Home
>
Public Relations
>
Media Training: How to Tell a More Interesting Story

Media Training: How to Tell a More Interesting Story

PRESIDENT BUSH TELLS A STORY

On March 18, 2005, President Bush stood before a group of Florida voters to tout his social security plan. He did something quite ordinary during his speech. He acknowledged a person in the audience and told her story.

President Bush told the crowd he had recently spoken with a local resident named Anna Brooks, a widowed grandmother, who would benefit from the type of social security personal account he was proposing.

We've all become accustomed to politicians pointing to people in the crowd and telling their stories, but why do they do it?

WHAT THE PRESIDENT UNDERSTANDS

Pay close attention to a key phrase used in the Anna Brooks anecdote ? "social security personal account." What do you picture when you hear that phrase?

Odds are, probably not much. It's an abstract concept that's tough to visualize and get passionate about.

What President Bush understands ? as do most working politicians ? is that abstract concepts have to be brought to life through real people. The story he told about Anna Brooks was about a woman suffering to make ends meet because her husband died at a young age. If only there were social security personal accounts, Mr. Bush argued, her financial suffering could be alleviated.

As he told that story, people in the audience nodded their heads in agreement. Yes, they all seemed to think, Ms. Brooks' burden should be lifted, and, well, if personal accounts would help, they seemed like a terrific idea.

Imagine instead if the President made a more academic case filled with statistics and data. Do you think he would have elicited the same emotional reaction from the crowd? Would they have nodded their heads with the same enthusiasm?

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU

Journalists are storytellers by trade and need drama to bring a story to life. Abstract concepts ? be they social security personal accounts, medical liability reform or climate change ? need to be brought to life through an anecdote.

Instead of just talking about the scientific effects of climate change on our biosphere, talk about the South Pacific fisherman who can no longer feed his family because the fish catch has declined due to global warming.

Instead of talking about medical liability reform, talk about the pregnant woman who has to cross state lines to meet with an obstetrician since her local doctors have all stopped delivering children due to high malpractice premiums.

And instead of talking about social security personal accounts, talk about a Florida widow who would benefit from them.

By doing so, the public not only understands what you're saying, but begins to empathize with a specific person. That empathy means they care ? and the more you make people care about your issue, the more they are willing to agree with your point of view.

AN ADDED BENEFIT

By offering anecdotes to journalists while being interviewed, you can help turn your Page 16 blurb into a front page feature article.

Abstract stories about process ? if covered at all ? are usually relegated to small blurbs on the inside pages. But by taking an abstract story and bringing it to life through real people, journalists can find those people, interview them and get a better sense of how they are personally impacted by your issue.

Suddenly, the reporter has a way of telling your story in a way that his or her audience is more likely to care about. Instead of telling a story about social security personal accounts in the abstract, the reporter can tell a story about social security personal accounts in which a specific person is genuinely affected. And that, paired with a photograph of the woman with her grandkids ? is front page material.

Brad Phillips is the founder and president of Phillips Media Relations. He was formerly a journalist for ABC News and CNN, and headed the media relations department for the second largest environmental group in the world.

For more information and to sign up for free monthly media relations and media training e-tips, visit http://www.phillipsmediarelations.com

recurring cleaning service Mundelein ..

In The News:

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.

New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.

OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.

Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.

New Android malware NGate steals NFC payment codes in real-time, allowing criminals to withdraw cash from ATMs without your card. Learn protection tips.

DoorDash confirms data breach exposing customer names, emails, addresses after social engineering attack. Learn how to protect yourself from scams.

Media Training: How to Tell a More Interesting Story

Public Relations