Don’t expect a journalist to be able to describe you and the work of your organisation accurately if you can’t yourself. A good place to start in preparing for any interview is to make sure you are clear about your company’s core messages, so that as well as having something interesting to say about the specific topic at issue, you can clearly explain your product or business, and how it makes things better for its customers. Make sure you and other company spokespeople are all sending out the same signals – if there’s no consistency, it’s not surprising if the outside world gets confused. We are often surprised at how often, if we speak to two or more senior people from within an organisation, they will have very different ways of positioning the company. Of course, you also need to ensure that you have something useful and relevant to offer the journalist, if possible something that differentiates you from what other people are saying or doing. This means you sound less like another ‘me-too’ commentator to the reporter, which will make them more likely to remember to come back to you next time. (Taken from the book The M-Factor by Tom Maddocks.)
Tom on X
When does a tough media interview become a bullying issue? And how do you make sure you're not on the receiving end?
We can now offer on-camera and autocue skills coaching for spokespeople who have to present online video material or webinars.
