Many business executives get extremely concerned about the prospect of a media interview. Others take a more cavalier view, believing that they can blag their way out of any question. Both groups should remember that thorough and effective preparation is the key to success for any media spokesperson.
Preparation begins once you have established by whom you will be interviewed and the purpose of the interview. Once you know, this you can spend time planning your interview strategy: use the following five headings to do this.
Understand the audience
Many people fall into the trap of beginning their planning by considering what they want to say. It’s the wrong approach. Begin from a different perspective: who will be viewing, hearing or reading your words and what would they be interested in? Understanding your audience helps you to prepare interesting, relevant content. Imagine what they want to hear and tailor your messages accordingly.
Establish clear objectives
Without clear objectives, you cannot possibly plan your interview approach or evaluate its success. You must work out exactly what you want to achieve and why you are doing the interview. Having this clearly fixed in your mind makes the rest of the planning much easier.
Develop key messages
Now that you understand your audience, their interests and your interview objectives, you should create your key messages. These are the main themes or headings for your interview content. Plan no more than three key messages for each interview and have evidence to support them to ensure that they are credible.
Consider likely questions
Brainstorm the questions you are most likely to be asked and develop strong answers for them. Think also about the toughest questions you could be asked during the interview and plan a response. Knowing that you can deal with the most challenging of questions provides confidence that you will succeed, come what may.
Visualise success
Go into the interview with a clear image of the final article or broadcast in your mind. Visualise the perfect headline or the killer soundbite. Doing so further focuses your mind on your interview objective, as well as instilling a positive frame of mind.
Like many things in life, preparation and planning is the key to success when conducting a media interview. Consider the five areas above and you will be well placed to succeed in the media hotseat.
Communicating with Confidence
Many business people are affected by nerves when speaking in front of an audience: especially one which is made up of their colleagues! This can result in fluffed lines, hesitant body language or a shaky voice. Communication skills training can help to address these challenges and the following tips can also help to prevent and overcome the most common concerns.
Four Questions to Ask Before the CEO Faces the Media
In a crisis, should the chief executive be your media spokesperson? Putting the CEO forward as the face of the organisation should not be a kneejerk reaction: it should be a well considered decision designed to help the organisation communicate most effectively with its stakeholders and thereby protect its reputation.
Three Steps to Avoid Being on the Wrong End of a Media Encounter
It’s 10.15am, you’re in your office and the phone rings. You pick up and a voice says: “Hi, this is John Davis from the BBC, we’d like to ask you a few questions….” By now, your heart is racing and your mind is whirling. So what do you do?
