—
Speaking to the news media can be a tricky business. This is especially true if you are not a professional communicator, former journalist, or possess other expertise in media relations and strategic communications.
Moreover, if you’re the CEO of a company, then it’s your job responsibility to best represent the organization before the news media, whether traditional, digital or otherwise. You are part of the face of the organization, literally and figuratively.
Whether a CEO goes on camera or streams on Sykpe, they are sending a clear message (hopefully) from the highest level of the company. Therefore, it’s possible that some media might be ultra-aggressive during an interview and set traps along the way. But don’t fall prey.
While these media tips are absolutely essential for executive leadership and management, they can likewise be applied down the corporate ladder. Just remember that you are speaking for a company that employs hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands of people, has a large consumer base and has a well-defined brand image to protect and maintain.
Prepping for the Interview
1) Agree to the angle and focus of the media interview prior to conducting it. You should request a pre-interview phone call with any media outlet to discuss the parameters and terms of the interview, such as what type of attribution you will use (on-the-record, on background, etc.).
You may even want to request advance questions. Although many media outlets prohibit reporters from providing questions in advance, not all do. Thus it never hurts to ask because the more prepared you are, the more likely your media interview will be successful.
2) Provide substantive background information. This is especially relevant if no pre-interview exchange has been arranged. Potent background info will serve as a preface to the main points you plan on making during the media interview. Remember that not all reporters are subject matter experts.
Therefore, it’s part of your job to help educate them about the issues from your organization’s standpoint. Moreover, this approach may help deflect negative or loaded questions in advance, as well as set the stage to make your case in the strongest and most persuasive manner.
3) Anticipate likely questions — and answers — in advance. This is absolutely necessary if the reporter rejects your request for advance questions or fails to provide appropriate information about the angle and focus of their story.
Think about what points and counter-points you want to make? What headline would you like to see? Don’t ever just “wing it” with media interviews, or the resulting story may cause more harm than good for your organization and its brand image.
4) Draft talking points. This should be done in consultation with legal, policy, and communications experts within your organization. Make sure to include at least two to three major points that you want to be reflected in the resulting story. Putting your points down on paper will serve as a vital reference during and after the interview, in addition to enhancing your focus and comfort level.
5) Develop proof points. These are statistics and anecdotes to support your main talking points. Don’t just explain your points to reporters, but also provide factual evidence or tell a story to reinforce the validity of your main message.
6) Establish a rapport with the media. Find out some personal information about the journalist interviewing you. How long have they been with the media outlet? What was the last story he/she reported on? Any sincere praise or recognition you can offer to the media will often smooth relations going forward.
Perhaps there are some common interests you share or related personal background information — such as where you grew up, went to school, etc. This will help lay the foundation for positive media relations.
7) Practice, practice, practice. If you’re a native New Yorker, like me, you may recall this answer to the hypothetical question, How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Rehearse your answers and do a mock interview with the communications team in your organization. If you are conducting a broadcast interview then record your likely responses and even practice in front of a mirror. Remember that some communications are non-verbal in nature.
You want to avoid any awkward or embarrassing physical gestures — like ducking out of the camera to grab a water bottle and then gulping it down on live national TV (as Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican presidential aspirant, did during the official GOP response to a recent State of the Union address).
What to Remember During the Media Interview
8) You are in control. Take charge of the interview before the reporter does it. Don’t let the media dictate the interview agenda. Deflect questions you don’t want to answer by reiterating your main points. Repetition is key even if you sound like a broken record.
Moreover, don’t feel compelled to respond to negative or loaded questions. Rather, respond with a deflecting statement, such as those listed below. Then repeat your key talking points and proof points (data/anecdotes/stories). Some examples of deflecting statements include:
- “Let’s look at this issue from a broader perspective…”
- “There is an equally important concern here…”
- “Let’s not forget the underlying problem at hand…”
- “That point may have some validity, however, let’s look at this a different way…”
9) Ask that a question be repeated or restated. This is especially important if questions are unclear, loaded or surprising. You may need a few seconds to formulate your answer if unprepared for the question.
You may also give your answer a second time as new thoughts and points may surface as the interview progresses. To repeat or expand on an answer already given, use some of the following phrases:
- “In addition to what I noted before…”
- “On second thought, let me provide a more complete response…”
- “Please scratch what I said earlier, what I meant was…” (for non-live interviews only).
- “Let’s go over your second question again. I want to point out that…”
10) Maintain eye contact and avoid distracting gestures. Focus on either the interviewer (preferably) or the camera, webcam, etc. — but not both. Do not glance back and forth and continually shift your eyes from side to side. Do not talk with your hands, per se, as this looks defensive and awkward.
If needed, keep your hands tightly clasped on your lap. Most importantly, always maintain focus and appear confident, calm, cool and collected. Reporters may detect weakness like sharks smelling blood in the water. Don’t give a reporter bent on sensationalism the chance to go for the kill.
Bonus Point (use at your discretion for non-live interviews, as appropriate):
If all else fails and a reporter is relentlessly pounding away at you with highly negative questions during a non-live interview — despite a press aide having to interrupt in order to move on — then you may need to simply stop the interview in midstream.
Don’t simply give into biased questions and provide the answers they want (at your expense) — which may be detrimental to your message and organizational brand. Rely on the expert judgment of any communications aide who is staffing the interview. It’s likely they are more familiar with the reporter, media outlet and any history of covering your organization.
Therefore, as an absolute last resort, call off the interview, get up and walk away, etc. (ask me about the infamous John Stossel “20/20” interview or ABC “World News Tonight” on retiree health benefits). If the reporter broke an advance interview agreement, then the reporter does not deserve an interview. The story is likely to be negative anyway. Thus, show some spine and self-respect.
Again, this might be necessary if a reporter or producer continually asks questions that both sides previously agreed would not be asked, or if a reporter engages in unprofessional conduct and/or “gotcha” type interrogations.
By adhering to these points you will be ready to face the so-called “Media Beast” head-on and leverage any media interview to make the best case for yourself, your organization and the brand image.
Stay tuned for more on this topic and related communications issues.
—
A version of this post was previously published on linkedin.com and PR Daily
***
If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project and want to join our calls on a regular basis, please join us as a Premium Member, today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.
Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
Talk to you soon.
—
Photo credit: Unsplash.com