Context is key quite often when you are making presentations to the news media, you can say something from your own office or a press conference or speech and maybe nobody cares. But if you change the context slightly, all of a sudden, you get massive attention, a massive spotlight on your messages. Case in point several decades ago, I was a political consultant. I was doing media training and public speaking training, but also doing general consulting for political candidates. I was working with a candidate running for mayor. He was on the city council in Charlotte, North Carolina, my hometown.
And we found out that the next day, he was going to have an opponent announced he was also running for mayor. And I thought, well, this seems like a good opportunity. So we knew in advance for a day that this press conference was going to happen. So I simply went to the opponent's press conference. Now, I was polite. I was well dressed.
I wasn't gelling. I wasn't disruptive. I didn't have Placards, banners, that wasn't my style. But after the candidate announced he was running, I then just walked up to all the TV reporters and said I was a spokesperson for the other candidate had a few words to say. And I said what was good about my candidate and what we thought were the flaws of this announced candidate. Before you know it.
I was surrounded by TV cameras, and reporters. I got as much media attention as the candidate who announced he was running against my candidate that the opposition campaign was furious. They yelled at me. Too bad. I didn't lie. I didn't resort to demagoguery.
I didn't cheat. And my view I certainly didn't do anything unethical and it generated Tremendous amount of coverage for my particular candidate. And I can't it was happy, I was happy. So sometimes when you're looking for a way of putting a spotlight on the messages you want to present, you have to look for the right context. The media absolutely loves conflicts if they see that you are in contrast to another set of ideas. It increases the odds you'll get a lot of attention.
But you have to be willing to feel a little awkward. I did feel a little awkward, a little rude, but it was highly successful.