Brad Phillips is president of Phillips Media Relations, a media and presentation training firm based in New York City. With its focus on ethical media training and messaging, the firm has helped thousands of corporate executives, nonprofit leaders, government officials, scientists, book authors, and others prepare for media interviews. Clients include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Air Force, Hilton Hotels and Resorts, The Smithsonian Institute, Angie’s List, and the National Weather Service, among others.

Phillips writes the Mr. Media Training Blog, the world’s most-visited media training website, which offers daily tips to help spokespeople improve their media appearances and public presentations. He is a weekly contributor to Politico’s “The Arena,” and a frequent contributor to Ragan’s PR Daily. Phillips previously worked as an on-air radio announcer and as a journalist with ABC’s Nightline with Ted Koppel and CNN’s Reliable Sources and The Capital Gang.

Join Coach Mike as he interviews Brad Phillips author of The Media Training Bible101 and president of Phillips Media Relations, a media and presentation training firm based in New York City

“Positive media stories can inspire legions of people to buy your products, support your ideas, and vote for your preferred candidate. They can help you build your business, grow your name recognition, and enhance your reputation,” asserts Brad Phillips, the communication expert known as Mr. Media Training.

In his new book THE MEDIA TRAINING BIBLE 101 Things You Absolutely, Positively Need to Know Before Your Next Interview (SpeakGood Press, January 2013), Phillips helps executives, business leaders, and spokespeople for all types of organizations master the art of the interview, so that they can deliver their messages with passion, authenticity, and credibility.

“This book will prepare you for today’s media culture, in which a tweet can become newsworthy and a news interview can become tweet-worthy,” says Phillips.

“Most media interview mistakes are preventable,” he continues. “Too often, I see spokespersons who offer tentative replies instead of powerful messages, appear defensive instead of self-assured, deliver monotone responses instead of infusing their quotes with the passion they genuinely feel, and commit the deadly ‘seven-second stray’ that takes them far away from their intended message.”

The good news is that anyone can learn to deliver his or her message effectively. THE MEDIA TRAINING BIBLE makes it easy with 101 step-by-step lessons, enhanced by dozens of brief, real-life case studies and exercises.

Phillips arms readers with everything they need to ace even the toughest interviews. He uses simple acronyms such as “CUBE A” to help people craft messages that are Consistent, Unburdened, Brief, Ear-Worthy, and Audience-Focused. He explains such counter-intuitive ideas as why interviewees should not try to “educate” reporters by giving them too much background information; call them by their first names; or be satisfied that they’ve returned journalists’ calls by their deadlines instead of responding as soon as possible.

Fast-paced and easy-to-understand and apply, THE MEDIA TRAINING BIBLE describes the ground rules for working with journalists from traditional media outlets – television, radio, newspapers and magazines – as well as reporters for websites and blogs. Readers also learn how to:

* Enhance their messages with compelling stories, statistics, and sound bites,

* Bridge back to their messages after answering a reporter’s question,

* Benefit from non-verbal communication,

* Look good on television and web interviews,

* Respond to even the toughest questions with (relative) ease,

* Avoid the common pitfalls that doom interviews,

* Prepare for and handle a media crisis,

* Choose the best spokesperson to represent a business, cause, or organization.

THE MEDIA TRAINING BIBLE goes beyond any other book on the subject, packed with solid advice to help readers avoid the costly mistakes that have gotten so many unwary business people, celebrities, and politicians into trouble. As Joan Stewart, publisher of The Publicity Hound, says, “Don’t pitch stories and don’t accept requests for media interviews until you read this book.” THE MEDIA TRAINING BIBLE is the most up-to-date, insightful, and easy-to-use guide available today.