Five Steps to Becoming a Great Spokesperson

Written by Natalia Smalyuk and first published on May 28, 2015 on the MAVERICK blog.

There you are, about to do a media interview and having a fight or flight moment. What if you have a mental block? What if the reporter blind-sides you? What if…

Here’s some good news:  great spokespeople are not made in heaven. They make themselves great through these three P’s of success – Practice. Practice. Practice.

You, too, can build your confidence and interview skills. Here’s how:

STEP 1: Understand what gets reported and what doesn’t

• I was misquoted…

• I was quoted out of context…

• Where’s the rest of my quote?

If any of these messages express how you feel about an interview, chances are, you still have to grasp the concept of the edit. What gets reported? What doesn’t? Look at today’s headlines. What do you see? My guess is, lots of conflict and emotion. From municipal elections to the war on terror to the ebola outbreak, drama makes news. Yes, journalists still see themselves as the fourth – or fifth – estate. They challenge the powers that be and seek the truth. However, there’s something else they seek – a good story. The rest is edited out. 

STEP 2: Tell the reporter what she needs to write a good story  

Does this mean that, to be in the news, you have to do or say something dramatic? Not really. Your job is to tell the reporter what she needs to know to write a story that includes your perspective and quotes. So, step two: prepare messages that meet her needs for information and colour. Find words and short phrases that can become quotable sound bites. Practice until they roll off your tongue LOUD and CLEAR. Less is more. “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler,” said Albert Einstein.

STEP 3: Eliminate guesswork 

• So what?

• Who cares?

• What’s in it for me?

These are questions media trainers encourage spokespeople to ponder to filter thoughts and messages through an audience-focused lens. The interview is not about you. It’s about them – your audience. So, identify with them. How do they see what’s happening? How do they feel? Focus on what you want them to take away from this conversation. What is it you hope to achieve – not just in this interview, but in what you are advocating? What do you want them to do, think, feel? Don’t let anyone guess, or they won’t get it right. Cut to the chase. Say what you want to see in the headline right in your opening line.

STEP 4: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

At some point, someone will throw you a curveball. The price of an unintentional choice of words in your response could be dire, from ruining a relationship with a client to sending stock prices plunging to damaging your organization’s reputation. So, brace for the worst so you are not caught off-guard. Think about all that can happen in an interview. Consider the most unfair, embarrassing and mischievous questions your worst enemy might dream up. Focus on the most likely and the most damaging. How are you going to answer or deflect these questions? Practice what media trainers call bridging – a rhetorical technique that allows you to transition away from unfamiliar or negative territory back to your message.

STEP 5: Think on your feet

When hit with a question out of left field, you need to think on your feet. Is that something you can practice and improve, too? Of course! Here’s what you can do: Be in the moment. Unclutter your mind. Don’t try to think about what’s in your notes, what’s happening now and what you are going to say next all at the same time. This can paralyse you. Instead, listen. Pause. Where’s the reporter coming from? Where is this going? Is there a trap? Find the right words to answer the question. Determine what you want to say – and what you can’t. Most importantly, remember what you stand for. Let that be your guiding light. Only speak when you are ready.

The more you do it, the better you’ll be at it, so Practice. Practice. Practice.