November 2008
Meeting the Media: Presenting Your Key Ideas
Leaders
and managers with responsibility for their organizations may chose or be
asked to tell their story to the media. Knowing the key ideas they wish
to communicate and then doing it effectively will determine their
success. If you are going to meet the media, first determine your key
ideas; that is, know precisely what you want to see in print or on the
air—and the effect you wish to create in the minds of the audience.
Here are seven things to consider before you meet the media.
Identify a few key points
you’d like the public to understand. These are your key messages or
commercials. They will help guide you and ensure you have some control
of the interview.
Don’t
just answer reporters’ questions — respond to them!
All your answers should stand alone, needing no
introduction.
Don’t wait for the right question to be asked
— bridge to one of your key points, move beyond the question asked and
tell the public what you want them to know.
Make your responses short and specific
— one to two sentences or about 20 seconds.
Write your key points in clear, easily understood language,
free from jargon or complicated, technical language. Ensure they are
provable assertions or facts that can be independently verified.
Write your points on 3 x 5-inch card
and refer to them before the interview starts, then put it away. If you
will be citing statistics or something very technical, write those
numbers on a card and use the card for emphasis during the interview.
If you
don’t want to see it in print or hear it on the air — DON’T SAY IT.
Engage brain before putting mouth in gear.
Next
month we’ll talk more about meeting the media.
