Success Stories
A CEO Gets Media Savvy by Changing His Complex Technical Jargon into Catchy, Powerful Talking Points
The CEO of an up-and-coming biotechnology company needed some training - and fast. His company was suddenly a "hot ticket" - Wall Street was all over the stock. They'd just formed an alliance with a Japanese company to market their drugs all over Asia. And the media was calling.
The CEO needed to be prepared to appear on a fast-paced business show where he was to be interviewed by a panel of hosts. His appearance on the show was only scheduled for five minutes. They were ecstatic that the media wanted to highlight their products. They had one big problem, though. The CEO hadn't spoken to the media much before. He was an expert in the science behind the drugs but had trouble describing them in layman's terms. The company's drugs were also more complex than many - the names were hard to pronounce and not "catchy" enough to stick in viewers' minds. The drugs were fascinating and sure to benefit many people, but describing how they work and the details about the complex science behind them was sure to take a while.
It was clear that the CEO needed to work on his messages, to make them as clear and concise as possible. Our consultant helped him understand some of the basic "rules" of speaking with the media. She showed the CEO techniques for understanding what reporters want, and tips for appearing professional and calm on-air. Together, they worked on talking points about each of the drugs and developed simple but scientifically accurate descriptions of them he could use on-air. She videotaped him over and over again, and gave him feedback until they both felt his messages were clear and concise.
When the time came, the CEO aced the interview. The company got kudos from investors and stakeholders, and more media outlets came calling. The CEO's ability to take complex scientific information and condense it into simple but exciting information made his company and its products stand out from competitors.
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