and life you love. And today I have a question for you. Do you ever struggle to clearly communicate

your message? Whether you wanna get media or a new job or a new client, being able to

be clear, concise, and compelling is vital for success, and my guest today is gonna show

us how.

Emmy nominated speaker, strategist, and media trainer Rachel Hanfling helps clients catapult

their brands to new heights. Whether it’s one on one or teaching at Harvard, Rachel’s

approach is based on 20 years of producing television for big names like Oprah Winfrey

and Anderson Cooper. She’s received thousands of pitches and can tell you how to make yours

one of the few that makes the cut. Rachel’s mission is to show you how to deliver on demand

when it counts.

Rachel, I’m so excited to have you here.

So thrilled to be here. I love MarieTV. I watch it, I learn from it. Glad to be here.

So this is so valuable for all of us because I think all of us have a message that we wanna

communicate whether we want to pitch something to an employer, we wanna get a new job, we

wanna get on TV, we wanna get in a magazine, and you are such a pro. So if we wanna simplify

our message, where’s the first place that we should start?

Well, I just love this topic because I see the many ways that it can really help somebody.

It can help you get media attention but it also helps you in your everyday life when

you're pitching clients, customers, if you’re a doctor with patients. This topic is such

a game changer if you do the work.

Right.

So where do you wanna start? Well, I’ve noticed over the years that most people do

have difficulty simplifying their message. And the interesting thing about this is that

most people don't even… well, many people don't realize that this is their problem.

And I always say that if you confuse people, you lose people. You don't wanna confuse people.

You have a matter of seconds to make an impression on a producer, on somebody that you’re trying

to impress for a job or a gig or something like that. So everybody needs to know what’s

most promotable about themself. And there are four ways that you can really hone in

on that and up the ante. Number one, I always say you need to meet people where they are

to take them where you want them to go. So what does that mean? That means you need to

figure out what the person you’re communicating with cares about. Ok? So I could be talking

about one person or I could be talking about millions of people in an audience. Same concept.

Once you figure out what they care about, then that’s your point of entry. Then you

go from there. Ok. So let me give you an example. When I was producing, sometimes folks would

call up and they’d pitch me something. And it wouldn’t be appropriate for the show.

And I would’ve sensed that they probably were not watching the show, so sometimes I

would ask them, “Do you watch the show?” And they inevitably would say no or, “I

haven’t watched it in a long time.” And both of those don't really work. Obviously

you need to be watching the show. But also, you need to be watching it currently because

shows change over a period of time. Shows can sometimes change very quickly.

Right.

So I would encourage them to go back and watch the show and if they still felt like there

was an appropriate pitch to come back to me. And this is something that everybody can keep

in mind any time they’re pitching. I would encourage anybody to watch a show for at least

a week before they consider pitching it. Another thing that’s really important to keep in

mind is that every pitch should be personalized. Sometimes people send out 100 pitches, 250

pitches, whatever the number is. Let me tell you, producers know when they’re getting

those pitches and you want the pitches to be personalized for that show. And even if

you can, for that producer.

Yeah. I mean, there’s something really important that you said and if anybody watching you’re

like, “Well, this doesn't relate to me because I don't necessarily wanna get on TV,” this

relates to you if you wanna pitch yourself for a job, if you want a new client, if you’re

trying to get on a particular blog, if you’re… anything. That personalization, I can’t

tell you, Rachel, how many times something will come through our desk, so to speak, where

I can tell it’s just a form letter and I’m like, “You have no i… do you even know…?”

They spell, first of all, they call me Maria. And I’m like, “You really think that’s

gonna get you anywhere?” But… so, anyway, just to put a pin in your point about the

personalization piece, it is so important.

You know, it’s funny that you mention that because I was talking to a friend of mine

when I was getting ready to do this interview with you and she said, “You know, sometimes

they spell my name wrong, sometimes they even send me a letter that was meant for a different

show.” And, I mean, you wanna let the producer know that you really care and that you’ve

put the kind of effort into it that anybody would want if they were being pitched. It’s

really important.

So curious from you, from all the years working on Oprah and Anderson Cooper and everything

that you’ve done, have you ever seen someone try to pitch you and they’ve kinda got it

all wrong, you know they didn't watch the show, but did anyone ever come back and get

it right and totally wow you? Or do they lose credibility just right from the get go and

they never really circle back?

You know, any time something ends up on TV it’s a collaboration between the producing

team and the person who’s gonna be on the show. So there’s always an evolution. Maybe

something isn’t quite a fit but then the producer has a way to make it a fit. But generally

what people wanna realize is your credibility is always on the line. So if you’re pitching

something that’s just completely inappropriate, it says something about you. Not to say that

there’s no way to overcome that, but it can say something about you. And it does.

I wanted to ask you that because I think it’s really important for all of us to recognize

we all have memories.

Yes.

And our reputation is important. So to take the time to really do this right from the

get go, it's vital.

Yeah. And to think of it in a positive way, I remember the people that really got it and

those are the people that I wanna go back to. You know? Over time because everybody

wants to work with people who get it, whatever it is that they do. Right?

That’s huge. I mean, that's… I can see that, again, even if you don't wanna pitch

something on television or you’re not trying to get media, somebody who gets it who actually

pays attention to the details, takes the time to add that personal connection to connect

with someone where they’re at, they do. You’ll remember them for a long time. Ok,

this is fantastic. What is step number two to simplifying our message?

Ok. So step number two, I wanna encourage people to let go of insider jargon and really

speak in words that everybody can understand. It doesn't mean you don't know the insider

jargon, I just wanna encourage people to use words that everybody can understand. So what

happens is every industry has their own way of speaking. This is more commonly an issue

for people who work in more technical fields, but every industry does have their own way

of speaking. So let’s take doctors, for example. Ok, so there’s a big need for doctors

on TV. Let’s say for example, somebody famous has a brain aneurysm, God forbid. Right? And

a producer needs to find a doctor who can explain it. Ok, so that doctor is gonna get

on the phone with that producer and do what we call in the industry a pre interview. That’s

basically the gateway to the opportunity. You hit it out of the park, you have a good

chance of ending up on TV. You don’t? Well, then the producer moves on to somebody else.

So that doctor has 2 choices, that doctor can either speak about that aneurysm in a

way that he would speak to, or she, he or she, of course, would speak to their colleagues

at a conference who all have same knowledge base. Or they can speak in everyday words.

Well, if you wanna be on TV, you need to be using everyday words that are relatable, if

possible visual cues. You want to make even the most complicated topic as simple as possible.

Really important.

This is… it’s so important. I will tell you, I’ve even been in business meetings

where someone’s talking to me and they start using words and I feel like a little kid in…

I’m like, “I’ve gotta raise my hand. I don't know 5 things that you just said and

I’m lost.” And even though I sound… I’m sometimes to myself sound a little silly,

I won't let the conversation go on because I’m already lost back there. So, of course,

for the media, this is so important and I think for many people, they just… they’re

so used to their jargon but they also wanna sound smart and sound intelligent, and we’ve

gotta dumb it down a little bit. We’ve gotta just break it down to a level that everybody

can understand.

And the thing is that breaking it down to a level that everybody can understand is smart.

Because if you’re not connecting with people…

Yeah, that was horrible. I just said dumb it down, but it really is making it smarter.

Right. But I think what you said is great because a lot of people view it that way but,

actually, the real… and people say that to me, “I’m worried I’m gonna be dumbing

down whatever I have to say,” so I’m actually really glad you said that. The smartest thing

you can do is make someone able to understand you.

Yeah.

And, ok, so let’s… I’ve already explained how this can really help you with media, but

what I find to be so fascinating is if you continue with the doctor example, learning

these skills serves you in your profession. So I was working with this doctor last year,

coached him, he’s an incredible doctor, he also took my course. Within a month or

so of working with me, he really wanted to be implementing what we were doing and he

was really a go getter, which I love, and he started changing the way that he approached

his patients and his patients’ families. He started practicing what he was learning,

many of the things that we’re talking about today about how to be successful with media

and the way you communicate. And what happened was within that month, he soared to the top

of his group in patient satisfaction scores because his patients were so much happier

dealing with him. And he actually felt that it made him a better doctor, and that’s

across all professions. So that, I’m talking about doctors here, but this could be anybody

who is watching today. It’s not just doctors. Does that make sense?

Completely makes sense. And I know even dealing with people whether they’re designers or

programmers, they’re people that work in film or television, when the jargon starts

coming out it’s like I check out, I don't know if I can trust them, I don't know what

the heck is going on, and I’m like can you please speak in layman’s terms? And as I’m

thinking as you’re talking, always the folks that treat me like, “Hey, I know this isn’t

your industry. Let me explain it to you so that you can really get it so you can understand

what we’re doing,” those are the people that I wind up hiring.

Absolutely. And those are the people you wanna watch on TV and those are the people you wanna

work with. Absolutely. The other thing is most people are not giving you 100% of their

attention whether they’re watching you on TV or whether they’re in a meeting with

you, quite frankly. And so you wanna keep that in mind when you’re explaining, too,

that you wanna keep things at a level where people can tune in and tune out a little bit.

Yeah. So next, point number three, is getting rid of extra details. How do we do that?

This is so common. Every one of us has so many details that we could share about any

story, any message. And so often people say to me, “There’s so much I could be talking

about. I don't know what I should include, I don't know where to start, I don't know

what to leave out.” Well, ok, you wanna start with something that’s gonna reel people

in and you know that because you’ve done your research and you also know what’s most

promotable about you and you’re gonna marry those. And then you wanna include the details

that strategically forward whatever it is you’re talking about. Now, when you get

towards the point where you wanna finish up, you also wanna put a button on it, that’s

what I like to say. So putting a button on it means you don't just end on a random detail.

You sort of circle back to your messaging to help tie it all together for people. And

when you do this, this is so important because when you start meandering to some other kind

of detail that doesn't relate to the topic that you’re trying to convey, that’s when

you lose people. Then people are confused, they don't really understand your messaging.

You’ve gotta stay on point and think as you’re speaking, “Does this detail really

pertain to what I’m trying to convey?”

Yeah. So this is huge. I mean, I know for me, it’s been so interesting when someone

asks me about what I do or, “How did you get started, Marie?” and I’m thinking

exactly what you said in my head. “Well, how far do I go back?” Because this is a

big story and there’s a lot of twists and turns, so I completely relate to what most

people think. It’s like what do I keep in the story and what do I let go of to keep

it tight and right? And one of the things that I’ve always done is think about how

do I want to position myself in this particular instance? So, for example, if I wanna highlight

the fact that I’m a multipassionate entrepreneur, I will talk about my coaching practice and

at the same time I started in dance and choreography and then I did this other thing. So I’ll