Mouse over to play audio Commercial Control Credibility Cosmetics What do you want the audience to remember? Have 3-4 key messages memorized!

PowerPoint Presentation

South Florida Executive BoardMedia Training Primer

Mouse over to play audioHellomy name is ____________ and this presentation is to give you an overview on how to talk about your agency and its programs in a media opportunity. This presentation is intended to give you an overview of WHY federal employees should do a media interview and HOW to do them. Once youve completed viewing this overview, the South Florida Executive Board will schedule hands-on training where you can practice these techniques with a television crew. 1Good Media Relations is Good Business

One responsibility of government is to communicate with taxpayers about Federal services and issues that affect their lives. One of the best ways to communicate is through the media. As a federal government employee, one of your goals should be establishing a good working relationships with local media that will make it easier to spread your agencys messages and highlight the professionalism and openness of the federal government in South Florida.

2Three Types Of Media Interviews

There are 3 types of interviews you may have the opportunity to do: radio, newspaper/blog, and television.

Not all reporters are equal! A reporter in each of these markets have different needs. For instance, radio reporters want to talk to principle story makers or subject matter experts. They can do a complete story by telephone while youre sitting in your office (you could do it while driving but I wouldnt recommend it!).

Print reporters usually want more in-depth information; might want several interviews with several people; could have a photographer or ask for photos; not necessarily time restrained as their broadcast counterparts. Dont exclude bloggers from this category, either! More bloggers are reporting specific niches and have a large subscriber base. If you get news from sources like Huffington Post, Facebook or Linkedin posts, and even the Miami Herald.youre probably reading something written by a blogger and/or freelancer!

Finally, television reporters need visuals to backup their stories. They will probably want on-camera interviews and relating video to support their stories. But their reporting is typically not as in-depth as radio or print reporting . Their story will normally fill 60-90 seconds of air time. How you look on camera is just as important as what you say on camera!

Both radio and TV reporters love the good "sound bite," a short 5-10 second quote that strongly supports their story. Keep your answers short and say what you want to say early in the interview.

3What Do All Media Interviews Have In Common?

Like shopping for a diamond or the four mission areas of the U.S. Small Business Administration, you should be familiar with the 4 Cs of a Media Interview41.Commercial Control Credibility CosmeticsWhat do you want the audience to remember?Have 3-4 key messages memorized!Be ready for your elevator pitch!

The key to ANY media interview is preparation. If you dont know what youre going to say, you are NOT prepared! Write down three or four key messages you want to get across. Sometimes this is easy: the reporter has given you questions OR has asked you to talk on a topic. Sometimes its not intuitive: you get stopped at a public event such as a job fair. Be prepared to discuss why you were there, what you were doing, what is it that your agency does or offers where it was important for you to attend.

The majority of all interviews end with one last question: DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY? This is your opportunity to deliver your key message and/or sound bite. High probability that it will be used. Be ready for it! This is your agency elevator pitch!!52.Commercial Control Credibility CosmeticsControl Its all about attitude! Be confident YOU are the expertYOU are preparedYOU will help someone become more aware of your agency/program.

Control: Know who you are and why you are there!Anticipate likely questions then prepare responses, practice dont memorize. Project as a spokesperson who knows the subject at hand. Reporters want what you have.

Develop a list of negative points and positive points...practice bridging from negative to positive. Dont evade questions, practice transition.

EXAMPLE: I dont know but what I DO know is... (I dont know how many veterans we treat each year, but what I do know is VA has more than 900 medical facilities across the country where we take care of Americas heroes.)

EXAMPLE: No (answer the question), and heres how were dealing with it (your silver bullet). (No, VAs not reducing its services. In fact, we moving all of our primary care clinics into the community so that we can expand specialty care here at the main facility.)(A B C) {Acknowledge (the question), bridge, commercial}Be concise and precise in terminology be quotable:

Media always look for that nugget or silver bullet. Be prepared for anything. Flag your points. Whats most important here is... It all boils down to these three things: (silver bullets).Again, the formula to use to help you retain control: Acknowledge (the question) Bridge Commercial (A-B-C)

63.Commercial Control Credibility CosmeticsCredibility Its about 3 things:Dont ever lie/guess Stay in your lane! Dont lose your cool/patience.

Repeat after me: 1.) Thou shall not lie OR GUESS. 2.) Thou shall not speak beyond your area of expertise and like drivingstay in your line. 3.) and as much as you might want to slap or punch the reporter, DONT. I can almost guarantee it will go viral in social media.

These three add up to the third C Credibility

Remember: you are not only representing your agency but every single employee who works for that agency. 74.Commercial Control Credibility CosmeticsCosmetics Seeing is believing!Body language conveys the real you.Whats behind you is important.

TV is a medium of impressions studies show:7% of message is the words themselves38% is the voice55% is non-verbal communicationAPPEARANCE:Conservative attire is nearly always best. (blue, brown, gray) Long sleeve shirt. Solid color shirts are best, avoid vests since weight really shows.Solid or soft pattern ties.Women should wear conservative street-length dress or suit. Avoid bright colors and large or tiny patterns.Remove loose jewelry or exceptionally heavy rings. Women should avoid wearing heavy necklaces or bracelets, diamond and rhinestone jewelry, especially earrings or large pins.Remove nametags, lapel pins and all extraneous items from jacket pockets. Just before the interview, unbutton and pull down on your jacket to reduce wrinkles.AESTHETICSBody Language:Cross legs at the knee or starters position. Sit straight, lean forward.Dont slouch or lean to one side.Avoid swivel chairs.When standing, dont rock back and forth. Keep arms at your side or if you use your hands when speaking, keep it natural. Use natural hand gestures for emphasis. Dont drum chair, death grip (Lincoln Memorial).DONT: Sit like a jock or stand in the fig-leaf position.DO: Strive to be liked. Smile. REEEEELAXListening and Speaking:Be an active listener; pay attention to questionsUse voice inflection, show enthusiasm and conviction.Talk to and concentrate on the interviewer; eye contact critical. Dont look at the camera (unless its a television remote and youre the only one on camera)Avoid shifty, darting eyes and the temptation to see how youre doing by watching the monitor.If its recorded.its okay to start over and do it again! 8Cosmetics

The Interview: Prepare!Why does the reporter want to interview you?What will you discuss, to whom and for what reason? Do your homework! Research!What are your 3 key messages?PracticeRehearse, be confident, anticipate tough questions.

LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAPKnow why you were asked for the interview.Know your audience. Decide if you want to (or should) do the interview what are the risks vs. the advantages.Establish ground rules, length of interview, subjects.Know the format and theme of the program and reporter (news, feature, live or taped? Call-in? Other guests?) Look at samples of the program or column.DO YOUR HOMEWORKBe prepared, even in your specialty. Anticipate questions.Question your position beforehand. Play the devils advocate. Practice, dont memorize. Conduct murder board.Have the PR staff brief you on the news of the day before the interview.RELAXEstablish a professional rapport with the reporter, be cooperative.Be confident, relaxed. You are the expert, most reporters are generalists.BE CAUTIOUSKeep personal opinions to a minimum.Avoid hypothetical questions.Keep your cool under fire, dont argue. Dont repeat negative words.

10Ground RulesPerfectly acceptable to set rules before an interview.Restrictive rules may reflect lack of transparency or trust.Consider length of time to be a governing ground rule. Recording the conversation?

Not unusual to set ground rules before an interview. Rules could include: length of interview, what will or will not be discussed, whether it will be taped, whether someone can or cant bring people (ie. Legal or public affairs people); etc.

Restrictive ground rules may reflect lack of transparency or trust. May cause the loss of an interview.

Consider length of time to be a governing rule, especially with print reporters. Setting a time limit is an element of control. Too long of an interview may dilute your key messages and potentially lead the interview off topic.

Recording a conversation is also a consideration. Many reporters do it. Good thing for accuracy. You may want a copy if you think you will be misquoted.

11The InterviewAnswer the question!Share your message early and oftenAvoid jargon & Avoid personal opinionsRemember: you are talking to residentsBe friendly & courteousSilence is golden

Answer the question! If you are doing a radio interview or a newspaper interview, there is nothing wrong about having your talking points in front of you. A bit more problematic than television but keep the talking points handy so you can refer to them before your on camera interview.

Avoid jargon or acronyms and your personal opinions. The military is perhaps the worse about using acronyms. Imagine you are speaking to your grandmother. As federal workers representing the federal government in an interview, we are not there to share personal opinions.

The last point about silence is golden is very important. Assume the microphone is ALWAYS on! After television interviews, its not uncommon for a reporter to ask for shooting some cutaway shots. Its not uncommon for someone to feel relieved that the interview is over and they let their guard down and speak their opinion or feel safe to speak their minds. DONT. 12The Interview: TipsListen to the reporters entire question. Understand it. Clarify if needed.Pause Select key points. Keep eyes up.Present Repeat question in answer. Respond. Stop talking when youve answered the question to your satisfaction. Dont ramble.

Radio TipsAsk if the interview will be live or on tapeUse conversational toneSpeak conciselyDont ramble. Dont try to fill dead airKeep your notes in front of you!

Television TipsAsk the reporter what questions theyll ask you

Check your appearance

Know what is behind you.

Speak to the interviewer. Ignore the camera.

Hand gestures acceptable.

Assume camera and microphone are always on.

15Print InterviewCan be done in person, on telephone or email responses.

Follow up to check understanding.

Dont assume you will be able to see article before it goes to print.

Print interviews can be one of the easiest interviews to do but perhaps one of the most time consuming to prepare and follow up with. Reporters will get more down to details. 16After the InterviewProvide any data/statistics/photos you agreed upon.

Verify with reporter you were understood.

Read/watch completed interview.

Share the coverage if you like it!

Was the finished story what you wanted?

Share the article on social media (reporters love it). Share it with leadership.many agencies do news clips. 17Practice ScenarioSituation:

The South Florida Executive Board is having a job fair and you are representing your agency. A television reporter comes up to you and wants to interview you for a news story on the event.

South Florida Executive BoardMedia Training PrimerThank you for reviewing this primer. Please contact the S FL FEB office for more information about the follow-on in-person media training offered through the FEB Public Affairs Committee.

South Florida Federal Executive BoardPhone: (954) 792-1109 E-mail: [email protected]