With the media playing such a large part in everyone’s lives nowadays, you need to be savvy when it comes to your boss being invited for interview, whether that’s on television, radio or online. This can be a great opportunity to let people know more about your organisation, so making a good impression matters. Here, Ann Pilkington outlines the key strategies guaranteed to ensure that your executive is ready to get noticed for all the right reasons.
Preparation is everything
To begin with you’ll want to gather as much information about the media interview as possible. What programme is the interview for and who is the interviewer? Knowing this will give you an idea of the type of questioning your spokesperson will face – whether it’s likely to be friendly or hostile. You’ll also know who the audience is and for whom your communications need to be tailored.
Get the logistics in place
Logistical considerations such as when the interview will take place, how long it’s likely to last, and if it will go out live or be recorded and aired at a later date all have to be factored in. Other elements to consider are: will it be a telephone or studio interview? Who else is being asked for comment? What angle is the journalist or producer planning to take?
Do your research
While it does seem like there a lot of things to find out and you might be worried about getting short shrift from a busy researcher, don’t be put off. The angle of broadcast interviews can easily change between the time of the researcher contacting you and the interview taking place – often because through the course of researching the programme and gathering contributions another angle develops. There is nothing to be lost and much to be gained from checking ahead of the interview that the briefing given at the outset remains the same.
Practice makes perfect
Media interviews take place in a uniquely artificial environment. If your spokesperson regularly receives requests for interview, it is certainly worth investing in professional media coaching and proper scenario training to help them cope with this. But there are some things that you can do to help them rehearse and hone their interview techniques. Recording a mock interview, for example, will help you to see what improvements the interviewee can make.
Dress for success
You not only need your spokesperson to come across as well informed, confident and competent, but human too. Being seen as approachable and having a good personality are all key to being liked. Your spokesperson might say all the right things, but if they don’t come across well, they can easily turn people off to what they are saying. You’ll also be able to see from video recordings what people should and shouldn’t wear in front of the camera. Checked or striped shirts, neon colours and statement jewellery that demands attention are generally considered a no-no on screen.
Keep calm and carry on
As part of your rehearsals you also need to prepare for when the worst does happen. Think of potentially awkward questions and prepare responses to these. There are a number of techniques for managing a difficult line of questioning, including asking the interviewer to repeat the enquiry to allow for thinking time. The key thing to instil in your spokesperson if things do go wrong is not to panic or lose composure, but to focus on, and find a way of introducing, one of the key things they want to say in order to bring the interview back on track. Viewers are more likely to judge harshly a confrontational interviewer than an interviewee who is calmly trying to do their best.
Ann Pilkington is the Director of PR Academy, which designs and runs a wide range of communications courses, including the CIPR Foundation Award and Media training. To find out more visit pracademy.co.uk/courses.
