Coaching Success

The Rangers have a new coach. He’s a cheerful man who wears enthusiasm like his team’s colors. He smiles and welcomes each player with praise as they run onto the field. “Hey, Johnny! You made it. Good for you!” Each practice begins the same way, with him on one knee looking into the eyes of his young team. He ties shoes and straightens ball caps while giving clear direction. “Here’s how we’re going to become better ballplayers today.” He explains the drills they will run and why each is important. A haystack of hands gives way to a, “Go Rangers!” cheer before they run to their positions.

As far as my five year old son knows, this is how every coach coaches. His red and white t-ball uniform will be a boxed up memory by the time he discovers not every coach wears a ball cap. The best coach I ever had didn’t teach me how to improve my batting, or my backhand. Instead he helped me harness my enthusiasm for my work and channel my energy into being a better teammate and person. I improved my ability to draw up project outlines, realized the importance of staying laser-focused on target audience groups, and got better with each communication plan. I gained enough confidence under his tutelage to start my own business. We never had a company cheer, and he never blew a whistle, but it was obvious he viewed his role as a head coach. 

In the after school practices held in my backyard, I don’t give my son pointers on his swing, or tell him how to throw with more accuracy. I have no idea how to improve either. What I learned from my coach can’t be listed as a statistic on a baseball card.

One warm afternoon just before it was time to go inside for dinner, I watched my son line up to swing at a ball resting on the tee. I noticed his lips move just before he brought the bat around his shoulders. The ball dropped not far from the chalk outline of home plate because he hit the tee rather than his target. Again, he appeared to be mouthing something under his breath just before his second swing. Another miss. The third time he closed his eyes tightly. He pursed his lips and moved them again with more intensity. I wondered.

A favorite song running through his head?

A quiet prayer?

Harsh criticism of his own performance?

I clapped my hands and offered encouragement. “It’s alright. Good effort. You’ll do it this time.” His final swing sent the orb soaring into the trees. He watched with pride before remembering to pump his legs around the bases. We slapped high-fives and celebrated his home run. Breathless he said, “Mommy, I believed in myself and I did it! I said, ‘You can do it,’ and I did it!”

A home run indeed.

Five Tips for Getting More Interviews

My clients don’t want a single interview with a reporter; they want several interviews. Getting them on the ten o’clock news once means they’ll get calls from family, friends and clients who saw the story. They'll have the opportunity to post a link to the story on their website, in their newsletter and on their Facebook page.

But making the airwaves multiple times allows clients to establish credibility as an expert, and will strengthen their relationships with their peers and customers.

Here are five ways I work to get clients more press coverage:

1. Plan ahead. I outline a list of story ideas at least six months ahead of time with the understanding that the plan might change due to trends or breaking news.

2. Media training.  Reporters are interested in speaking to people who provide succinct and interesting sound bites. I work with clients to develop talking points that will resonate with a news outlet’s audience group.

3. Plant the seed. When the journalist arrives for the first interview, I’ll mention my next story idea before the meeting ends.

4. Monitor industry trends and current affairs. It is called news for a reason. Journalists want someone who can provide context around an issue that is happening now.  

5. Leverage coverage. A national news outlet wants to know that the person I’m pitching is a good interview, has something relevant to say and is credible. Providing them a list of other media outlets who have covered them makes them of greater interest.


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