"Media and Social Media Training for Student-Athletes" presentation from the 2013 CoSIDA Convention. Panelists: Scottie Rodgers (moderator, Ivy League), Tom Eiser (Xavier), Dr. John Lata (Florida State), Chris Yandle (Miami).
2. Tom Eiser, Associate AD/Communications
Xavier University
eiser@xavier.edu
513-745-3124
@Eiser_XU_Sports
3. WHY IN-HOUSE?
ï Benefits:
- Direct contact with all
student-athletes
- Cost savings and able
to do all sports
ï Challenge:
- Time to customize
ï Must be on-going, not
one and done
4. INTERVIEW BASICS
ï All interviews set up
through Tom Eiser
ï If you canât be on time, be early.
ï Be courteous and say thank you.
ï Some Quick Tips
ï No Gum
ï Water Only
ï Appropriate Attire (incl. gear,
with no hats, headphones, etc.)
ï Body Language
(standing or sitting)
ï Who do I look at?
ï Hand Gestures
5. ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT
ï Show team specific
student-athlete
examples â feedback
ï Practice the most
used interview types:
- stand up (alone and
with interviewer)
- press conference
- involve the students
on both sides of the
process
8. BRING YOUR GAME ENERGY
ï ENERGYâŠ.USE
ENERGY IN YOUR
ANSWERS!
ï HAVE FUN!
9. LOOK ME IN THE EYES
ï SLOW DOWNâŠMake
eye contact, shake
the interviewerâs hand
and take time to
introduce yourself.
Also take time to think
of your answer. Try to
use the interviewerâs
name.
ï Remember to say
thank you
10. YOUR TEAMâŠYOUR MESSAGE
ï KNOW YOUR
AUDIENCEâŠKNOW
YOUR MESSAGE:
FOCUS ON XAVIER
ï TALK ABOUT TEAMMATES AND BY NAME:
Someone asks about your game-winning shot:
âThat pass from Dee Davis set me up
perfectly.â
11. BE POSITIVE
ï ACCEPT VICTORY AND
DEFEAT WITH CLASSâŠBE
POSITIVE! NO SARCASM
ï YOU ARE THE EXPERT: The
interviewer is asking you
questions about you, your
team, your sport, etc.
ï Answer the question your way.
DONâT REPEAT NEGATIVES!
12. MAKE IT PERSONAL-ITY
ï PERSONALITY
AND
ANECDOTES: Tell
stories. What do
you find interesting
when you see an
interview on TV or
the internet? Donât
be afraid to show
personality.
ï USE COMMON
SENSE â subject
matter, language
13. FILLER WORDS ARE NOT NECESSARY
ï AVOID SOME OF
THE MOST
COMMON
âSPACE
FILLERSâ AS
NATURAL
PAUSES:
ï - Um
ï - Like
ï - WellâŠ
ï - I mean
ï - You know
ï - Basically
14. CHOOSE YOUR WORDS WISELY
ï Any curse words
ï Any racially-offensive words
ï âCome lay with meâ
ï Ainât
ï Yu, bra & text abbreviations
Former college football player
describing his kick-off return for
a touchdown:
âThat was just instinct. Kind of
like running from the cops.â
15. PRACTICE MAKE PERFECTâŠSO DOES ONGOING FEEDBACK
ï FOR THE STUDENT-
ATHLETE:
Practice, practice,
practice.
ï FOR THE
COMMUNICATIONS
STAFF: Continuous
feedback
16. SOCIAL MEDIA
ï We started our social media session
with video: Social Media Revolution
Social Media Policy
Xavier Athletics Social Media Policy:
- if you donât have one itâs time to write one
17. TWITTER â THE GOOD
ï âThanks everybody for your thoughts and prayers, mom just got
out of surgery and is in recovery! #GODISGOODâ â @jmart202
ï âFinishing this paper for class⊠#collegelifeâ - @semaj2332
ï âSupporting my girls on the Xavier Volleyball Team!â (Tweeted
with Photo) - @JamesFarr30
ï ââ@jeremygrowe:.@B_RadXU12 looked like a young steve
prefontaine out three w/ a 4:53 mile this morningâ haha got it
done!!â - @B_RadXU12
ï Told my Moms she can have the Cap .. And my Grandma the
Gown..I been thinking bout this Motherâs Day gift for 4 years
..Happy Mothers Day..â @TakeoffTrav
18. PRO STARS YOU FOLLOW â GOOD AND BAD
ï With training camp open, Iâm working hard and my knee feels
great. Looking forward to the new season! Go, Heat!
@DwyaneWade
ï Congrats to our Women's bball team, winning gold 5 times in a
row!! Wow!! @KDTrey5
ï Happy Birthday to the realest, most humble and God-fearing
man that I've ever known...my DAD!!! Love You! @CP3
ï âCan someone please tell these fucking zebras foot locker called
and theyâre needed Back at work !!! #BreakingPointâ -
@BrandonSpikes55
19. TWITTER â THE BAD
ï âRT @muskifan10: party in 2E #XavierNation @JalenReynolds
@semaj2332 @jamesfarr30â
ï Keep my homeboys out da streets..keep my bad hoes on a leash!
When I die burry me in a kneck full of rosaryâs ..â â Retweet
ï âThat shit is wackin like some dumb shit #preachâ
ï âItâs almost my nigga @Big_Rob21 bdayâ â Retweeted from (âą)(âą)
@BoobieFRESH
ï âHow the eff has the chinese trampoline guy not thrown up his
fried rice doing all those flips in a row #10minutesâ â Academic All-
Star Student Athlete (posted during the Olympics)
22. YEAR-LONG EDUCATION
ï No one-and-done approach
ï Regular follow-up: positive and
constructive criticism for all media,
including interviews and social media
ï Coaches donât stop practicing and
giving feedback in the pre-season;
your pre-season session is exactly
the sameâŠa great starting point
24. FSUâS APPROACH TO SOCIAL MEDIA
ï First FSU policy adopted
in Summer 2006
ï Revised annually
ï Last revision released:
Summer, 2012
ï Reviewed by university
general counsel
ï All SAâs sign agreement
ï Department philosophy:
ï Educational
ï Fun
ï Not punitive in nature
2013 CoSIDA Convention: Media & Social Media Training for Student-Athletes
25. HAZING TIE-IN
ï Opportunity to touch
on other hot topics
ï Many hazing
situations were
discovered through
social-media
downloads
ï Annual squad
meetings
26. SQUAD MEETINGS
ï Coordinated by our Compliance Office
ï Fall sports: held the day before practice starts
ï Mandatory for all teams and student-athletes
ï Attendance:
ï All coaching staff
ï All student athletes (if they do not attend, they can not
practice)
ï Agenda:
ï Signing paperwork to be able to compete, but now all are
signed online, and we just use this meeting to emphasize
certain issues within the student-athlete community
ï Social media portion held in the middle, as a break between
compliance and academics (typically 15 minutes: 5 minutes on
hazing, 10 minutes on social media)
2013 CoSIDA Convention: Media & Social Media Training for Student-Athletes
27. WHY DO THEY USE SOCIAL MEDIA?
ï Fun
ï Connections â family and friends
ï How many friends is too many?
ï How many pictures are too many?!?
28. APPROPRIATENESS
ï Of discussions
ï Tweeting issues
ï Instagram/new platforms
ï Positive uses
ï Thanking fans
ï Talk about community service
2013 CoSIDA Convention: Media & Social Media Training for Student-Athletes
31. WHO DISCIPLINES?
ï Peer pressure
ï Pressure from coaching staff
ï I have little to no punitive powers
ï Were you waiting for your picture to go up on
the big screen and I missed you?
ï You know what picture Iâm talking about, take it
down
32. ONCE YOU POST IT, YOU DONâT OWN IT ANYMORE!
ï Facebook policy â even after you delete it,
they own it
2013 CoSIDA Convention: Media & Social Media Training for Student-Athletes
33. OTHER ISSUES
ï Donât talk about team issues
ï Donât talk about injuries, yours or others
34. SAFETY ISSUES
ï Point of emphasis
ï Donât post personal contact info
ï Donât post where you will be when
ï Your real friends know how to find you
ï Be careful what groups you belong to
ï Guilty by association
2013 CoSIDA Convention: Media & Social Media Training for Student-Athletes
35. WHY MY JOB GETS HARDER EVERY YEAR:
ï Seniors know Iâm coming
ï I utilize a âbest of the pastâ presentation for
the groups that donât have issues
And yet, Iâm still in business
ï No matter how much we talk about it, there
are still a few folks who just donât get it
36. CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
ï Have fun
ï Donât embarrass one person too much
ï If needed, pull a particular person aside
before or after
ï Safety (and future employability) are key
ï Let the coaches set the team ground rules
ï Expectations can vary
2013 CoSIDA Convention: Media & Social Media Training for Student-Athletes
37. CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
ï How do you handle violations?
ï Obviously there are circumstances that are
unacceptable regardless of team affiliation
ï Handle them
ï Let the coaches set the team ground rules
38. REPRESENT!
ï Anything you post online represents:
ï Yourself
ï Your team
ï Your athletic department
ï Your school and conference
ï And finally, your family
2013 CoSIDA Convention: Media & Social Media Training for Student-Athletes
39. Chris Yandle, Director of Communications
University of Miami
c.yandle@miami.edu
305-284-3248
@ChrisYandle
2013 CoSIDA Convention: Media & Social Media Training for Student-Athletes
40. R.A.I.S.E. YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA AWARENESS
ïRespectful
ïAuthentic
ïIntentional
ïSmart
ïEngaging
2013 CoSIDA Convention: Media & Social Media Training for Student-Athletes
41. 2013 CoSIDA Convention: Media & Social Media Training for Student-Athletes
WHY DO WE DO SOCIAL MEDIA
TRAINING IN-HOUSE?
42. 2013 CoSIDA Convention: Media & Social Media Training for Student-Athletes
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA FOOTPRINT IS
YOUR DIGITAL RĂSUMĂ. POTENTIAL
EMPLOYERS WILL LOOK AT WHAT
YOUâVE DONE ONLINE.
43. 2013 CoSIDA Convention: Media & Social Media Training for Student-Athletes
IF ATHLETICS IS THE FRONT PORCH OF
A UNIVERSITY, THEN SOCIAL MEDIA IS
THE FRONT LAWN â KEEP IT CLEAN.
44. 2013 CoSIDA Convention: Media & Social Media Training for Student-Athletes
WHAT YOU SAY ONLINE DOES
REPRESENT YOUR EMPLOYER, YOUR
FAMILY, YOUR CHURCH, ETC.
45. YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA REPUTATION SAYS?
1. Google Yourself
2. Donât rely on privacy settings
3. Remove every potentially-inappropriate post
and picture
4. Keep language and grammar in mind
Emily Driscoll, FOXBusiness.com
âWhat Your Social Media Reputation Says to Employersâ â June 3, 2013
2013 CoSIDA Convention: Media & Social Media Training for Student-Athletes
46. 10 SOCIAL MEDIA KEYS
1. Every day is a job interview. Dress/Act like
the job you want, not the job you have.
2. Twitter/social media is a telephone, not a
megaphone.
3. Take pride in who/what you represent.
4. If you canât say it front of your mother, then
donât say it. (MOM RULE)
5. Have some common sense.
2013 CoSIDA Convention: Media & Social Media Training for Student-Athletes
47. 10 SOCIAL MEDIA KEYS
6. Donât engage in Twitter arguments. No one
wins.
7. What happens behind closed doorsâŠstays
behind closed doors.
8. Thank your teammates and fans every day.
9. Never criticize an opposing team, referee,
coach or teammate.
10. Have fun.
2013 CoSIDA Convention: Media & Social Media Training for Student-Athletes
