Marketing  and Media Training:  San Francisco, April 24-26, 2006

 

Dairy Leaders kick off Class V with media, marketing sessions

 

The nine members of the California Dairy Leaders program kicked off Class V April 24, 2006 with a three-day immersion in media training and marketing at sessions held in South San Francisco at the offices of the California Milk Advisory Board. Learning how to deal with the media is a key component of the leadership training program. Participants get a real-life taste of light under the TV lights as they are grilled by a reporter, in this case Janet Greenlee of the Dairy Issues Forum, and get to review the not-always-flattering results on tape. Leaders learn how to anticipate questions, how to formulate responses that lend themselves to the “sound-bite” mentality of reporters and “stay on message” with key talking points about the dairy industry.  

The CMAB’s extensive promotional efforts and research program were outlined by the CMAB’s Vice President of Communications Nancy Fletcher. Best known for its “Happy Cows” and “Real California Cheese” TV advertising campaigns, the CMAB is funded by the state's more than 2,000 dairy families and executes generic advertising, publicity, retail and foodservice promotions and research programs on behalf of California dairy products.  Here are the leader's recollections of those sessions:

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Day 1 – Leadership

 

By Dave Barroso
 

On April 24, 2006, class V of the Western United Dairymen California Dairy Leaders Program met in South San Francisco at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel. The session began at 1:30 P.M. in a hotel conference room. The activities included program orientation, leadership activities, a presentation by Dr. Neil Koenig and a San Francisco Giants baseball game. All of class V was there along with Michael Marsh and Tiffany LaMendola.
 

The session began as Michael Marsh introduced himself and Tiffany LaMendola, the director of economic analysis for Western United Dairymen; we then introduced ourselves to each other. The program was explained to us and we were told what would be expected of the class. A draft of the different sessions throughout the year was given to us. We were then informed of and assigned responsibility for the journals and synopses that would be due at the end of each session.
 

Dr. Neil Koenig of Fresno arrived, and it was my duty to introduce him to the rest of the class. I had an opportunity to interview Dr. Koenig prior to introducing him. Dr. Koenig has a PhD in psychology, and is a practicing clinical psychologist specializing in family business. Dr. Koenig is from a Wisconsin dairy farm family. He has been in business for twenty years working with family businesses, helping them solve disputes and helping the business transition between generations. Dr. Koenig has also authored a book entitled, “You Can’t Fire Me, I Am Your Father”. After a short presentation Dr Koenig had us split into three small groups and we discussed goals that we have set for our farms. We then had to come up with five business-oriented and industry-oriented steps to achieving these goals. Each group then had to present their steps to the entire class and we discussed the steps after each presentation. Dr. Koenig wrapped up his presentation and told us what it took to be a good leader, emphasizing the point that a good leader earns the respect of his followers. Dr. Koenig is an excellent presenter and gave us lots of useful information on what it takes to become a good leader.

Dr. Neil Koenig, third from left, discusses the importance of resolving disputes and helping a business transition between generations

 

After Dr. Koenig was finished with his presentation the session ended and we were allowed to return to our rooms and get changed for the baseball game. We arrived at AT&T Park for a game between the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. The game was a lot of fun and it was our first relaxed social function that gave us a chance to get to know each other. It was a low scoring game that the Giants won. After the game we returned to the hotel and spent time in the lobby socializing before returning to our rooms.

We found out what was required of us to graduate at the annual convention. Our first session was very informative and interesting with Dr. Koenig’s presentation. We learned what it takes to be a good leader and we evaluated our own leadership skills. I would have liked to spend more time with Dr. Koenig, because I felt he had a lot to offer us in leadership training, and we all could have benefited by a presentation on generational transitions and family business. The first session was fun and made us look forward to the next session.

 

Day 2 – Media Training

 

By Jonathon DeGroot

 

Media training day was a very educational and pressure filled day. The group started with breakfast at the hotel, and then carpooled over to the California Milk Advisory Board offices. We were led into a comfortable board room setting, and we began with introductions. Janet Greenlee and her assistant Jolene were our trainers for the day. Going around the room, they asked us to share our names, and give a brief description of our farming operation so they would have a good idea of what they were dealing with.
 

After introductions, Janet dove right into her presentation. She was very interesting and educational. She started by teaching us how to handle an interview, by educating us on the media environment, and what journalists look for in a story. She helped us realize that the media may only use short clips of what you say, so we should pick our words carefully. Janet also taught us specifics such as confidence, control, and credibility. Janet had in the past worked for the media and was very familiar with the art of interviewing. Several of the class members asked many insightful questions. She closed by training us on using the right words, staying on point, and having the right attitude. Then we had a short break before all the fun started.

After the break, the interviews started, we broke into two groups; my group stayed with Janet. We were a little nervous, but Josh Zonneveld said he was not afraid at all, so Janet made him go first. The interviews were a little rocky. None of us had any media training, and Janet figured this out real quick, hitting us with the toughest questions she could, backing us into corners, and leaving us speechless. It did not help having a news camera with a bright light shining in our faces. She interviewed us on subjects such as food safety, animal welfare, and environmental issues, hitting several sub-points such as factory farming, antibiotics in milk, organic versus non organic, soy beverages, and downer cows. After each interview, were popped the tapes into the VCR and got to watch ourselves, while Janet critiqued our every word and action. We found that body language had a lot to do with the success of the interview. We were able to learn so much by watching everyone else’s interviews, so by the time my turned rolled around, I felt very confident. I had taken notes and prepared points. Janet gave me the topic of food safety. I may have felt really ready, but I obviously was not. Taking a lunch break helped us all calm down a bit after a fun, yet stressful, morning.
 

After a great lunch we got right back to work. Our groups were presented with an interview topic and then given time to discuss it. We then would choose two team members to get interviewed on the subject. The first group scenario was that antibiotics had gotten into a load of milk, and a woman was very sick. Larry Pietrowski and Vance Ahlem were interviewed and did an excellent job. They both stayed on point, and stayed calm. We then watched their videos and critiqued them. Our group was next. Our scenario was this: PETA was staging a rally at Save-Mart, calling for a ban on all dairy products, and the interviewer wanted the dairymen’s response. Mark Plantenga and I were interviewed. Like the first group, we both did much better in our second interviews. After critiquing, our tapes were handed to us. Janet wanted us to take them and watch them, and to continue to learn from them.
 

We finished the day talking about things such as staying on point, not loosing your cool, and always being positive. Janet taught us about lures and traps that the interviewer can lead us into. We learned how to “block and bridge” and to use the agreement/transition method, as well. This pretty much wrapped up our day of learning, and then it was time to have some fun.
 

We stopped off at the hotel to powder our noses, and then hopped a couple cabs to downtown San Francisco. We enjoyed an amazing Italian dinner at Restaurant Gondola. John Vlahos, a lawyer who has worked extensively for the dairy industry and Western United Dairymen throughout his long career, joined us for dinner, along with his lovely wife. John spoke with the group about the Hillside/Ponderosa case and how it has affected us as dairymen. After dinner, the whole group, including John, walked up the street to Pearls to relax and listen to a little concert.
 

As if we hadn’t already had enough, the group hiked through the city, up an elevator, and then we found ourselves socializing in the Starlight Room, which overlooks most of San Francisco. There was plenty of talking, music, dancing, and possibly a few beverages involved. After a long night, we trekked back to the hotel to get some shuteye for the next day.

Attorney John Vlahos outlines the ramifications of the Hillside-Ponderosa case to Dairy Leaders during dinner at Restaurant Gondola in San Francisco.
 

Media training day was awesome. I did not know I could learn so much in one day. After all the stress and work, we all definitely feel as if we are much better prepared in the event we are asked to give an interview. The media is actually a great medium for dairymen to use to spread the good news about our industry. And by giving the media the right information, and in the right manner, they can better portray us to the American people.