In the TV series M.A.S.H., Hawkeye leaned over a friend who had been wounded and the friend said faintly, “I didn’t even hear the one that hit me coming.” It’s a similar concern that makes many executives avoid media interviews. They worry about the question that can make their company and them look foolish…or worse.
But knowing how to communicate about your business is as important as knowing how to run it. There are times it may be even more important. A positive story can produce orders. It can stimulate investor interest. A less than positive story can depress the stock value. It can demoralize employees. It can negatively impact sales.
If executives routinely close the door to legitimate interviews, they appear to have something to hide. If they open the door too wide, they can expose too many secrets and –in the case of public firms – see the company’s value suffer. What is not said may be more important than what is said and how it is said.
You have to understand that coverage isn’t always positive and journalists aren’t there to be your friends and to help you advance your agendas. Their job is to develop a credible story for their audience, not write a puff piece about you. If the article shows a less than perfect company, product or executive it is balanced and it is credible.
As a part of the total picture of business in your industry, your opinions and activity -- or lack of it -- are important to the media and their readers/viewers. Journalists have two obligations – to be professional and to fairly, accurately present the information to their audience. All of the rest is your responsibility.
Astute and prepared executives can turn the interview, even in an unpleasant situation, into a positive and beneficial effort for the company.
Interview Timing
There are times when an interview just isn't possible. Don't explain your inability to talk with weak excuses.
Present yourself clearly and in a straightforward manner. If possible, suggest an alternate date and/or time.
If you give reporters a legitimate reason for not granting the interview, they will understand even though they may not like it. The key word is "legitimate."
Reference Material
It's surprising, but many organizations don't have written background information on the company, key personnel, products and markets. Such reference material can often save both the reporter's or broadcaster's time and yours.
An information package should include the following: Company -- Information should be available that covers the history of the company, i.e., its founding, product lines, size, sales volume, number of employees, officers, areas of expertise and industry position.
Key Personnel -- There should be a biographical sheet on every key member of the firm. It would include information on schooling, business background, history with the company, present duties, special honors and similar items.
Photographs -- Have current quality photos of key people, as well as product shots, plant photos, application photos production shots and similar items that visually tell the firm's story.
Current Product Literature – the reporter won’t copy directly from the literature, but it gives him or her a better idea of who the company is. Copies of past annual reports as well as general and technical literature are often helpful.
Other -- There may also be some special information the reporter or broadcaster is looking for, so ask ahead of time. Then, if the material is available, it can be given to them at the interview.
Interview Types
Most reporters are simply hard working individuals who are simply want to educate, inform and enlighten their audience. Most want to finish the story so they can do what you want to do at the end of the day -- go home to dinner and enjoy their friends and family.
Some reporters and interviewers like to add personality and color in their pieces so they will ask questions about you, your background, and your family. If the information is meaningful to the article, provide it factually.
Some journalists like to be controversial so they do their homework prior to the interview. These individuals ask probing questions regarding your past, the company’s legal activities, market or company downturn and ramifications. If you are prepared with the information and have all of your facts available you can handle the situation very well.
A few journalists like to ask the same question over and over a number of different ways. They are looking to make certain your facts don’t change. Rather than repeat the answer, simply say it is a question that has already been answered and use the moment to bridge into information that further reinforces the company, its products and you.
There are occasions you’ll encounter a journalist who is either very technical by training or believes he or she is technically competent. If the interview is for a trade publication and the technical questions/answers will help the reader answer with clear, solid facts and information. If the reporter is simply showing his or her expertise, stick to the general information the audience needs. Don’t help the reporter lose sight of his or her audience just to promote their egos. The resulting story can be a complete waste of your time at best or at worst make your company and you look foolish.
There is also the hard core business piece that every journalist likes to do because it is the news of the day. These are articles regarding what is in store for the company given lawsuits, downturns, product recalls, etc. They also want to gain an insight on public offerings, quarterly/annual earnings, expansion/contraction, market shifts and other business specific news.
Regardless of the interviewer’s approach; don’t fudge, spin, lie or wing it. Know your facts and your information and present your answers clearly and concisely. Don’t cover things up hoping that they won’t be discovered. Leaks will happen. When the questions are asked provide your answers in terms of the key points and key issues you have developed for the interview. Imagine the type of story you expect to appear and present your information accordingly. Keep your emotions under control and you can maintain control of even the worst situation.
Commit your information and your key points to memory but don’t over rehearse. Then when you prepare for the interview take a number of deep breaths, relax and provide the news to the journalist’s audience.
The Interview
There are usually categories of questions that arise in an interview:
* Questions you are willing to answer and want to answer
* Questions you are unwilling to answer and will not
* Questions you don't want to answer but will
* Questions you simply can't answer
Life would be ideal if all of the questions asked were of the first kind. The second group is the one that strikes fear in most managers because they don't know exactly how to handle the situation.
Perhaps you simply don't have the authority or background to comment on those areas. The information could be confidential. Maybe those areas are still being evaluated, and a corporate policy or direction has not been established.
The interviewer will probe for answers or statements but when questions can not be answered you need to precisely explain your inability to comment on those areas. You may also recommend an alternative point that can be discussed without disclosing the specific information and without leaving the question totally unanswered.
The third set of questions is the most difficult because your organization is usually in the spotlight or "hot seat." In these instances, it's best to be well rehearsed and prepared.
Because these types of questions are increasing most executives are taking media training so they can efficiently and effectively handle the "hot potatoes." Such intensive one- and two-day sessions are actually designed to be what are termed "attack sessions."
If the manager can learn to think on his or her feet in heated situations, then he or she can easily handle "normal" interviews. People who participate in this training can usually handle even the most searching or aggressive interviewer. Given sufficient background, they could even fare well against a grandstanding congressional investigation.
The fourth series of questions can range from those you simply don't have sufficient information to answer to those that are so confidential that it would harm the company’s business and direction if they were answered.
If you simply don’t have the information say so. Tell them you don’t have the information and that you'll get back to them with the answers. Keep that commitment as quickly as possible. No one likes a commitment that isn’t kept!
There will probably be times when you'll want a member of your public relations staff or counsel on hand during the interview. We encourage our clients to do this, since it permits us to help clarify points or make certain that requests for additional information and/or photos are answered promptly.
But the public relations person should be a support for you, not a guardian of what is going on. If you anticipate having problems, go over your ideas ahead of time, and "rehearse" the interview including difficult questions which might arise. Your PR person can be a decided asset in this area, since he or she has, or should have, considerable experience in dealing with the press in all types of circumstances.
While having the company lawyer sit in on the interview may seem like a great idea, it usually leads to disaster. The worst situation we had was when the company officer insisted that the attorney be present.
Every question from the reporter was met with: "We're not going to answer that"
"We can't divulge that" "We have no comment on that."
The interview was a shambles. The ultimate story did the company serious damage. The reporter simply went to third party sources and got the information without the company’s perspective being heard.
There is never a reason for no comment! If you don’t know the answer, admit it and tell the reporter you’ll get back to them with the information. If you make a mistake, admit it, correct it and move on. If there are legal or other reasons you can’t answer a specific question explain why you can’t respond to that area and return to the key points you want to present.
Off the Record If the information is confidential, you can consider speaking off-the-record. Most of the time, this off-the-record commitment will be kept. But remember you're going out on a limb at your own risk.
If you don't want to see something in print, don't talk about it. If the editor, reporter or broadcaster presses the point, tell him or her frankly that the subject is one you can't discuss at the present time and that you will provide the information as soon as you authorized to do so.
Again, when the time is right, keep your commitment. It will go a long way in building your credibility with the media. Granting Exclusivity If you are a publicly held firm there are certain clear-cut guidelines you must follow regarding exclusivity. If the information will affect the stock of your firm, then exclusivity is out of the question. If one reporter digs up the information, you need to answer in a straightforward manner.
At the same time, you should also just as quickly announce the information to the rest of the press.
If you have a major contract you were planning to announce at a press conference in a few days but also want to tell an editorial friend, you may improve your friendship at one publication, but you can make even more enemies.
However, if an enterprising reporter obtains the information by asking penetrating questions after the press conference, then it isn't up to the company official to run out and tell everyone else. Honor the ingenuity, capabilities, and drive of the reporter who digs below the surface to get more facts.
Another common area of exclusivity, especially in the technical community, is the announcement of a major new product. If you work closely with a publication and they develop extensive copy on the new product or perhaps even a special report, then give them sufficient lead-time before you announce it to the rest of the editorial world.
Again, they have done a lot more work and deserve the edge.
Prior Publication Approval A reporter or broadcaster doesn’t have to permit you to read the galleys or view the tapes before the interview is published or aired.
We advise clients to be accurate during the interview and provide in-depth background material and don’t even ask final copy approval.
If the publication is publishing a new product announcement or industry special report, they may double-check facts and figures. They may even submit the copy (time permitting) for checking but it is only for correcting errors, not for editing.
Once you have granted the interview, you have given up your right to final approval.
Benefiting from the Interview
There's more to granting an interview than ego-satisfaction. It is an opportunity to raise the visibility and credibility of your organization and your products. But don’t dictate to your PR people that you will only do interviews with Business Week, Wall Street Journal, New York Times or the one or two “key” books in your industry. Unless you have been thrust into the senior position in the largest company in your industry or you have made a breakthrough that will benefit all of mankind, such goals are totally unrealistic.
First of all, have a sound, newsworthy story to tell and be prepared to tell the story thoroughly and effectively. Next, have sufficient background material and information available so you aren't wasting the reporter's time. Finally, give him or her enough time to obtain all of the information needed so that the story can be properly developed.
Know who the audience is. If you're talking to a newspaper person, be aware of the paper's broad audience with very diverse interests. Don't get bogged down in technical detail. If it's a professional or technical editor, have the in-depth facts at hand and don't spout generalities.
Know who the reporter or editor is by name and the media he or she represents. It sounds obvious but, all too often, we've found that the person being interviewed didn't recall the interviewer's name. This is espeecially embarrassing and discourteous if you’re introducing the reporter to another person in your organization.
Being interviewed can be profitable for your organization and you. It means someone thinks you have something important to say. If you're properly prepared, the process can be effective and it can even be fun!
Preparation ensures you’ll never get hit by the one you didn’t hear coming.
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The Dos and Don’ts of Media Interviews - To learn more about this author, visit Andy Marken's Website.
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