Talking to the media often becomes part of the job description for subject matter experts (SMEs) who can discuss an organization's research or new products. Media training can prepare SMEs for media interviews by helping them identify major points to discuss and showing them how to present that information to the reporter. Prior research in professional communication supports the need for media training for scientific or engineering SMEs based on the public's increased interest in these areas. As part of this media training tutorial, I introduce eight guidelines based on my own experience as a public relations counselor and on research conducted in an organizational setting with SMEs in health information technology.

This book outlines what public relations professionals think it means to do the right thing and what they truly must do to advance their careers. The authors talked with almost 200 "diverse professionals" and received survey responses from more than 1,000 others. The 11 chapters if the book not only present the authors' research, but also they provide background on the public relations profession. The book provides extensive information in an organized manner and includes relevant data charts throughout the book to call out highlights of the research. Those who manage public relations or communications activities will find this book relevant to the work they do.