Australian comedy show lays bare everything wrong with media training

My staff sheepishly forwarded me this video clip from the ABC-TV series "Utopia", but I wasn't offended at all.

In fact, this clip highlights many things that are wrong with the traditional way of media training:

1. A bland message.

Too many spokespeople still think they need to sound like an advertisement. Yet this clip makes clear why this doesn't work. Your spokespeople wouldn't click on a news story with the headline "Building for the Future". So why pick a similar message for your interview.

2. Plastic smiles.

The insincerity of perpetual positivity leaching from this clip shows why the old 1990s approach to media training doesn't work.

3. Cliché bridging techniques..

The old "I can't tell you that, but what I can tell you is..." or "The real question we should be asking is..." are so old it's cringeworthy. Tier 1 journalists don't buy it. Contemporary audiences don't buy it. So don't use it.

There is no reason a media appearance should lack credibility and authenticity, while retaining its focus on messages.