7.4 Handling Media Interviews
4 min read•july 23, 2024
Media interviews are crucial for effective public relations. They require careful preparation and strategic communication techniques to convey key messages and handle challenging questions. Understanding different interview formats and their unique requirements helps PR professionals tailor their approach for maximum impact.
Crisis management is a critical aspect of PR that demands quick thinking and clear communication. By developing comprehensive strategies and response plans, organizations can navigate crises more effectively, minimizing damage to their reputation and maintaining stakeholder trust.
Preparing for Media Interviews
Key messages for media interviews
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- Identify the main points to communicate in the interview
- Focus on 3-5 key messages that are most important to convey
- Ensure messages align with the organization's goals, values, and current priorities
- Develop concise and memorable talking points to support each
- Support each key message with relevant facts, statistics, or examples that illustrate the point
- Use clear, jargon-free language that is easy for the audience to understand
- Keep talking points brief and easily digestible for the interviewer and audience
- Anticipate potential questions and prepare well-crafted responses ahead of time
- Consider the journalist's perspective, audience, and likely angles they may pursue
- Prepare answers for both positive and negative questions to maintain control of the narrative
- Practice delivering responses to ensure clarity, confidence, and the ability to stay on message
Techniques for difficult questions
- acknowledges the question and redirects to key messages
- Acknowledge the question briefly, then use a phrase like "What's most important to focus on is..." to pivot back to key messages
- Ensures the interview remains focused on the main points you want to communicate
- Flagging technique highlights the most important part of your answer
- Use phrases like "The key thing to remember is..." or "What I really want to emphasize is..." to draw attention to the core message
- Helps the audience retain the most crucial information from your response
- Blocking technique politely declines to answer irrelevant or inappropriate questions
- Politely refuse to comment on topics that are off-limits or not pertinent to the interview
- Redirect the conversation by saying something like, "I can't speak to that, but what I can tell you is..." and bridge back to key messages
- technique rephrases a negative question in a positive way
- Rephrase the question to focus on the positive aspects of the situation or the organization's efforts to address challenges
- Example: Q: "Why did your company fail to meet its targets?" A: "Our company sets ambitious goals and is committed to continuous improvement..."
Understanding Media Interview Formats
Print vs radio vs television interviews
- Print interviews are typically longer and more in-depth than radio or television
- Answers can be more detailed and nuanced since there are no time constraints
- No need to worry about appearance or body language, as the focus is solely on the content
- Radio interviews rely entirely on verbal communication to convey messages
- Voice quality, tone, and pacing are crucial to engage listeners and maintain their attention
- Answers should be concise, easily understandable, and paint a vivid picture for the audience
- Television interviews combine verbal and non-verbal communication to deliver messages
- Appearance, body language, and facial expressions play a significant role in how the message is perceived
- Answers should be brief, visually engaging, and delivered with confidence and poise
- May involve live or pre-recorded formats, each requiring different preparation and considerations
Managing Crisis Situations
Strategies for crisis management
- Establish a comprehensive crisis communication plan before a crisis occurs
- Identify potential crisis scenarios and develop specific response strategies for each
- Designate a dedicated crisis communication team and to handle media inquiries
- Prepare holding statements and key messages for each scenario to ensure a swift and consistent response
- Respond quickly and transparently to negative media coverage to mitigate damage
- Acknowledge the issue promptly and express empathy for those affected by the crisis
- Provide accurate and timely information to media and stakeholders to maintain trust and credibility
- Outline concrete steps being taken to address the problem and prevent future occurrences
- Monitor and manage online reputation to control the narrative and sentiment
- Track media coverage and social media sentiment to gauge public perception and identify emerging issues
- Engage with stakeholders directly and address concerns promptly to demonstrate responsiveness and care
- Consider using owned media channels (website, blog, social media) to communicate directly with audiences and provide updates
- Evaluate and learn from the crisis to improve future response and preparedness
- Conduct a thorough post-crisis analysis to identify strengths and weaknesses in the response
- Update the crisis communication plan based on lessons learned to optimize future performance
- Provide training and support for employees affected by the crisis to ensure well-being and resilience
Key Terms to Review (16)
Accuracy: Accuracy refers to the precision and correctness of information presented in public relations materials. It is essential for building credibility, trust, and maintaining a positive relationship with audiences. Ensuring accuracy involves thorough research and fact-checking, as errors can lead to misinformation and damage an organization’s reputation.
Active listening: Active listening is the process of fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and remembering what is being said in a conversation. It goes beyond just hearing words; it involves engaging with the speaker and providing feedback, ensuring clarity, and fostering an environment of trust and respect. This skill is crucial for effective communication, especially in situations that involve interviews and managing online reputations.
Audience Analysis: Audience analysis is the process of identifying and understanding the characteristics, needs, preferences, and behaviors of specific groups of people who are intended recipients of communication efforts. This understanding helps shape effective communication strategies that resonate with different audiences, which is essential for successful public relations.
Bridging technique: The bridging technique is a communication strategy used during media interviews that helps the speaker transition from a question or topic to the key message they want to convey. This approach allows the interviewee to steer the conversation toward more favorable or relevant points, ensuring that their main messages are effectively communicated, even if they face difficult or off-topic questions.
Follow-up: Follow-up refers to the actions taken after an initial media interview to ensure that key messages were communicated effectively and to address any further inquiries or clarifications. This process is essential for maintaining relationships with journalists and ensuring that the organization's perspective is accurately represented in the media. Follow-up can include sending additional information, checking on the status of the story, or simply expressing gratitude for the coverage.
Key Message: A key message is a concise statement that conveys the main point or core idea that an organization wants to communicate to its audience. It acts as a guide for shaping communication efforts, ensuring clarity and consistency across various platforms. By focusing on key messages, organizations can effectively frame their narratives and handle media interactions more strategically.
Media Monitoring: Media monitoring refers to the systematic tracking and analysis of media coverage, including print, broadcast, and digital platforms, to gauge public sentiment and the effectiveness of communication strategies. It plays a crucial role in informing public relations strategies, enabling practitioners to understand media trends, evaluate messages, and respond appropriately in a rapidly evolving media landscape.
Media training: Media training is a process designed to prepare individuals, especially public figures and spokespeople, for interactions with the media. This training focuses on developing skills to effectively communicate key messages, manage difficult questions, and present oneself confidently during interviews or press conferences. By understanding how to navigate media environments, individuals can mitigate potential crises and ensure their message resonates with the audience.
Message Development: Message development is the process of creating clear, concise, and effective communication tailored to a specific audience or objective. This involves understanding the target audience, defining key messages, and choosing the appropriate tone and style. Good message development is crucial for effective public relations, as it shapes how information is conveyed and ensures that it resonates with the intended recipients.
Nonverbal communication: Nonverbal communication refers to the transmission of messages or information without the use of words, relying instead on body language, facial expressions, gestures, posture, and other forms of physical expression. This type of communication plays a crucial role in how messages are interpreted during interactions, particularly in high-stakes situations like media interviews, where the speaker's nonverbal cues can significantly impact the audience's perception and understanding of the message being conveyed.
Persuasive speaking: Persuasive speaking is a form of communication aimed at influencing the beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors of an audience. It involves presenting arguments and evidence in a compelling way to motivate listeners to adopt a specific viewpoint or take action. Effective persuasive speaking often requires understanding the audience's needs and using rhetorical strategies to engage them emotionally and logically.
Radio interview: A radio interview is a conversation between a host and a guest that is broadcasted on the radio, often aimed at sharing information, insights, or promoting ideas. These interviews are typically unscripted and spontaneous, allowing for a dynamic exchange of ideas, making them an effective tool for public relations to engage audiences. The nature of the medium requires that guests be concise and clear in their messaging, as time is limited and audience attention can be fleeting.
Reframing: Reframing is the process of changing the way a situation, message, or issue is perceived and understood, often by altering the context or interpretation. This technique is particularly important in media interviews, where the objective is to steer the conversation towards more favorable angles while addressing challenging topics. Effective reframing can help shape public opinion, clarify misunderstandings, and highlight key messages that align with communication goals.
Spokesperson: A spokesperson is an individual designated to communicate on behalf of an organization or entity, serving as the primary point of contact for media inquiries and public statements. This role is vital in managing an organization's image and ensuring consistent messaging, particularly during media interactions, press conferences, and crisis situations.
Television interview: A television interview is a format of communication where an individual is questioned on camera by a host or reporter, often broadcasted to a wide audience. This medium serves as a platform for sharing information, opinions, or personal stories, enabling the interviewee to reach a large audience effectively. The dynamics of a television interview include not only the spoken content but also visual elements, which can enhance or detract from the message being conveyed.
Transparency: Transparency in public relations refers to the practice of openly and honestly sharing information with stakeholders, allowing them to see the inner workings and decisions of an organization. This principle fosters trust, credibility, and accountability, essential for maintaining positive relationships with the public and the media.