Five keys to a successful media interview

Communication World, April-May, 1997 by Thomas M. Greaney

But you can spin that angst into gold by seeing the media interview as an international vehicle for communicating a point of view.

Here are the five keys to a successful media interview.

1 Preparation, Preparation, Preparation

The first time I bought a home, I naively asked the realtor, "What's the most important consideration in making this decision?" She replied, "There are only three critical factors in determining which house to purchase: location, location, location." Likewise when it comes to any media interview, there are three critical factors. Your main focus must be on preparation, preparation, preparation! Never wing it. That is a recipe for disaster.

Let's assume you view the CNN interview request as an opportunity to increase your company's visibility and further your business objectives. Going into the interview, you can bet the reporter has an agenda. You must have one, too.

Working with your CEO, come up with three talking points that will "impart wisdom," or a message critical to your company and your key audiences (consumers, shareholders, lawmakers, etc.). Write out these talking points and put them in plain English. Make sure you use active verbs and colorful words that "paint a picture" or evoke an image with which you want your company associated. It's critical that the talking points be in the CEO's voice and she speak them in a conversational manner. You don't want her to sound rehearsed or wooden.

As you prepare your CEO, don't take for granted that the interviewer is familiar with the head of your company, her credentials or your company itself. Advise your CEO to cover some basics before getting down to brass tacks. Next, the CEO should feed back to the reporter what she understands the subject of the interview to be. This leads to clarity and improves your CEO's chances of being quoted at length. Often the reporter has interviewed another person before speaking to your CEO and the focus of the original story has taken a new direction.

Given this, you and your CEO should try to respond to the reporter's request for an interview as soon as possible. This way, you can bring to the reporter's attention an aspect of the subject that he may not have considered. If you and your CEO are persuasive, she and your company could lead the story instead of being buried in it. I have seen a story take a drastic turn based on what the reporter heard from the first person he interviewed.

2 Avoid Jargon

The second key to ensuring a successful media interview is to avoid jargon.

In most industries and business settings, jargon is part of the culture. "Business speak" is expected, accepted and understood as long as you are part of that culture. However, reporters are intelligent, proud people. And given the fact that they consider themselves experts in their areas of reporting, they do not want to appear intellectually inferior. Therefore, reporters may dutifully write down your jargon-loaded statements and not ask you to explain what you mean.

Picture what could happen when he gets back to his office. Writing on deadline, the reporter pores over his notes, or in a TV situation looks at the videotape of the CEO's interview. The reporter doesn't have time to call you or someone else for clarification or interpretation. If your CEO has wrapped her three key messages in a blanket of jargon, she's unwittingly sabotaged her own efforts.

If jargon is unavoidable or necessary to add "color," counsel your CEO to explain what the words mean. She should simply say, "by that I mean..."

3 Say, 'at XYZ Company, We...'

It may seem obvious, but the third key is to say the name of your company during the course of the interview. Remember, the goal of your CEO is to deliver the three key messages and associate your company with the positive image you decided in your preparation to communicate to the reporter.

The viewers, listeners or readers are not likely to remember your CEO's name, but they will remember your company, if she mentions it. I'm not suggesting that every other word out of her mouth be the name of your firm. However, every time your CEO or another spokesperson fails to mention the name of your company, it represents a missed opportunity. Akin to the goal of advertisers, you and your CEO want to cultivate a positive image of your company through a number of mentions or "impressions," and one of the best ways of doing that is to have your firm's name aligned with a positive message.

This is especially important during a live TV or radio interview. Everything your CEO says will be heard by the audience, so it's critical that she make judicious mention of your company's name.

I recall watching the CEO of a health care company in a live interview on PBS' "McNeil Lehrer News Hour." The subject was price controls on premiums paid by individuals for insurance coverage. In a seven-minute live interview, the CEO didn't mention his company's name once. He did say "we" or "our," several times when referring to his company. That's the lesson. When tempted to say the words "we" or "our," say "at XYZ company, we..."