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Is Your Management Team Prepared to Talk to the Media?

Article Overview: Interacting with the media is a key responsibility of c-level management. It can either be a successful venture or an occupational hazard. Which direction it takes depends on how the executive team views the media’s attitude towards your company or industry, and how well-versed the team is on company messaging. Whether you love it or fear it, your executives will at some point have to engage with the media. How prepared is your team to talk to media and how do they feel about being spokespersons? Here we look at some of the myth based excuses that many executives use to excuse themselves from engaging with members of the media.

Free Download - Healthcare in a time of public engagement By Brianna McKinney

Is Your Management Team Prepared to Talk to the Media?

Interacting with the media is a key responsibility of c-level management. It can either be a successful venture or an occupational hazard. Which direction it takes depends on how the executive team views the media's attitude towards your company or industry, and how well-versed the team is on company messaging. Whether you love it or fear it, your executives will at some point have to engage with the media. How prepared is your team to talk to media and how do they feel about being spokespersons?

Here we look at some of the myth based excuses that many executives use to excuse themselves from engaging with members of the media:

Myth 1

"Reporters will misquote me and inaccurately portray what I want to get across".

False. If you are dealing with tabloid media there is certainly a risk of that, however most organizations are dealing with financial, business, technical or trade media who normally have no motivation to skew an interview. There are hundreds of interviews done every day without this issue. Executives who have this fear should undertake media training which will not only teach them how to interact with media, but also give them an understanding of how the different branches of media cover news and issues.

Myth 2

"I expect my PR agency to handle all media interactions. That's not my role".

False. Your PR agency is responsible for establishing the relationships, creating the opportunity, releasing news and information on an ongoing basis and for being the media contact point. Their prime role is as media facilitator - to manage the communication between the clients they represent and the editors and reporters that want to write about them. But media want, and expect, to talk to a company's senior executives on significant issues. In fact part of the skill of the PR agency is to know which executive to offer to deliver comment and commentary on issues key to your organization.

Myth 3

"I give presentations all the time. I can communicate with anyone and I don't need any guidance to talk to the media".

False. Communicating with the media requires a completely different skill set to appropriately craft and deliver concise messages that reflect your organization's mission and values. It is important that executives are comfortable steering and controlling the interview to remain focused on the issue and can handle tough questions that may be thrown their way. Media interviews are not always about simply answering the questions as they are put forward, but rather about answering them in a way that ensures your media exposure reflects the image you want to portray, ultimately aiding in meeting your organization's business objectives. Many executives do not naturally possess these skills, and their interview performance suffers accordingly.

Myth 4

"My PR agency has handed me several opportunities to interact with media, but I've not been impressed with their understanding of our business. We also haven't got the coverage I expected as a result of these interactions."

Perhaps. Obviously editors and reporters can't possibly know everything about your business or your industry. If they did, there would be no need for them to speak with you. If your executives are approached by the media outside of an introduction from your PR agency, if possible you should request that the editor or reporter contact your PR agency and work through them to set up a time to speak with you. This will allow your agency to first get an understanding of the nature and goals of the interview and to deliver an organizational fact sheet and other relevant information for background and fact checking purposes, helping to prepare both the parties involved in the interview. One major reason for failed or disappointing coverage is the use of jargon or marketing messages during an interview. Spokespeople need to be reminded that jargon of any kind may sound smart to others in your industry or role, but in reality lack substance and can serve only to confuse members of the media. It's important to remember that editors and reporters are not always experts in your industry and that they are looking to provide their readers with substance.

Myth 5

"I'll speak to the media, but I want it to fit into my schedule - and I want it booked on my calendar well in advance. It's also important for them to know if anything else comes up I will have to cancel".

False. Members of the media are constantly under the gun to produce fresh copy and deal with hourly, daily or weekly deadlines. They also often want answers to questions on issues that arise based on current news and events, so time is of the essence to keep their articles fresh and relevant. What's extremely important to understand is that if you don't make time to speak with the media by their deadline, they will absolutely work to interview one of your competitors who may make the time. If you cancel an interview, it's also very likely that the story will be published regardless, either without inclusion of your organization or, worse, with inclusion of your organization, but from the media's perspective. It's imperative that your executives are on board with the flexibility and availability required in working with the media prior to engaging in a PR campaign, or the campaign will indeed fail.

Tips for preparing executives to engage with members of the media

Prepare your executives to view media engagement as an important organizational function that will help achieve organizational objectives - not just an ego stroking exercise. Often the inclusion of your PR agency in this discussion gives a third party perspective that can help executives see the importance of interacting with the media in a professional manner.

Any successful public relations campaign should begin with the creation of positioning and messaging documents that reflect your organization's mission and values. Make it a priority to work with your PR agency to assist in the development of these key messages as they will aid in creating internal cohesion as well as external consistency.

Complete a competitive analysis of media coverage within your industry to demonstrate how other organizations are positioning themselves as thought leaders on issues and trends that are important to your target audiences. Take notes from an executive within a competitor's organization by tracking their media exposure and observing how, over time, the executive is building his or her reputation and communicating positive and succinct messages about the organization, products or services.

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