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Never Let Them See You Sweat
Sept 25, 2000
by Mary Schnack*
When our level of stress increases, our rational thinking decreases, Consequently, the better prepared we are to react in adverse situations, the better the outcome.
What do you do when you have to reprimand an employee or when a customer has made an unreasonable request? What if bad information is leaked to the media about your business? How do you bring up a delicate issue with your significant other or avoid stress in talking to your parents or children?
The way we communicate in times of "crisis" will often determine whether an "event" (such as a dissatisfied client) turns into a "crisis," or a "crisis" turns into a disaster! This is true whether it's an angry client, an upset employee, or a hurt child.
Our first tendency when we're confronted with sticky communications is fight or flight -- we either fight back without thinking, get angry and quickly respond, or just ignore it. From there, things just seem to snowball downhill..
Media training, the same techniques used by corporate executives during a media crisis, can be applied to day-to-day communications in which we experience difficulty in making our message understood.
Media training makes people in the spotlight, or people on the spot, feel comfortable, not only in handling questions, but also in clearly presenting a business' key points while sounding sincere and credible. It comes in handy for standard publicity interviews, and during times of crisis. Media training encompasses instruction in interview guidelines, techniques for directing interviews, developing message points, and handling different (and difficult) interview styles.
A spokesperson should have a set of messages that he or she knows very well. When selecting spokespeople, besides their respective positions, a business wants to assess their ability to communicate, their knowledge of the situation and their understanding of the business. How well do they present themselves? Can they remain professional and not get their personal egos involved?
The messages should incorporate the business' objectives, along with responses to anticipated questions. Because different audiences need different messages, message points may vary slightly for different groups of people. However, the messages must be in concert so there is no conflict.
Switchboard operators and recepionists also may require training on appropriate responses to aggressive reporters who may wish to do an "end run" around the designated spokesperson and go directly to another "source."
Even when a spokesperson can't say much, perhaps due to legal reasons, being courteous and cooperative will go a long way toward building trust and credibility. If a spokesperson can't provide reporters with answers to their questions, he or she should offer something else that is appropriate from the business' standpoint and that also is of value from a news perspective.
When conducting a media interview, there are several things to always keep in mind:
1 Know what you want to say before the interview. What are the points you want to highlight about your business? Get your important facts out early in the interview.
2 Speak slowly and concisely. Answer in "sound bites," even for newspaper interviews. Your remarks will probably be edited, so if you keep them short, there will be more likelihood that your exact remarks will be quoted.
3 Offer to follow-up and provide more information, send a brochure or refer them to your web site.
4 Speak slowly. Always tell the truth. Do not exaggerate or speculate. Be direct, not evasive. Don't argue or lose your composure.
5 If you say it, expect to see it in print!
6 Remember, the reporter is not your audience. The audience is the community members who are going to read/hear/see the story.
Media training sessions can take anywhere from a few hours to two days. It includes videotape sessions for on-camera experience feedback and critique. It is important that training be done on a regular basis, at least once or twice a year, to refresh the spokesperson's skills and maintain their confidence level.
Media training techniques taught as general communication skills leave executives and employees with new tools in their communications toolbox. Start using them immediately. You will be more satisfied and confident in your interactions, and consequently have less stress overall in your business and social relationships.
*Mary Schnack is a principal with Schnack & Brody Communications, Inc., a full-service public relations agency with offices in Santa Monica, CA and Sedona, AZ.
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