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Executive Rewind: Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott

He's under fire, but you wouldn't know it talking to him.

Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott does not do many interviews. But he's doing more today, strategically, thanks to the controversies that swirl around the biggest retailer in America.

Employee pay and health care coverage, sex discrimination claims in promotions and pay levels, the pinch the Wal-Mart gorilla puts on suppliers and vendors and their prices, and the mom and pop stores that say they can't compete. These are among the major issues you've likely read and heard about. When you're the biggest player, you are also the biggest target.

Scott understands that he and his peers are under a very fine media microscope, and they ignore that fact at their own peril.

Recently, Lee Scott sat down for a lengthy interview with Neil Cavuto on Fox News Channel's Your World w/Cavuto. Many of Neil's interrogatives cut to the chase. Scott's demeanor is consistently calm, and it serves him well. His laid back style is an effective contrast to the sound bites he delivers.

For instance, talking about Wal-Mart's critics, Cavuto flatly charged they want Wal-Mart unionized. Scott, speaking softly, agreed. And his response, unlike his decibel level, was loud and clear: "This is about politics and power, not about right and wrong."

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Cavuto probed for information on a sex scandal in Wal-Mart's C-suite that has become a fairly high profile case. It was clear Lee Scott was not willing (no doubt at the advice of his lawyers) to talk about it publicly. But, as Cavuto pressed him, he repeatedly referred Neil to the court filings. Interestingly, Scott never said "No comment," but he also did not comment.

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The Media Trainers® Re–winder Reminder:

Remaining calm and at ease speaks volumes, all of it good, to your target audiences. It can also make strong, quotable responses stand out.
If you get interrupted, stop and listen. You can always go back to what you were saying, as Lee Scott did when Neil Cavuto interrupted him.
"No comment" is a dangerous comment. You can say it in many different ways. Because he was being asked about a high profile suit, Scott correctly referred Cavuto to the documents on file with the courts.

The Media Trainers®, LLC, has a Tough Questions eBook on our Web site that you can download free for easy reference.

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What’s your reaction to these performances? Which executives perform best on camera and which ones are awful?

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Over 25 years of local & network news reporting and management experience
- Comprehensive knowledge of how media work and how to work with the media
- Managed more than 50 people
- Able to spot and develop talent
  - Hired and developed syndicated talk hosts Sean Hannity and Clark Howard and several news reporters who have gone on to network positions
  - Successfully molded and directed individuals into award winning broadcasters; more than 40 international, national, regional and statewide awards
- An understanding of running a business
  - Managed a seven figure budget
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  - Their specific role inside the organization
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  - The type of interview(s) they will be doing
- Depending on your needs, our training will include:
  - Media skills built around The Media Trainers® 10 Rules of Interviewing™.
  - Tough questions preparations focusing on the most difficult inquiries reporters are apt to make.
  - Message development that gets your team "on message" to avert a crisis, diffuse an issue or promote your company.
  - Role playing, mock interviews and video clips drawn from our extensive library.
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- A Georgia Power Company executive:
  - "Trainer obviously knows our business and was excellent in identifying the areas we may be presented with while dealing with the media."
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- Through hundreds of training sessions and constant refinement, we have developed a set of proprietary media and communications training tools that are fast and easy to use. Our kit creates message structure, and makes your communications tangible and focused on results. Proprietary communications tools include:
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