Don't Think on Your Feet - Think at Your Seat
February 20, 2007
Many people seeking publicity celebrate too early. You haven’t succeeded when a journalist interviews you even if that person is Oprah. True success comes when a story appears advancing your cause.
A few weeks ago, I spoke with TJ Walker, president of Media Training Worldwide in New York City, and he said that he was surprised that so many business people pay PR firms handsomely to pitch their stories. Yet, they don’t invest in developing their skills when it comes to facing the media.
I’ve heard too many people complain about being misquoted or misrepresented so badly that they didn’t use the stories to send to clients and prospects or post to their websites – a real loss since the residual power of PR is oftentimes its greatest value. However, when I asked for details, I heard statements such as “Well, they didn’t actually misquote me but they took what I had to say out of context distorting my real views.”
When your words appear in the press, they are almost always taken out of context unless you’re on live radio or television. There simply is not enough space to include everything you discuss with a journalist. The problem is that confident people mistakenly believe that speaking freely ensures good coverage.
In Media Training A-Z, an outstanding book with everything you need to know to succeed when the media calls, Walker wrote, “Being able to think on one's feet is highly overrated. It’s far better to develop the discipline of preparing in advance and rehearsing. Of course, this is hard work, but if you consistently think about your message and all of the issues surrounding your topic, you will rarely be surprised.”
When the media calls, Walker advocates that you never answer the reporter’s questions immediately. Rather, it’s much wiser to ask about the deadline and schedule a call back. The reporter’s deadline may be in 10 minutes but at least that you will give you five minutes to prepare a well-crafted 30-second message with three key points.
If it takes you longer than 30 seconds to get your message out, you haven’t applied enough discipline to the editing process. If you are still talking after 30 seconds, you are likely going on to the fourth, fifth, or sixth message points. Save those for speeches - not journalists. Once you run over in a media interview, you lose your focus and your ability to control your message.
When you speak with reporters over the phone, keep in mind that they are usually distracted and might be checking emails, surfing the web, reading online newspapers, or hearing their editors yelling in the background. They probably won’t notice that you’re repeating yourself. Indeed, message repetition is the only way you can be sure that your story will appear the way you want.
Of course, you’ll irritate the journalist if you just keep using the exact same words and phrases. It’s worth practicing different ways of delivering your message, providing different examples, and threading elements of journalist questions through your message points. “Most reporters will never notice that you are repeating yourself. And those that do will appreciate that you have given thought to what is most important,” Walker wrote.
Doing well in a media interview isn’t rocket science. But, it does take some forethought and preparation. Walker’s Media Training A-Z is a great way to ensure that if you only get 15 minutes of fame, you’ll be pleased with every minute.