficon employees watching on the stairs and from the upper floors.
He went on to say that the funding will help power new startups as we commercialize the research and activities done by some of the regions companies and chip fabrication plants, including Inficon.
The senator called the award prestigious, noting that when international firms look to have a location in the U.S., they’ll look at the regions with a tech-hub designation, including upstate New York.
“I met with a whole group of Japanese semiconductor suppliers and a whole bunch of Taiwanese semiconductor suppliers, 20 or 30 of each, and pushed our I-90 semiconductor superhighway, so it really helps,” Schumer said.
He also boasted that, “It sure didn’t hurt to have the [U.S.] Senate Majority Leader calling the White House and the Commerce Secretary [Gina Raimondo] to tell them upstate New York is the perfect choice for the future of [American] chips.”
Standing around Schumer and speaking at the event included Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon; Hannah Henley, president of Inficon, Inc.; Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO; J. Michael Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation at Syracuse University; Greg Lancette, president of the Central-Northern New York Building & Construction Trades Council; and Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh.
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