Executives May Need ‘Media Training’

“I thought visitors would be culturally mature.”

Lotte Group went through a bigger ordeal from an executive’s slip of the tongue after dozens of people were injured in a stampede in its Lotte World Amusement Park. Tens of thousand of people flocked for free admission event to the theme park in Jamsil last month.

The inconsiderate remarks by the group’s high-ranking official added insult to injury, and citizens filed countless complaints with the group. It could be fatal to a company already in crisis if executives including the CEO put their foot in their mouths. However, they can avoid making such mistakes if they were given “media training.” Many corporations are showing interests in this area.

Know the Media to be a Strong Executive-

“You should respond to crises within 24 hours and keep customers posted on a regular basis. Covering up what happened only exacerbates the situation. Never say ‘no comment,’ but instead show your efforts to resolve problems.”

About 100 new employees of a SK Group affiliate were given lectures on “Understanding the media” at the SK Academy Training Institute in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province on February 22. This was the first time that the company ran the “media training program.”

Kwon Oh-yong, the group’s executive, handed out guidebooks entitled “Media Response Guide,” and spelled out the working system of newspaper and broadcasting companies, how to speak with journalists, and case-specific response measures against crises. Kwon said, “You should know the media and learn ways to deliver messages precisely if you want to be a great CEO.”

LG Group also invited an external expert and ran a similar education program at a boardroom seminar last month. The company executives have frequent meetings with public relations consultants or incumbent journalists to broaden their horizon of understanding the media.

Hanwha Group launched a program called “Understanding of changes in the media environment” for its new executives in Jeju Island last year. The lecturer was Kang Gi-soo, a manger of the conglomerate. He said that program participants learned how to correct trifle mistakes and pose for cameras, and practiced what they had learned in mock interviews.

The International Management Institute of the Federation of Korean Industries also has an annual 13-week program, “Global Chief Compliance Officer School,” for executives at the managerial level and higher.

CEOs at Global Corporations Lead by Examples-

According to Edelman Public Relations, 90 percent of CEOs at the U.S. top 100 enterprises receive media training program periodically.

In Korea, mostly foreign companies’ CEOs or executives participated in similar programs.

Director Song Eun-joo of Media Training Worldwide Korea said, “CEOs’ media training has been on the rise since last year. Inquiries for this education increased by 30 percent, especially after allegations that Hyundai-Kia Motors stashed an illegal slush fund.”

President Kim Ho of Edelman Korea said, “CEOs from the world’s leading companies such as Bill Gates or Jack Welch address the public and media in both good and bad times. A CEO should not only do good work but also resolve problems properly in times of crises.”

Multinational Johnson and Johnson’s response to public suspicions of poison materials in its products in 1982 is cited as an exemplary case of overcoming crises. The company’s CEO offered a brief in person after seven Chicagoans died after taking J & J painkillers. A media center was established to provide reporters with exact information every day. The firm also recalled its products nationwide costing 240 billion won.

The truth was revealed soon later. As it turned out, a mental patient injected poisonous materials in the painkillers. J & J earned customers’ confidence.

Sang-Soo Kim ssoo@donga.com