It’s prime time for politics, what with Democratic presidential primaries, the national conventions this summer, and the fall race for the White House. Which puts media coaches in high demand — born-again reporters and others who train candidates in the tricks of the trade, how to turn interviews into message platforms. Media-savvy coaches have Web sites all over the Internet.
After reading an article on how everyone from politicians to athletes to executives has been schooled in the art of dancing around questions, it struck me that safety and health pros should be privy to this training, too. But instead of fencing with reporters, which safety and health pros rarely do, substitute encounters with hostile plant managers, exacting VPs, struggling owners, bottom-line accountants and heat-seeking attorneys. Instead of learning how to survive an interview, the focus would be on making your points, or at least surviving, through budget meetings, cross-examinations, and debriefings.