>Do You Need Media Training?

It depends on how badly you want to get your life back. Or whether or not you think it’s a big effing deal. Or how badly you want to make sure the reporter lets you finish your answers next time. Or if you don’t want your interview to be the shot heard round the world in Concord, New Hampshire.

If you feel strongly about any of this, maybe you need media training. Big Time.

These days, media exposure goes way beyond print and broadcast or even interviews. In an age where every ten-year-old has an iPhone and no one goes into the field without a Mino HD on their key ring, we’re not always told we’re on Candid Camera or that we’ve just been Punk’d. Often, we don’t find out until that unfortunate text, off the cuff remark, or pre-interview chit-chat or post-interview petulance has gone viral. And don’t even mention email. (See my January 31, 2011 blog)

For the sake of argument, let’s assume everyone reading this, whether a member of Congress or the congregation, is already up to speed on the dangers of sexting and we can move on to more mainstream pitfalls involved with more traditional media interviews:

Not understanding the medium
What is an online chat and why am I doing one?
Why is the print reporter videotaping the interview?
What’s the difference between live and live-to-tape?
Why is the TV reporter rushing me?

Not knowing your interviewer
What has this person written about my company in the past?
Has this paper ever editorialized against my cause?
Has this reporter ever made a political donation?
Where does this reporter work?
Does this reporter “take no prisoners”?

Not being prepared
What am I expected to comment on?
What are the facts behind my position?
What are others saying about this issue?

Not anticipating the follow-up questions
Why might my answer not satisfy the question?
If I were asking, what else would I want to know?

Not knowing when to stop talking
But there’s silence, shouldn’t I fill it?

Finally, and quite seriously, is this a legitimate interview?

Okay a quick primer (and by the way, primer rhymes with simmer not timer – if you say primer, as in paint, you’ll be laughed at at parties. Really.)

If you have staff to help prepare you for media interaction, great. Make sure they understand that preparation is key. If you need temporary staff, hire a PR professional. If it’s just you, then you need to do the legwork.

Understanding the medium. If you’re unclear what you’re being invited to do, ask. It may be a print or TV interview, but it might be live on a Website – unedited. If it’s an online chat, understand what that means technically as well as topically.

Know your interviewer. Don’t go into an interview unless you know the landscape. Do a Lexis-Nexis search if you can. If you can’t, then do a thorough online search to find out what this reporter has done in the past in general and on this topic specifically. Understand their scope and their style. Is this reporter an expert on this topic? Is this reporter known for asking the tough questions? And don’t fall into the trap of thinking someone known as a light-weight is better for you than an expert known for probing questions. The expert is less likely to get the facts wrong and more capable of understanding nuance on difficult issues.

Be prepared and anticipate the follow-up. Assuming the reporter is forthright in the request – be clear on the subject at hand. Know the points you want to make. Be clear on opposing arguments so you can anticipate what’s coming next – and have an answer.

Know when to stop talking. Say what you need to say. A favorite tactic for an interviewer is to wait. The discomfort of silence often prompts people to keep talking, to add more information, and ultimately to say more than necessary which can muddy the original statement enough to warrant further questions. And if there’s no staff to call for “last question,” you need to know when to say, “thank you.” (It’s always best to set a time limit for an interview or a news conference. Start with 15 minutes. You can go longer if you need to, but no reporter will ever leave after ten minutes if you’ve promised a half hour.)

Is this a legitimate interview? How was hilarious satirist Ali G ever able to get embarrassing and cringe-inducing interviews with UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Professor Noam Chomsky, or antediluvian commentator Andy Rooney? Because someone was asleep in the control tower, that’s how. Again, if you don’t have staff to guide you through dealing with media, hire a PR professional. If you can’t afford to do that, then do your homework.

Otherwise you may be on the wrong end of wot did yous know and whun did yous know it?

Felicia Knight is President of Knight Vision International, LLC: www.KnightVisionInternational.com

Image: Marrejos

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This entry was posted on Friday, April 22nd, 2011 at 10:00 am and is filed under Branding & Positioning, Crisis Communication & Management, Media Relations, Public Relations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.


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