Book Review: When the Headline is You

It's December, and I'm doing my monthly book review early before the holiday busyness sets in. This month's winner is Jeff Ansell's When the Headline is You, with Jeffrey Leeson. If you deal with the media at all, or work with those who do, this book is a must-read primer.

Ansell's book is loaded with practical exercises and formulas for getting it right. This book is more than just thought leadership, it can be a guide for an effective media strategy for a one-man shop or a large corporation. Ansell is a media and crisis communications consultant who works with many high profile corporations and and spent many years in the media before changing careers. I think he found the right one. It's worth getting the book just to read the story about what made him switch from reporter to media trainer.

The book outlines a pattern for devising effective interaction with the media from a personal interview to a full-blown crisis. I like his step-by-step process for creating an effective message, even though his "Value Compass" idea is a little clunky. I think a savvy communications person can work through that piece, which is the starting point of the messaging system.

Navigating the media is a scary proposition for a lot of people and this book will be a great help to getting a grasp on the confidence needed to deal with the media. It's detailed and even includes a set of exercises to run though to be a more effective public speaker that I think are very helpful. I recently used them with an executive coaching client to help him prepare for a public forum.

Whether you're writing press releases or meeting the media face-to-face, this book will be helpful. The messaging system is understandable and easy-to-use. It's an unfortunate reality that the best way to deal with a crisis is to prepare for one that may never happen. But the reality is, a good communicator is prepared for unfortunate realities. If you are a communications associate or want to be one, read it! And then, let me know what you think.