Session 1 - Media Training

              Day 2 of Session 1, Class XI participated in a Media Training workshop, presented by Leslie Jones of Ketchum and Jennifer Giambroni of California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), along with Ketchum IT guy, Paul. The course was centered on preparing class members in the event that we should be approached by a member of the media or an inquisitive consumer.

                One thing that is important for every member of the agriculture to understand is that having a specific message, something specific to share with the consumer population, is vital to being able to convey agriculture in a positive light. When presented with the opportunity to address an issue, there is often a very small window of opportunity available in which to get your message across. Knowing your message in advance and being prepared when the time may arise will help bring your message across in an organized and much more effective manner.

                In the event you may be approached by a member of the media, and requested to provide an interview or a statement, it is extremely important to be prepared and ask the following questions:

1.       What is the deadline for your story?

2.       What are you looking for?

3.       May I contact you back at another (scheduled) time?

It is also ok to remember that at any time it is acceptable to deny or deflect the interview. You are at no time required to provide a statement if you are not comfortable or prepared.

                When giving an interview, it is important to get to the point. Don’t beat around the bush, so to speak. The entire interview may be edited down to a single sentence, or limited to 30 seconds in length. If it takes 42 seconds to get to the point you are trying to make, you may not get the opportunity to share your message. Also, never say anything you don’t want to read/hear about later. By being prepared in advance, having your key message under your belt and on the tip of your tongue, it will come more fluid and you won’t flounder around trying to find the right words.

               Avoid “no comment”. By saying “no comment”, or refusing to answer a question in an interview, you may mistakenly convey the impression that you have something to hide. Instead of refusing to answer a difficult, ugly or awkward question, be prepared to turn it around into a positive, and come back to reiterate your key message. Take your time to answer a question – it is OK to pause before answering a question. By taking a breath before answering, you allow yourself the time to reflect on the question in your mind, consider your answer and again bring your answer back to your key message. It is alright to admit, “I don’t know…” when you are asked a question. Do not attempt to answer a question you if are not 100% certain of the answer. Do, however, be prepared to offer to find the answer and report back, or put the interviewer in touch with someone who can answer the question.

photo curtesy of Mark Looker

                Don’t use acronyms or industry terminology. Use of acronyms or terms that viewers do not understand can make for a confusing conversation. Be sure to layout the terms of an acronym, such as “F.A.R.M. Program certification – which stands for Farmers Assuring Responsible Management” before proceeding with the interview. This will help your viewers feel connected and more inclined to listen to the rest of the conversation. By using industry terminology, routine practices may come across as harmful or abusive. For example, drenching, used to give cows needed fluids by oral injection, may have a different meaning to those unfamiliar with the process.

               The presentation team provided many video excerpts of interviews where interviewees held fast to their key message, used in depth industry lingo that more than confused the panel and took over two minutes to get to the point they were trying to convey. They provided excellent examples before we began the on-camera portion of the workshop.

               Each class member was then given the opportunity to be interviewed on camera. After each interview, the video was reviewed and discussed amongst the class. The first round was pretty rough, as none of the class members had any type of extensive media training. Ms. Jones, having a media background, was able to accurately portray a reporter who would pick pieces of statements and show how things could get out of hand. It can be great to take the opportunity to “lead” the interview. By answering questions in a specific way, the interview can change direction and help you convey your key message.

                For example: should your key message be: We do our utmost to ensure our animals are well cared for; and the question arises: Why are baby calves pulled from their mothers after birth and placed in little cages? The question might be answered in the following way: We do our utmost to ensure our animals are well cared for. Calves on our farm are removed from their mothers within hours of being born, and placed in a special nursery area. This allows us to provide individualized care for both the mother and the baby, by making sure that the baby gets proper nutrition and is in a clean, safe environment where she/he can be monitored during its first days. The mother is also placed under special care, for new mothers, to be sure she remains healthy and receives appropriate nutrition requirements. We do our utmost to ensure our animals are well cared for.

               By presenting the key message up front, highlighting the question and directly answering, without using acronyms or industry terminology, and again reinforcing the key message at the end, “tearing babies from their mothers” does not become an issue, rather the farmer’s priority of individualized attention and care becomes the focus.

                After the initial round of on camera interviews, the class was given a second chance in the spotlight and it was great to see how the topics we discussed following the first round of questions helped each member to improve in their response.

                Should you be asked to give a statement or interview, it is important to remember to ask the focus and deadline of the story, as well as ask for contact information. Immediately contact the CMAB and request a mini-media training review to help determine the key message for the story in question. The team is available and ready to help you prepare to be in the public spotlight.

Session 1 Synopsis

This first session was definitely a great kick-start to get the Dairy Leaders Program rolling this year.  I enjoyed getting to meet everyone as well as getting to learn more about the program and what it entails, in addition to getting to learn from the first few classes.

The first day was an excellent start to the program.  Dr. Neil Koenig gave a superb session on the basic roles of leadership, which got me focused on what the program is designed for right from the start.  In the evening we had a very nice dinner with guests Mr. and Mrs. John Vlahos.  John was very interesting to learn from as he had a very important part in sculpting the milk pooling system in place in California today. 

During the second day, we spent a majority of our time at the California Milk Advisory Board's office in San Francisco.  This was the media-training day.  We started out with Jennifer Giambroni, from CMAB, and also Jennifer Reinhard, by going over key strategies on how to talk to the media.  We focused on striving to tell the story we want to tell rather than what they are asking.  After reviewing and watching both good and bad interviews, we were up in front of the camera.  At the end of the day we went on a Sunset Bay Cruise with the group as well as our guests Mark Looker, and Mr. and Mrs. Dino Giacomazzi.

The third day was focused on marketing and the roles of both companies in the industry, as well as ourselves as producers.  Maureen Bligh came and talked about Dairy Council of California and all that they do promoting nutrition and milk as part of a healthy lifestyle, as well as educational events like the mobile classroom.  Then Kevin Vogt from Hilmar Ingredients came and talked to us about what they are doing to push not only cheese from the parent company, but to promote the value added products such as whey protein isolates.  From there, Mark Looker came and talked to us about marketing from a personal point of view and getting connected to the news we want right now.  Dino Giacomazzi finished off the point by explaining to us the different ways we communicate now and pointing out that we as an industry have lost touch with the common people and need to rekindle that through embracing current communication methods.  Finally Kris Costa from California Milk Advisory Board came and gave us an overview of CMAB's history and the role they play in marketing California cheese and milk products through advertising and other venues.

This session was very valuable to me, I feel I learned a great deal from it and came back encouraged with a new perspective on how important it is not to only take care of the dairy and be with the cows, but to get out there and be a voice for the industry as a whole.  A change that I would like to see made would be to have more time spent outside of the classroom in a more "lab" setting with the class. I thoroughly enjoyed the session, however, I would have to say that I really pulled a lot from Dr. Neil Koenig and Dino Giacomazzi.  I was challenged with a new perspective on my role as a producer in this industry, which I really enjoyed.  In conclusion, I am looking forward to the remainder of this class and am very excited to learn more and get to meet more people who share the same passion for dairy.