The jaws of power are always open to devour.

- John Adams

The Voice of Authority

How to win journalists and influence readers

The Five Steps

* Media *News *Journalists *Message *Spokesperson

The Media

All media exist to invest our lives with artificial perceptions and arbitrary values

 - Marshall McLuhan

Medium All India Urban Rural

Estimated Individuals (mn)

852 268 584

(%) (%) (%)

Press 38 56 38

TV 56 81 44

Satellite 36 65 23

Radio 21 24 20

Cinema 10 16 6

Internet 2 5 0

All Media 68 88 59

Media Reach (All India)

• Print– National dailies

General Interest & Business– Regional dailies

English & local language– Magazines

General, Business & Trade /Niche• Electronic

– Broadcast General and Business

– Radio AIR and FM Channels

– Internet

• More than 40,000 print publications• 87 languages• 750+ TV Channels• 170 Radio Stations

The News

To withhold the News is to play God

- Anonymous

RelevanceUsefulness

Interest

ImpactConflictNovelty

ProminenceProximityTimeliness

Time from origination

News Cycle is expanding

Amou

nt o

f cov

erag

e

Breaking

News

News quick

ly gets pick

ed up

from prim

ary source

s

Mainstream Coverage

News slowly loses its timeliness

and becomes a part of more

thoughtful discourse

Niche and opinion driven discussion

First month Sixth month

Source File

Basic News

Big News

Local/Internal

Trade/Niche

National

The Journalist

Ideal:

SkepticCuriousBalancedViewsSees a big picture

Not so ideal:

One ideaBiasedSponge – just absorbs and throws

What she wants:

StoryByline

The Message

Sender Message Receiver

Sender Message Receiver

Old Communication Model

New Communication Model

Monologue

Dialogue

Preferred Message:

ClearConciseCompleteConsistentCurrent

Most important – “For Consumer”

Developing Preferred Message:

What do you want to communicate?What is your end objective?How can you substantiate?Follow 5C Rule

What Marketing Suggested

What Marketing Suggested

What Management Approved

What Management Approved

As designed by EngineersAs designed by Engineers

What was manufacturedWhat was manufactured As maintenance installed it

As maintenance installed it

What the customer wanted

What the customer wanted

The Spokesperson

You!

Information is not communicationInformation is not a messageInformation is not a connectionInformation does not translate to executionInformation does not drive sales or profits

The difference between information and communication is the difference between X-ray and surgery.

Communication is complete only when it’s processed and understood by the receiver

We use filters…

Our worldview teaches us to “wait for the air to clear”

This is how we respond…

Hear the situation and/or factsWait for the spinDownload the intentionsDecode the spin

How do we survive?

By becoming a voice of authority…

Are there any rules?

Only one…

Be Credible

Five things contribute or detract from people’s belief in you:

The LookThe LanguageThe Likeability FactorCharacterCompetence

The Look

Dress to feel confident Remove barriers between you and the audience Look successful at what you do

The Language

Word choiceSentence structure (simple or convoluted) The ability to express The ability to respond to challenging questions with poise, tact and authority

Few more things to keep in mind for looks & language…

Decide: Workshop floor or Corporate OfficeTurn Off the Hard SellBe Authentic – with Praise, Questions and Greetings

The Likeability Factor

Show Your Humanity – Be VulnerableBe Courteous – Small gestures and words go a long wayShare a Sense of HumorShow Humility

The Journalist is neither a friend nor a foe

How to lead and share your story?

Be a genuine listener Understand the question and mould it for your benefitValue addIf you don’t know something, accept it and offer to find out if important/necessaryNothing is off the recordFollow corporate guidelines

Who will you encounter?

The Journalist

• The Gunner: Fires questions in rapid succession– Listen carefully, then choose the question that allows you to share a

key message

• The Hypothetical Questioner: What if…?– Never speculate

• The Paraphraser: Provides a summary that doesn’t reflect your point of view– Correct the questioner; don’t let him/her put words in your mouth

The Journalist

• The Interrupter: Keeps interrupting you– Don’t let interruptions throw you off point– Politely ask for opportunity to finish your point

• The Joker: Best of friends – then “boom”– Prepare and stay on message

• The Psychiatrist: “You mean to say that…”– Politely correct premise if incorrect

• The Pregnant Pause: Wants you to fill the silence– Smile and wait

Answering difficult questionsInterview under pressure

Techniques

• Position as an effort to help the reporter:– “I have a basic level of knowledge on that, but there are others

in our organization who are experts. Can I put you in touch with them?”

– “We’ve got lots of data on this, but I don’t want to inundate you. Can you give me an idea who else you’re talking with?”

• Put issue into context– Not: “300 people have been laid off”– Use: “We reduced our staff by 2% through attrition and early

retirement packages. As for the rest of them, we’re doing our best to assist them in finding positions at other companies.”

Answering Negative Questions

• Provide a positive answer to a negative question– Q: “Do SCOPE employees work in an unsafe environment?”– A: “We have always ensured a high level of safety across our

facilities. In fact, we have been recognized for our safety record by…”

– Q: “I notice that SCOPE’s revenue growth has slowed considerably in recent months.”

– A: “We are optimistic that our corporate strategy and IT investments have strengthened our position. Our global reliability of supply is a distinct competitive advantage. We believe we are well-positioned for the future.”

When under pressure

• Keep your final audience in focus (readers or viewers)• Select messages carefully• Control the story, even when it’s negative• Be open, and strategic• During crises, it’s best to have one spokesperson to prevent

inconsistencies

The Golden Rules

• Don’t repeat a reporter’s negative statement – They’re fishing for a quote -- answer with a positive statement

• Don’t guess or say “no comment”. If you can’t or don’t want to discuss something say:– “I don’t know,” or “I’m sorry; I can’t go into that” (evasive

answers !)

• Don’t answer hypothetical questions – Acknowledge it’s a hypothetical question and bridge to a key

message

• Avoid “yes” and “no” answers – seize opportunities to tell the story

The Golden Rules

• Don’t allow reporters to put words in your mouth• Avoid jargon• Avoid long, complex answers• Avoid speculating• Avoid providing too much unsolicited information

Remember . . .

• Reporters love to take you off the message• Learning certain skills will boost your confidence and control• It’s never personal• You are always speaking for SCOPE – consider the impact on the

company, your employees and customers

Media Relations Do’s and Don’ts

DO DON’T

DO offer to send additional information after the interview or refer the reporter to another spokesperson if you don’t know the answer to a question

DON’T say “no comment” or make up an answer if you don’t know how to answer a question

DO organize your thoughts DON’T fill in silent pauses

DO anticipate questions and issues DON’T speculate

DO offer information you want the public to know and tie back to the key messages

DON’T say anything “off the record” – there’s no such thing

DO be cooperative DON’T give unnecessary information that may be detrimental

DO listen to questions carefully before answering

DON’T interrupt

DO be prepared and practice answers

DO use partners and third-party recognition for credibility

Media Relations Do’s and Don’ts

DO DON’T DO answer questions simply and directly, support answers with examples

DON’T give long answers or use industry jargon

DO incorporate key messages as much as possible

DON’T just answer the question, bridge to key messages

DO speak clearly, succinctly DON’T use initials for organizations unless you spell it out

DO correct inaccuracies or false statements

DON’T overcompensate with exaggerated claims

DO be yourself – act friendly, natural and confident. Smile and relax

DON’T use nervous mannerisms

DO respond in terms of solutions to a problem if asked about a problem or challenge

DON’T use hypothetical situations or answer hypothetical questions

DO answer questions in a positive manner; answer a negative question with a positive response

DON’T use negative words that can become the headline

Thank you

It was a Hansa Public Relations’ effort

For feedback and further queries, please feel free to write to us at rajeev.balakrishnan@hansa.co.in or

tushar@hansa.co.in