Communications Training 101: Insightful, entertaining and admittedly introductory, this video features two veteran trainers, Marco Greenberg and Richard Laermer, giving everyone an inside look at the often secret world of communications training.

Video Transcription

Marco: For skeptics out there, communications training is all about staying on message, we think it is a lot deeper than that. It is determine the feel they can be described and defined in a narrative ways and we are going to get in to some of those. But in its core, it really answers an embarrassingly simple question, what do you want to say and how do you want to say it? (Music playing) Did you ever notice that CEO’s and politicians when they are being interviewed on camera are confident, clear and rarely taken by surprise? They are using communications training techniques that should be available to everyone because everyone can use them and everyone can benefit from them. Richard: Do not make it such a mystery. Marco: And it is more than just the key messages right? I mean key messages are important, we should think in advance. Richard: We have that key master. Marco: Right, you got to come to this engagement prepared, three or four key points that are brief to think and hopefully quotable to deliver to your key audience. Richard: Remember, the tension is back, nobody is thinking past a few things. They cannot take it in and of course they have to hear repeated over and over again otherwise they are not going to get it but you are right, there is more to it. Every story tells a picture right? How to brave people, the first thing we are talking into it with the story; a long story because nobody has time for that. Marco: You need analogies, anecdotes, facts, figure, numbers, examples, illustrations and killer quotes. Richard: But the stories where; you know at the end of it; that have been yet actually illustrate what you are talking about and that is it. Marco: You like dessert, do you not? Richard: I love it. Marco: Talk about dessert. Richard: Well dessert—do not do in interview situation, 90% of the time somebody has already set up that person that you are speaking to with all of the background, so you are really just the dessert. You come in there and you give some great quotes. The person you are talking to will be thrilled because he do not have that one thing that is not just a bunch of facts. Because you know, how many people said to you, “I cannot believe I sit an hour and a half with that reporter” and I was not even in the story. And the point is they are learning the story because they talk too much and at the end of the day, literally 6 o’clock first looking all these notes going, “How am I going to transcribe this?” Marco: Alright, and it comes down to you got to give good quote. Richard: You got to get good quote. Marco: You got to get good quote. Richard: What I get annoyed about and quite publicly is when people come in and they start talking about things that have nothing to do with the message. Even the weather; because what happens then is you get into a scenario where you are wasting everybody’s time. When you are in an interview, you are not suppose to be thinking you rare in there for the long hall and you are not suppose to paste yourself. You are supposed to get in there and do it, get it done. Get in and get out, similar like sex. Get in there, be a professional, damn it. Marco: And you got to be a passionate, you are a passionate professional right? You got to have the passion, you got to have the fire in the valley, you got to have the excitement if you are going to make other people excited. Richard: Well you have to be passionate but you cannot be phony but you also have to stay on target so we use bride, bridging is everything. Bridging, when you have somebody ask you something and you accept and acknowledge that they have asked you and then you mean to be moving for something for something else. If somebody asked you something or says something to you that is you know not of the moment. This has nothing to do of what you are talking about. Marco: And you do not want to talk about. Richard: I do not feel like talking about that, I just do not for whatever reason, when you take that moment and you bridge into something else you say, “Yes, it should. What I really want to talk about is…” Marco: Love it. And people at home can do it right? Could it be as simple as just sticking a word like but, and, a, or and you use that connect what is said and be at your best. And it takes conversation where you want to go right? We should also talk about anticipating questions. Think a little bit of a mind reader, clairvoyant, you know that I am more psychic than you are. Richard: You are; what do you say? Marco: You need to be a mind reader and practice anticipation. Before going to your room you have to know what that blogger or what that journalist or what that interest authority wants to ask you and more over, how are you going to respond. Richard: More questions stupid. Marco: Does not work? Richard: No. Marco: Comes out to buy you nutrition does it not? Richard: Well look at politicians. Every time a politician avoids something that is a problem, it becomes a bigger problem but when they come on out and they say, “Yes, I was having an affair with my press secretary”. People will go alright, whatever. It is like the air went out of the balloon. Marco: Basically, what you are saying is you did not provide communications train the senior center from that out? Richard: No, I did not and I really wanted to but I was laughing too hard while I was going “hahahahaha!”