City of Vancouver: When the Media Call
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Deliver your messages EVERY INTER VIEW, no matter how adverse the circumstance, is an opportunity to present your messages. These messages may be situational to a specific occasion or interview topic. Or the messages may be of a more strategic nature. No matter what the reporter’s agenda, you have yours. The reporter may not, however, lead questioning in this direction. It is perfectly legitimate to use an answer to an unrelated question as a launch to your message. Use the interview as an opportunity to deliver your three main points. It’s been a slice THE INTERVIEWER IS looking for only a fraction of the interview to use for the story. Appreciating this simple fact is actually an aid to getting a message across. Repetition that would be unacceptable in ordinary conversation is quite appropriate in an interview. It isn’t necessary – or even desirable – to follow a repeated statement with “As I mentioned earlier...” because the interviewer is only going to use a piece of the whole interview. Repetition of key messages is your way of increasing the odds that the piece that gets used is the one that contains your key messages. Just answer the question ONE WORD MAY be a perfect answer; 200 may leave you hanging. Short answers are less likely to be misquoted and more likely to provide a punchy quote, video clip or sound bite. The short, appropriate answer carries its own message of authority and decisiveness. Most people want to hold up their end of a conversation, and will tend to fill in the dead air if the other person doesn’t say anything. Remember that an interview is a professional exchange: your part is to answer the questions. It is not to fill in the dead air that reporters often create as a lure for the unwary. Be prepared to be interviewed TRY TO AVOID an interview in which you haven’t determined the focus of the story. Do this by ensuring that reception staff are trained to treat media calls as a priority and use a checklist. Get from the reporter the following essential information: • name of reporter, phone number and media outlet • focus of the requested interview • other interview subjects for the story, reporter’s deadline • amount of time required, location etc. If the inquiry comes directly to you, make your own checklist determinations. Tell the reporter that you are engaged now but will return the call in 15 minutes or so. This time is essential for you to review this document and start to focus on what you want to achieve in the interview. Fifteen minutes before an interview is hardly adequate to start preparing strategic messages, but that amount of time might be sufficient to prepare situational ones. • get background information if necessary • list difficult questions you may be asked • prepare 30-second (or briefer) answers • decide on three main points you want to make If possible, bounce ideas off a colleague. Ask for help in anticipating the reporter’s questions, and practise answering them. 3 4 a guide for city of vancouver staff City of Vancouver Communications Division 604-873-7270 When The Media Call • Page 1 of 2 1 2
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A media relations advice sheet for Vancouver civic bureaucrats.
Transcript of City of Vancouver: When the Media Call
Deliver your mes sag es EVERY IN TER VIEW, no matter how
adverse the cir cum stance, is an op por tu ni ty to present your mes sag es. These
mes sag es may be situational to a spe cifi c oc ca sion or in ter view top ic. Or the mes sag es may be of a more stra te gic na ture.
No matter what the re port er’s agen da, you have yours. The re port er may not, how ev er, lead ques tion ing in this di rec tion. It is per fect ly le git i mate to use an an swer to an un re lat ed ques tion as a launch to your mes sage.
Use the interview as an opportunity to deliver your three main points.
It’s been a sliceTHE INTERVIEWER IS look ing for only a frac tion of the in ter view to use for the sto ry. Ap pre ci at ing this sim ple fact
is ac tu al ly an aid to get ting a mes sage across. Rep e ti tion that would be un ac cept a ble in or di nary conversation is quite ap pro pri ate in an interview. It isn’t nec es sary – or even desirable – to fol low a re peat ed state ment with “As I men tioned earlier...” be cause the in ter view er is only going to use a piece of the whole in ter view. Rep e ti tion of key mes sag es is your way of in creas ing the odds that the piece that gets used is the one that con tains your key mes sag es.
Just answer the question ONE WORD MAY be a perfect an swer; 200 may leave you hang ing. Short an swers
are less likely to be misquoted and more like ly to pro vide a punchy quote, video clip or
sound bite. The short, appropriate an swer car ries its own mes sage of au thor i ty and de ci sive ness.
Most people want to hold up their end of a con ver sa tion, and will tend to fi ll in the dead air if the other per son doesn’t say an y thing. Re mem ber that an in ter view is a pro fes sion al ex change: your part is to an swer the ques tions. It is not to fi ll in the dead air that re port ers often cre ate as a lure for the unwary.
Be prepared to be interviewed
TRY TO AVOID an in ter view in which you haven’t de ter mined the fo cus of the sto ry. Do this by en sur ing that re cep tion staff
are trained to treat me dia calls as a pri or i ty and use a check list. Get from the reporter the following essential in for ma tion:
• name of reporter, phone number and media outlet
• fo cus of the re quest ed in ter view• oth er in ter view sub jects for the sto ry,
reporter’s dead line• amount of time re quired, location etc.
If the inquiry comes directly to you, make your own checklist determinations. Tell the reporter that you are engaged now but will re turn the call in 15 min utes or so. This time is essential for you to re view this document and start to fo cus on what you want to achieve in the interview. Fif teen min utes be fore an interview is hard ly ad e quate to start pre par ing stra te gic messages, but that amount of time might be suffi cient to pre pare situational ones.
• get background information if necessary• list diffi cult questions you may be asked• prepare 30-second (or briefer) answers• decide on three main points you want to make
If possible, bounce ideas off a colleague. Ask for help in an tic i pat ing the re port er’s ques tions, and prac tise answering them.
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a guide for city of vancouver staff
City of Vancouver
Communications Division 604-873-7270
When The Media Call • Page 1 of 2
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There’s no such thing as “off the record”
WHAT COMES OUT of your mouth cannot be put back in, and every sin gle word you
utter in an in ter view is au to mat i cal ly a matter of public record. Do not be lieve the re port er who of fers an o nym i ty if you will only pro vide some information. Such an o nym i ty does not exist.
Beware letting down your guard at the end of the in ter view. Think about it: the interview is over, you are relieved that it went well. This is the pe ri od of your greatest vul ner a bil i ty, and re port ers will take ad van tage of it. The bound a ry between the re port er and you does not dis ap pear when the note book closes, or when the camera is turned off. You may not know if a cam era, mi cro phone or tape re cord er is on or off. So, you need to act as if it is on. Many TV reporters save their most prob ing ques tions for the “in for mal” chit chat that they en cour age dur ing taping of “B-roll”, when the cam era records the in ter view er ask ing questions or re spond ing to your answers.
Don’t take it personallyDO NOT TAKE crit i cal, ag gres sive in ter view ques tions per son al ly. Re port ers fre quent ly em ploy a neg a tive
tone to throw in ter view sub jects off stride. In ter view ers con trol the results of the en coun ter, and can be outrageously obnoxious, know ing that their per form ance can be re moved in ed it ing. The per form ance you give in re sponse to their behaviour, how ev er, is fair game. When we are off stride we are likely
to ap pear de fen sive. One re sult is over-elab o rate an swers that start to sound vague ly sus pi cious, or even hos tile. A de fen sive attitude is a poor way to come across to the pub lic.
The interview is a pro fes sion al ex change of in for ma tion. If you keep up your end of the bar gain, it will be the interviewer, not you, who comes across neg a tive ly.
Avoid trade jargonASSUME THE IN TER VIEW ER knows noth ing about the sub ject and you will not be far off
the mark. Most re port ers are generalists. This puts a spe cial onus on you to use com mon lan guage to de scribe your area of ex per tise. If you need to use ter mi nol o gy that the public won’t un der stand, quick ly fol low it with a plain lan guage de scrip tion.
Con sid er hand ing out a fact sheet or glossary of terms to aid the re port er. Be sensitive that what is com mon place to you as an expert may be mysterious, threatening or even offensive to members of the public. Avoid retreat into clin i cal detail when dealing with a triumph or trag e dy that demands a very hu man re sponse.
Nev er say “No com ment” IT INVITES sus pi cion. If you are
constrained for reasons of pro fes sion al, per son al or com mer cial con fi den ti al i ty, say
so. Spell out exactly why you can not ad dress a sub ject. If you don’t have the information
to answer a ques tion, say so and endeavor to get it. In ter views are not the appropriate oc ca sion to fear ap pear ing ungodlike.
Nev er lieBETTER TO SAY you sim ply can not an swer a ques tion at this time. Lies
come back to haunt. Al ways.
Body-language• keep con stant eye con tact• look at the in ter view er, not the cam era
• when seated, sit straight up with the small of your back pressed against the chair back. This pos ture alone will do won ders for your com fort level
• humor rarely helps in an interview, es pe cial ly if the subject is serious; Iro ny rarely comes across.
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City of Vancouver
Communications Division 604-873-7270
When The Media Call • Page 2 of 2
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