Public Visibility
In this and like communities, public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed. Consequently, he who moulds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions. — Abraham Lincoln
Public Relations and Promotion
Although I don’t know the affairs of your society, I am sure that in some way it is in the business of working for a better community. A community is described as geographic (local, regional, global) or demographic (professional, trade, interest). The business plan of the association should involve promotion. Recruiting new members includes publicizing events. Other issues may require announcements to the public regarding your policies or positions. If you expect to raise funds or be politically effective, you may want the public to understand and support your plans or your vision. Much of this can be accomplished at little cost by using the media to communicate your message.
You may want to investigate other low cost methods for public relations, such as word-of-mouth campaigns generated on Twitter or Pinterest, sponsored advertising, e-mail, etc. In this section, I am focusing on methods that involve going to the traditional media outlets (e.g., local radio stations, television news, magazines, news papers) with a story, position, or idea you’d like them to cover. Remember that with advertising, you can control the message. When you use news releases to attract attention, you lose some control over how the story will be presented. There are some ways to ensure you put your best foot forward to the media. The strength of your organization is likely its volunteer corps of committed members. A large constituency can be very attractive to the media. It is possible for you, and the people who care about and support your social profit association, to be much more effective in developing a positive public profile than that of a corporate giant with a large advertising budget.
Your group should develop skills in promotion. These skills can be deliberately taught as part of member-development.
Media Relations
What aspects of your operation would be attractive to the media? A good relationship with the media is symbiotic. Your association may want to take advantage of the media to communicate to the public and thus gain support for causes, to promote events, and to attract members. If your activities are newsworthy, the media can be a powerful means of reaching the public.
The way to ensure that media will play their part is to learn how to become effective in helping them provided better programming. Always remember that this is your responsibility to the media: compelling programming.
Using the media as a public relations outlet can be a cost-effective way of conveying a message. It is certainly less costly than paid advertising. You should be aware that there is a downside. When advertising is purchased, the client has considerable control over the appearance and content of the ad. When the media is approached with a news release or other method, the message will be filtered through a number of journalistic processes. By the time the message reaches the public it has likely been edited, altered, and it may even be placed in an undesirable context.
There are no guarantees. If you decide to use the media, accept that sometimes you will be either disappointed with the results, or you may actually be so horrified that you will want to go into damage-control mode. When Sherry Jennings was an executive with the U.S. National Honey Board, a reporter attended a beekeeper’s meeting. At this meeting, there were discussions about using chemicals to treat disease in beehives. If you have been following the issues about honeybees, you may conclude that this is a necessity. However, at this particular meeting, one faction of ‘purists’ was loudly renouncing the practice. In particular, the purists claimed those who used chemicals did not follow accepted safety rules and may be posing a risk to human health. Whether true or not, the journalist was not interested in learning the full story. Instead, he pursued the version he heard and The Boston Globe ran a graphic showing a jar of honey with a skull-and-crossbones on the label. Damage control began. This is an example of this form of communication, and if it backfires you should not blame yourselves or your colleagues. Just accept the risks. If you behave well, on balance you will come out ahead. In this case, the U.S. honey industry had a very good reputation for quality and safety—and national data from testing to back it up. But what this story may also illustrate is the importance of instructing your spokespersons in the art of effective public speaking.
It is worth noting that our form of government is democracy. This means that issues of public policy are debated by politicians in adversarial arenas: the various houses and legislatures across the land. The media enjoy this and we are accustomed to seeing people, often with violently opposing views, expressing themselves in the media. When, following the example of our leaders, people feel that their ideals or their organizations are being attacked in public, they often react to the occasion with a public response. Be cautioned that the media will encourage public debate, but it does not have to be your automatic reaction. If you are reacting in order to set the record straight, don’t. Yesterday’s news is already forgotten, and there is no record. (Yes, know there are times when you may choose to respond, but be aware that this is not a public conversation. Your reaction is actually a whole new news story. This is damage control, and is beyond the scope of this book. The risks are high, and you must have disciplined troops.)
Sometimes your objectives may put you in an adversarial position with some other organization. The point to make here is that you should never underestimate the resources or craftiness of your adversary. Do not allow your sense of righteousness to blind you to the possible maneuvers of the opposition. They may not play fair. Remember, no one promised you fair-play.
Be guided by this principle: act, or react, in a public forum only because by doing so your strategic objectives are furthered. Otherwise you are usually best to bite your tongue and be silent. This can be hard to do when all of your friends are incensed by some isolated incident. Your mind has chosen some appropriate phrases that will reduce your opposition to dust and the media are calling for a statement. Be warned that, if you give in to this pressure, the message that actually reaches the public may be disappointingly distant from what you intend.
Note that the term ‘press’ refers to print media (printing presses). If you hold a ‘press conference’ or send out a ‘press release’ you seem to be excluding the electronic media (radio, television, bloggers, online-only publications). Sometimes it does not matter, but sometimes archaic terms insult members of the electronic media. It is better to refer to a ‘news release’ and a ‘news conference.’ This is a preferable term because you are not doing it for the press or the media; you are really doing it for the public. Today, a single influential blogger can cause something to ‘go viral’ in minutes. You want to make sure your news doesn’t inadvertently exclude them because you come across as old-fashioned in your approach.
If you are going to use the media, it is useful to know who can help you. Maintaining an up-to-date media list is part of the job. After a while you will come to know who is interested in the information that you are providing. Discovering this, and coming to know these people personally, is the business of media relations. If you need to approach the media only occasionally, it might be useful to recruit the volunteer assistance of a public relations firm that maintains a good media list. Or, you might consider using an online newswire. It used to be that newswires were only accessed by journalists or companies that subscribed to them. Newswires today publish news releases on the Internet and submit them to other services such as Google News. Anyone searching the Internet will see your news release.
Sometimes you will have something to present to the public, and it has to be today. If you know your media list, and these people have learned from experience that you operate with integrity, a single call to an assignment editor (or whomever is appropriate) to explain what you need will get the story out.
Note that whenever you are talking to the media, everything you say is ‘on the record.’ Always. It is even when you say it isn’t, or when the person that you are talking to promises that the conversation is off the record. Behave yourself in public because everyone is a potential journalist. Anyone with a smart phone or an iPad can record what you say or what you do. U.S. Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney learned this the hard way. In what he thought was a private dinner party, he made some derogatory remarks about the lower socioeconomic classification. He was videotaped on a smart phone. The next day, everyone knew what he said. It may have been one reason he lost the election. Everyone you know may hear or see a part of your conversation; even if you think you are among close confidants. You may decide to ignore this warning (and I have myself) but you must use your own judgment as to whom you may trust when speaking in a group of people.
This section is about media relations. It means that all of this works best if you establish good professional relationships with the people in the media. Relationships are about people. As a news provider, you must provide good news stories, but it helps to remember that your people are supposed to work with their people. If you expect them to care about you, it is useful for you to use every contact with the media to come to know the individuals and learn about their business.
The best reputation that you can earn with the media is that when you call them, or they call you, they can count on you to give them the straight goods (have integrity). Another thing you want the media to count on is that you will always provide them with a good story or good programming. If this is your reputation, they will call you when they are interested in matters that relate to your mandate, and they will be pleased to hear from you when you have something to say. This section is to assist you to achieve that reputation.
The News Release
The key to the news release (formerly called the ‘press release’) is that it contains news.
Sooner or later you will be in a meeting where someone says, “We should put out a press release on that.” You may want to announce something which is important to you——and maybe it is important to a lot of people——but journalists need to see it as news for the public. If it is not news, you will create a poor impression with journalists. The most popular way to send news releases to journalists today is e-mail. Their inboxes are flooded with boring announcements every day. Do not add to that.
Sometimes you can see a way to tell your story as news and present it in a manner that is beneficial to your organization. The ability to do this is a commendable talent. Journalists call this process finding an angle to the story. Critics call it putting a spin on the story. If someone calls you a spin doctor (and you are not a radio station DJ), consider it a compliment even though it may sound like an insult.
The form and style of a release is almost identical to a newspaper news story (but not a feature article). Even if most of the releases are destined for electronic media—the people who work in the media are all journalists at heart and understand the style. The best way to become familiar with this style is to read newspaper stories in major papers (where their writers are instructed by style guides), and to study the form. Your news release should be relatively short (400-500 words). Omit needless words, fluff, and jargon. One release should contain one story. If you have a bunch of stories, publish them as separate releases.
One of the important elements of the news release is making it easy for editors to know about you and how to ask questions if they want. The source of the news release (your organization) should be obvious from the beginning. It is also a good idea to include a high-resolution logo in multiple formats. You’ll want to ensure the editors and reporters know how to reach you. At the top include, ‘For more information contact:’ and put the name, office telephone, mobile telephone, and e-mail, of someone who is instantly conversant with the material. Of utmost importance is someone who will be available when the media call. This person should be an authorized spokesperson because whatever he or she says can and will be used. Usually the best person is the one who researched and wrote the release or the official spokesperson for your association.
Your subject line, or headline, is very important. It should be a grabby headline. In a few words it states what is sensational about the story. If you can, customize the subject line with the journalist’s name. With the amount of spam today, you should make sure your subject line is short and simple. Don’t expect your subject line or headline to be printed—you wrote it only to attract attention to your release. The headline is not part of your news release and should not contain information that is not also in the body of the release. Often it is useful to have a sub-headline. This can say more than the main headline and it may relate some compelling fact about the story. The headline might hook the reader, the sub-head makes sure the hook is set.
The remainder of the release is the story, and it should be prepared so that it is suitable for reproduction with no further editing. Amazingly, often that is exactly what happens, especially in smaller local papers.
The first paragraph tells the whole story. Usually wordsmithing this paragraph takes more time than all of the rest of the release. It must continue to interest the reader, it must signal a compelling story, it must be short and punchy, and if the reader stops after reading that paragraph, she or he will have all the important facts of the story. Each of the subsequent paragraphs should illuminate one aspect of the story. These paragraphs appear in the order of descending importance. It is often useful to include quotes from some of the principal people in the story. It is appropriate for you to write those quotes, as long as you check with the persons who are supposed to be the authors. There is no need for a concluding paragraph.
Use an easy-to-read typeface (a serif font such as Times, 12 point type, wide margins) and try to confine the release to 400-500 words. It is reasonable to provide some back-up material (often called a media kit). This information can include an association profile and history, biographies of the board members with head shots, or backgrounders on the topic.
Do not work so hard on the release that reporters would be wasting their time to call for more information, or that it would be difficult for them to research more facts and write a piece with their own spin on it. The story should command the readers’ attention and tell the public the important facts. It should not be an exhaustive examination of all aspects of the situation. If you are not sure about whether to include something, leave it out. Keep it sparse, and avoid clever prose and jargon.
The point of publishing the release is gaining some coverage for your story or generate some other reaction. It may be that you want some follow-up interviews. Do not assume that the release has done the job simply by being delivered. After the release has been in the hands of the recipients for a day or so, you should call or e-mail the key people to see if they received the release, and if they require additional information. You may even ask if they are going to use it (in the manner that you intended). If the answer is no, ask why, and accept what is said. You may prompt for clarification, but do not argue with their reasoning. Learn from the response. You may find that you sent it to the wrong person. If you think some further follow-up is possible, be sure to do it. Frequently, it is this follow-up which produces the response you desire.
The Media Conference
There are two reasons to call a media conference. One reason is you and your organization are at the centre of a public issue and the media are clamoring for a statement. In this case, you may be able to restore some order by saying when and where you will make a statement. This buys some time to prepare a cogent position, and it insures that everyone receives the same story at the same time from the same spokespersons. It is essential that everyone involved respects this process, and no one is giving private statements to any media.
The other, and more common reason for a media conference, is for an organization to make an announcement. In this case, the hope is for receiving some free publicity for something like an important new issue in your association. If you proceed on this basis you will not have many people at your event. Editors and reporters are not in the business of promoting your issues, regardless of how valuable you are to the community. You need a better strategy. Here is a strategy.
Before you begin to plan a media conference that will gain you the desired public attention, you need to be able to cast your announcement as a news story or a human-interest story. Then you should plan to present the story by staging a visual event. This event must be some sort of community turning point, and the media will have to be there to witness it on behalf of their readers, viewers or listeners.
If you are having difficulty imagining how to proceed, perhaps you are looking too closely at the details of your current issue. Remember, the work your organization is important to the community because your business is to change the world for the better. This is a powerful mission, and your current project is an important step in that process—isn’t it? Now, think of an event that allows the public to see that important step.
The event is the key element of the media conference. Often the event is something that you will have to dream up. Here are some things to consider as you are dreaming.
The actual event should be short and it is a show. Do you know how to stage a show? It should not last much more than fifteen minutes, and the crucial part should be towards the conclusion. This is because reporters usually have a busy schedule, and will not have too much time for your event. Also, for television, they want a few seconds of video that tells the whole story. Although it is corny and overdone, this is why ribbon-cuttings or sod-turnings events work so well. In ten seconds of television, the audience knows that a new public facility (or whatever) is now open or a major project is underway.
Knowing when to start is always a problem because some of the media that you hoped would be there will arrive late. Start about five minutes late, but no more. The first part of your agenda should be introductions and background. This is not essential to the story, it gives the latecomers time to show up, and it keeps those who arrived on time from feeling penalized. The event should build toward the moment that you want the public to experience.
The event should give the audience a taste of whatever it is that you are announcing. Sometimes this requires some creativity on your part. Ask yourself, what is the future that you are trying to create? Can you show a little of it? Can you make the event really special—something that has enough drama to capture the publics’ attention, something that people will talk about? Work on this; encourage your creative people to go over-the-top in their planning. Think big. Once I was involved with civic boosterism and we wanted to announce a conference to examine the benefits of living in a winter-city (Winnipeg). A local ice supplier was persuaded to deliver three tons of shaved ice to the Legislature grounds in July. The Minister of Culture announced the conference—to be held in November—by joyfully sliding down the artificial mountain of snow. “Winter is fun,” she crowed; and we received blanket coverage.
Consider the location of the event. Can you make it relevant to the story, or at least interesting? Can people travel there easily? How will the media get there? Is there easy parking? For stories in odd locations, you may want to provide transportation (bus, air) to and from a site. In this case, the media may have to make appointments with you.
Who are the stars of the event? Is there someone who will attract the media, such as a prominent politician or a personality? Do not allow the desire for a personality to cloud the issue; but sometimes it makes a difference to the public to have someone they know and love be seen to be a part of your project. If you require a high profile over a period of time, you may find it useful to deliberately pick a capable spokesperson for your team, and promote both your project and the person. This way you create your own in-house personality.
Have an appreciative audience for the event. This means that you will have to be able to call out the troops. This begins with the organizers, club members, families, and friends. These participants need to know that they must be there early, be enthusiastic, and be polite. They are there to applaud vigorously at the appropriate times, even though the announcement may not be news to them. They are not there to grab any food you are serving before the media see it, or to give their own news stories. They should understand that their presence is making a real contribution. It is visible proof that there is an audience and community interest for whatever is being presented. If they commit to being there, you are relying on them even if the weather becomes foul. Their performance needs to organized, along with everything else. Consider a rehearsal.
Another way to ensure that there is a large audience for an event is to have a large number of performing participants. For example, if you enlist the school band to provide the music, you may invite the band members’ family and friends to show up too. If this is desirable, encourage it by being sure that you schedule the event when they will be available; and that there is parking, bathrooms and that you plan for whatever else is necessary to facilitate their participation.
Hold the event at a time when it is convenient for the media, and at a time when there are few other news stories. You will need to be vigilant about other breaking stories in your community. If you need some advice, it helps to ask an assignment editor. Tuesday morning at eleven o’clock seems to work well. Tuesday is often a quiet news day, late morning gives the assignment editors time to send reporters and camera crews, and afterwards there is lots of time for preparation for the evening television news.
Have your people identify everyone who attends the conference. It is useful to put together a media package to hand out and to have a registration desk. The members of the media will have to register in order to pick up their package. Knowing who was there will permit some follow-up.
Consider assigning one of your people to each representative of the media. These guides will see that the media view what is important, and that they have access to the right people for interviews. If there is a need for some follow-up it will be noted and done. After the event, the guides should be debriefed for comments and opinions that they heard. This course of action is not always advisable, but may apply if there are controversial aspects to your event or if the event allows the media to wander around and see a number of things over a period of time.
Immediately after the event, the media will often expect to hold some quick and informal interviews. Be prepared because this is where you will receive some of the coverage that you are seeking. It helps to have several spokespersons.
Having planned the conference, it is important that the media show up. Send an invitation that will arrive about four or five working days before the event. This is not a wedding invitation. It should be a short, carefully worded letter: personalized and signed by a leading member of your association, probably the president or the person most familiar to the media. It should contain enough of the story to whet their appetite. Two days before the event, call the reporters and assignment editors to be sure that they will have someone show up. Often you will be told that they cannot guarantee that, or even that it is not likely that they can have anyone there. Be cheerful, and ask them to do their best. It helps if you tell them a little tidbit of news to show that excitement is building. Early on the morning of the event, a quick call to remind the assignment editors may make the difference. Once, when announcing a development to our new planetarium interactive gallery, we goofed and held our event in the midst of a national political party’s convention in our city. We were told that all of the camera crews for a major TV station had to be at the convention centre and we were out of luck. Nevertheless, we persisted with our reminders. Ten minutes before our event we discovered that both of their mobile crews showed up (to the surprise of each other)—both were finding the politicians boring, and both hoped that we might give them a better story. We did.
As a cautionary note, you will hear that if you really want coverage, remember that the media like to be fed well and served liquor. Do not believe it. Certainly a cup of coffee, tea, or fruit juice, and donuts or Danishes, is appreciated in the late morning. But bribes of any kind will not produce coverage. There is really only one thing that will attract the media, and that is a good story. Focus your attention on providing that. Staging an event requires good planning and organization. Ensure that your team knows what to do, and can perform reliably and cheerfully.
The success of your conference is not measured by how many members of the media showed up, but by the amount and quality of the coverage that you receive. This should be monitored. Generally speaking, the most effective coverage is a favourable spot on the evening television news. Next is a well placed story in a major daily newspaper—the best is to have a story with a picture on the front of a section. If that is all you get, you have aced it. Anything else is a bonus.
Nowadays it may be worthwhile to monitor the blogosphere, the twitterverse and hashtags, Facebook, Google +, and other social media sites for coverage. The local authors for these sites may or may not be amateurs, but some have a huge readership. Be sure that they are informed and invited. Your official spokesperson should consider becoming an active contributor to social media sites.
If there is lots of interest in what you are doing, try to arrange for a number of follow-up media interviews in the privacy of your office, or in radio and television studios, or wherever the interviewers would like to meet with you.
The Media Interview
One of the most effective ways of promoting a cause or an event is to make yourself available for media interviews. Except for your time and travel, your costs are minimal. Although it takes some skill, this can be mastered by anyone willing to focus their attention on what must be done to succeed.
An interview with electronic media can be a session in a radio or television studio, a recording (or a live hit) is done at your site of business, or by Skype or other Internet communication tool. The Internet is emerging as an electronic medium for audio and video programming. The traditional media is comprised of newspapers, radio, television, and magazines. These organizations are likely to send a reporter, and perhaps a photographer or camera crew, to see you. One way to make yourself appreciated is to offer to go to the best place for the interview. While a radio station could do a phone-in interview, they would usually prefer if you would be willing to go to the studio. If you are talking about a development at a special site, it is often more effective for you and the media to go to the location. Think this through and make sure that you go dressed for the trip, and that you bring any props you may need.
An excellent way to keep your story before the public is to produce a program for radio, television or the Internet. Consider offering to write a regular column for a newspaper or magazine. Nowadays many people are creating or writing material for e-zines and Internet broadcasts or narrowcasts. Any of these projects will require a major commitment of time, and some real talent for producing compelling material for your medium of choice. I mention this only because it may suggest opportunities for your organization and because I’ve enjoyed doing regular television and radio spots and writing a newspaper column. More recently I’ve contributed to blogs and online video.
One of the ways to be invited to an interview is to begin by having your organization publish a news release. Then someone from your organization (not the person to be interviewed) should call to offer a spokesperson for the interview.
You should not automatically agree to an interview simply because someone from the media calls and says that they would like talk to you. There is only one valid reason to allow yourself to participate in a media interview: you have something that you want to express through that particular medium.
Usually the interview arises because you have something to promote, or the interviewer invited you and you were so flattered that you could not say no, or you are the spokesperson for an organization and the press or electronic media want some answers to a current issue. The important thing to remember is that you must decide what you want to say before the interview. This decision—and your knowledge of what must be said—will give you control of the encounter.
Unless the issue is contentious, the interview will not be an oral examination. However, if you feel it is, you will passively sit there, waiting for the questions and then answer them as competently as possible. This is not the way to participate in an interview. By doing this, you are forcing the poor interviewer to search his or her mind for something to ask. Then these questions become the orals that you dreaded; and it is your own fault. If you think that the course of an interview is that the interviewer asks a question, then you answer, then the interviewer asks another, and so on; you are not ready for the interview. As you will see, your role is to actively work to communicate your message. You do not help the interviewer, or your cause, by politely and passively answering the questions.
Here is how to make it worse. I find that many people would like to be the sage that the media must approach for some wise words of wisdom. This role requires a sense of humour, vast skill with the media, probably an existing public presence, talent as an actor, and some real knowledge. It is a tough act (although it should look easy) and it is not for beginners. You should remember that by presenting yourself as an ivory-tower authority you may intimidate the interviewer and make this person grope for questions that are worthy of your stature and knowledge. Because the media have identified you as the spokesperson for a cause or an organization, that association may seem to force you into playing this role of an authority. The way to avoid this situation is to remember to look for things to say that will be of interest to the audience. To talk about anything else, regardless of the questions, is a waste of everyone’s time.
Here is how to make the experience easy, fun, and productive.
First, you must always keep in mind what it is that the interview needs (whether or not the interviewer knows it.) What is it that the media needs? They need effective programming. To be effective, it must be sufficiently compelling or interesting that the viewers, listeners or readers cannot tear themselves away from it. If you understand how to do this, read no further, your interviews will seem brilliant and you will be sought after for more.
Do not participate in a media interview unless you are convinced that at least one of the following three conditions exist:
- You are involved with an event (or cause or organization) which will benefit from public exposure,
- You have a worthy opinion on a matter of public interest,
- You are so famous that the public is satisfied just being exposed to you. If this is you, just be yourself—anything you do will be fine, that is all that is required of you.
If you are not a celebrity, you need to sell some aspect of the event (cause or organization), or promote your opinion. The job of selling a worthy concept is your valid reason for being in the interview. Your success should be measured, not by how good you looked, but by how well you advanced your cause. Since this is the objective, you must not forget it—even in the heat of the moment. And let nothing the interviewer may do persuade you from saying what you are there to say.
Here is how.
Convince yourself that the concept or opinion is something to be enthusiastic about. Before it can mean anything to the audience it must be meaningful to you. Figure out why it is important to you, then figure out why it should be important to the listeners, viewers or readers. This latter step is important to making your message relevant.
Now explain it to yourself in words. Focus on no more than two or three key messages. You can practice by explaining it to someone else—a friend. Pick a friend for practicing because the real audience is friendly. Believe it, it is true. During the practice and then during the actual interview be enthusiastic. Watch how you explain your subject. If you can obtain a recording of your first interview you will find this very revealing; but do not judge yourself too harshly.
Allow your enthusiasm to make you animated. During the interview, rivet your attention on the interviewer. Do not lounge back in your seat and drone on. Instead sit up, open your eyes, express your feelings with your face, your hands (only a little, and don’t use your hands to conduct what your voice is saying), and your body—words are only part of the communication. You want the interviewer to really understand what you have to say, and this means you must work hard at communicating. The enthusiasm that you exhibit must be generated by the significance of the concept or opinion, not simply your silliness.
You have the power to control the interview because you have something to express. As long as you are saying interesting things you will seldom be interrupted. After all, by providing effective programming you are making the interviewer look good.
If the questions are allowing you to say the things that you find interesting let the interviewer carry on that train of thought. If not, simply change the subject. Do not be afraid to say, “…but what is really interesting here is…” and say whatever you feel like saying. If you have practiced your two to three key messages, this is much easier to do. Just be honest—and interested.
Use props. Newspapers like images (perhaps provided on a flash stick), and on television you can use interesting objects, video clips, or images. For TV never provide vertical format pictures. If you are using presentation software, format material for HD. Sometimes it helps if you give advance warning of props.
Props are interesting, and sometimes it takes a long time to discuss them. Take the time that is required to make the props meaningful. Your willingness to go to the trouble to find props will make you very popular with the media. Whatever you decide to take, think about why anyone would be interested. Perhaps rehearse the words you might use. No, don’t write it out and make it sound like a prepared pitch. Just think it through. Be flexible in case things do not turn out the way you planned.
You must appear cheerful and confident. The public is not interested in losers. Even if you have to announce something very grim you can still be looking forward to better days, or you can be proud of what you and your colleagues accomplished despite conditions. This cannot be an act. You must find that core of optimism and confidence within you before the interview. If you cannot, probably you are not a worthy spokesperson. Others may depend on you and your conviction.
Most of the time the interview is an enjoyable affair. You have the opportunity to express yourself to a large group of people. It is wonderful for the ego.
It may not be enjoyable if the issue in question is contentious. All of the foregoing applies, and sometimes that is enough. The problems occur because the interviewer will not simply let you dodge questions by saying something with cheerful confidence that is interesting, relevant, but may not be the answer. In this case you must give a frank answer to the questions. Plan your answers in advance. Having answered a question with candor, and while you still seem to have the floor, you may go on to express something that is important to you. If that is truly interesting and relevant the public might hear about it.
And that brings up an important point. Unless you are on live radio or TV there is no guarantee that your words will be presented to the public, or that they will appear as you spoke them, or that they will be in the context that you imagined. Do not expect it and you will not be disappointed. The best way to be sure that your message gets through is to make it so compelling and relevant that the editor cannot resist it.
In summary: you do not need a storehouse of facts—those who do and insist on expressing it bore the audience. You need some meaningful opinions with some discussion and authority to support them. Deliver your comments with confidence and enthusiasm. Do not wait for the correct questions to express yourself. Use whatever the interviewer begins with as a springboard to say what you want to communicate.
Here are some of the circumstances you may encounter.
Most interviewers are happy if you give them an entertaining interview. You might even suggest the area you want to talk about. You might as well—you will discuss those areas whether asked or not. You will find that the only reason these interviewers ever ask a question is simply to get you going again after you have concluded an idea. This is the normal situation. If you are prepared, it is enjoyable for you, the interviewer, and the audience.
Sometimes the interviewer has done some homework and has a series of prepared questions. Interestingly, there is a pattern here. Since this person has done some work, and since you are presented as an expert (or at least an official spokesperson), invariably the interviewer will want to have a chat with you before and will want to talk to you about the questions. You will then have the opportunity to say, “I don’t really know much about that…” or, “A more interesting angle is…” Remember that they want a good interview. In this case they are more interested in good discussion, not stumping you.
Open mike shows are fun. The real problem is generating enough interest to keep the calls coming. You should feel free to be sensational and controversial. Be sure to respect the opinions of those who do not agree with you. Try to stick to issues and opinions, and not personalities. You must be honest in your opinions and do not bluff when you do not know an answer. If someone wants a fact that is not at your fingertips consider suggesting that the caller phone you at your office. In most cases, even if you give your telephone number over the air you will not be deluged with calls. It will also make you seem very candid, and willing to help.
Call-in shows are really like a personal telephone conversation between you and the caller—with everyone else listening in. Pay attention to the caller’s question and interrupt only if you want something clarified, not to comment; and plan your response. When you speak you will find that you are in complete charge of the situation. If the caller wants to interrupt or argue they cannot because the technician will turn them down. If the issue is contentious, use the caller’s speaking time to make notes. When a caller has several points there is a temptation to jump in and answer them as they are made. Do not. Wait your turn, then deal with the issues one at a time. You will look (sound) better and you will usually have the last word. The host of the show will get impatient with callers who seem to repeat themselves or want to make speeches. Actually you will find that you are so much in command of the situation that you can easily handle some very difficult matters. So fear not. And try to find things to say that will get people so worked up—or just so interested—that they will have to call.
A call-in show can go for hours. Actually you will be surprised at how few calls will be answered. There is not much time left after the commercial announcements, news weather and sports. In addition, the host usually has some stuff to talk to the audience about that has nothing to do with you.
The electronic media often like sound bites. Theses are small items that are prepared for TV (and sometimes radio) programs. The item should be 30 seconds or shorter. Always find out how long you will be on (if the interviewer knows). In the case of these snippets you must be succinct. It takes good statements to survive the editor. Know what must be said in advance. Since you will have to act like a TV pitch-person you will need to be mentally prepared by the time the camera or audio recorder rolls.
As I write this, many organizations and individuals are becoming Internet broadcasters: both with streaming video and audio podcasts. For you, the only difference between this and a radio or television interview is that you may not have to go to the host’s studio. With a good Internet connection you can do your part in your office or home. If this is an option, consider acquiring a good web camera and a broadcast microphone. You may need a headset to avoid feedback. Consider your room lighting and whatever will be visible in the video frame behind you during the interview. Rehearse your systems well with a colleague in advance and make sure you know how to easily handle all the controls. Having gone to all this trouble, you may like these new systems well enough to become an Internet broadcaster yourself and create your own programming.
Participating in a media interview does not mean that the community has been reached or significantly influenced. You should know that surprisingly few people actually hear or see interviews on day-time radio or television. Many people do see items that appear in TV newscasts. Sometimes media interviews are posted on the Internet, and this can result in coverage that goes well beyond the life of the event. If this is the case, you may decide to circulate the URL of the item to your constituency. If only one person you know sees something in print that mentions you, soon all of your acquaintances will see copies of it. This is not a true indication of readership.
Finally there is the matter of FEAR. “How will I come across?” The trappings of the interview (camera crews, recording equipment, etc.) can be intimidating. There is no easy solution, but you should keep in mind a few points. First, the whole point of the media is to communicate your message, not to employ the broadcasters, writers and technicians who work in the media. Your purpose is to communicate to the interviewer, and by doing this, communicate to the public. Second, decide that the trappings of the media are your tools and you will not be intimidated. For instance, if you are to be on TV and you have a prop which needs a table near you, go ahead and ask for the table. Talk to the interviewer, producer or cameraperson to be sure that the prop will look good on camera.
The media is your best instructor. Pay attention to successful interviews, particularly on television where you can see the whole event. As you watch, try to determine what made the interview work well. You will notice that the top interviewers usually invite guests who come so well prepared that the interviewer looks good. What seems spontaneous is often the result of good planning by the interviewee.
Before the interview you will be thinking about what you plan to say, and during it you will be busy communicating as hard as you can. You will find that with this approach there is almost no time to be afraid.
A Final Word About Damage Control
Sometimes, even with the best of intentions, your association gets into trouble. Perhaps an event did not achieve the planned revenue, and now you have a huge deficit. Another organization with a competing philosophy has publicly attacked your society. An employee or volunteer has been accused of behaving very badly. A popular commentator in the media has written a very negative review about one or more of your programs.
While serious damage control is well beyond the scope of this book, I have been there, and suggest you carefully think through the answers to a few questions. Thinking through means undertaking to answer the question, and then asking the followup question, “…and then what?” You must keep doing this for several iterations. This process is surprisingly good at predicting the future—even when it is not the future you may be wishing to create. The purpose is to encourage you to avoid reacting emotionally, and to be deliberate in thinking through any remedies you imagine require some action.
- What is the remedy that you will employ?
- Are you concerned about the public perception of the matter? Do you know what is the public’s perception now, and what it is likely to become when you apply your remedy?
- Chances are that you don’t yet know your remedy. So what is your strategy for deciding, what will your proposed plan cost, and how long do you have before you need to act?
- Is the media pressing for answers? Do you know the facts? Can you avoid acting until you have the information you need? Is there the chance that your proposed action will make the situation worse? Do you need to do anything at all?