Communication Toolkit

Media Interviews

All of your well-placed media information efforts may result in contact from the media. Media interviews provide an excellent opportunity to develop credibility and a strong professional image for your organization and its programs.

Here are some guidelines to ensure a positive working relationship:

Always promptly return a reporter’s phone call
Be attentive to the reporter’s demands and help them meet their deadlines
Have additional facts handy
Suggest additional knowledgeable people (and phone numbers). You may increase your chances of getting your story on the air or published if you can tell the station where to reach a second spokesperson (from a different organization).
Have willing, informed and prepare staff on hand to be spokespersons
Be ready at any time. Media requests almost never come at preferred times.
Everything you say can be quoted. Parts of sentences – even words or sentence fragments that are totally out of context – can be used.

Take Time To Prepare

Plan up to three main messages you want to get across during the interview
Think of ways to explain in ways that are easy to understand such as analogies
Don’t stress out. Most interviews are very easy and over very quickly
Remember: You are the expert, that is why they want to talk to you
Prepare any evidence or examples.
Try to think of possible questions and how you will answer

During the Interview

It will go by surprising fast- get your main points across right away
To increase your chances of being quoted, particularly for broadcast media, talk in colorful language and use bold, short, catchy statements (“sound bites”)
Listen carefully to the question and take your time to formulate an answer; an example or analogy may be used to clarify your answer.
Be concise and keep your language simple (no jargon), as though you were explaining to your neighbor. If needed, it is ok to stop and rephrase your answer.
Explain how your issues affect people.
Volunteer important information. You don’t have to wait for the reporter to ask.
If you feel strongly about the issue, don’t be afraid to let your feelings show.
Always tell the truth, do not fudge or hedge. If you aren’t authorized to give certain information, connect them with the person who is.
If complete information is not yet available, tell the reporter when you expect to have that information and follow through.
Don’t use “no comment” or “I’m not going to speculate” as it implies that you have something to hide.
If you don’t have the answer to a question, get back to them with the answer (keeping deadlines in mind).
Don’t say anything “off the record” or “off-microphone” as there is no guarantee these comments will remain confidential.

Television Interviews

Wear plain, neutral colors with simple accessories; your “look” shouldn’t distract from your content. For technical reasons, avoid wearing solid white.
Practice your key points in simple, direct language.
Don’t start the interview until you are physically comfortable, check that your chair is stable and won’t rock or swivel unexpectedly.
Speak to the interviewer, not the camera.

Radio interviews

Double check the time, arrive early if you are interviewing in-studio, be clear about who calls whom if it’s a phone interview.
Don’t use an intercom phone or mobile phone - the sound gets distorted
When doing a telephone interview don’t speak straight into the mouth piece - keep it a bit away from your mouth and don’t move the phone around because the noise will transfer
Do the interview in a quiet area-close your door.
Don’t worry about voice. You don’t need a professional, velvet voice. But it helps to have your explanations concise and organized.

Follow up

Be sure to thank the reporter
Give him or her your number in case of further questions
Ask when to expect the interview to appear in the paper/radio/TV
Expect he occasional error or misquote-complain only if it is terribly serious, and if then start with the reporter and move your way up, if need be.

If you are pleased with a resulting story, feel free to call and thank the reporter or send a note through email or mail. This makes you stand out!