Gender Dynamics in the VP Debate … And the Strategies You Should Try as a Woman Who Communicates
While last night’s vice presidential debate offered more opportunities for candidates to speak about the issues—ahem, clearing a *very* low bar set by the presidential debate a week prior—there were still many gender dynamics at play for how women are expected to speak in politics and how they are treated in return. There are even…
Read MoreWhat’s Your Media Engagement Plan for a Crisis?
Now that you have prepared your spokespeople and your internal organization to respond in a crisis, it’s time to look outwards. What’s your plan to engage the media when news breaks? Do you have up-to-date press lists of breaking news desks/reporters? Every news outlet has someone assigned to “breaking news.” These may be editors who…
Read MoreFive Things Your Organization Can Do In Advance to Prepare for a Crisis
As part of our series on preparing for rapid response, here’s a checklist of five things your organization can do internally to be ready when important news breaks. Do you have a “triage” plan for managing and prioritizing inbound press calls as well as for managing outbound media engagement priorities? Not all reporters or outlets…
Read MoreHow to Prepare Your Spokespeople for Rapid Response Events
Note: This post is part of a series about how to prepare your organization for its next crisis opportunity. Do you have multiple, well-trained, media spokespeople? A few common challenges that organizations face revolve around spokespeople. If there are too few, or the role is concentrated in a single leadership figure, this will result in…
Read MoreIs Your Organization Ready for Rapid Response Opportunities?
There are two types of media engagement: those where you execute a proactive plan and those where you spring into action in response to breaking news stories. Both—the known and the unknown—done correctly, require a sustained infrastructure, a substantial amount of coordination, and ever-deepening partnerships and trust-building with and among the communities and allies we…
Read MoreOur Signature Spokesperson Training Gets Results: A Case Study
After we identified a need to train more spokespeople—including lifting up the voices of women in our sectors—to speak to their lived experiences and tell their own stories, we developed what has become one of our signature trainings. Before the coronavirus grounded our flights and prohibited us from group gatherings, these training sessions were two…
Read MoreWho Gets Heard Matters: We Are a Long Way from Gender Equity in Who the Media Quotes. Let’s Fix That.
With this month marking 100 years since the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which prevents an individual from being denied the right to vote on the basis of sex in the U.S., and with an eye towards Women’s Equality Day on August 26 (don’t get me started on it being just for one day), the…
Read More12 Tips for Getting More Coverage for Your Media Hit
A favorable media placement is invaluable in establishing your credibility as an expert and developing your unique voice and perspective as a thought leader, especially if you are new to your field. The media landscape and news are more crowded than ever, so don’t miss out on extending the reach of your piece, well beyond…
Read MoreReThink Tips: How to Engage the Media During a Pandemic
The COVID-19 outbreak is affecting everyone around the world, and the news industry is no exception. As prominent examples like Chris Cuomo illustrate, journalists and their families are catching the disease, just like anyone else. They are also hurting economically, just like so many other parts of our society. As of April 24th, “roughly 36,000…
Read MoreThe ReThink Media WFH Challenge
The coronavirus has wreaked havoc on our healthcare system, economy, and lives. For the lucky ones, it has meant an extended time working from home, wondering when we can resume our former routines. But in the midst of cancelations, you don’t need to push pause on your professional development. ReThink Media has pulled together a…
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