‘What happens if a journalist asks me a question I don’t know how to answer?’
It is a common fear for spokespeople.
And a question we often hear at the start of our media training courses.
It is also an issue we explored during our media skills refresher webinar.
During the hour-long session, James White, our managing director, was joined by Elisa Colton, one of our expert tutors.
Elisa has worked as a journalist for more than 20 years, including for the BBC and Al Jazeera. She has also worked in comms.
“Many people worry before interviews because they feel they are going to be attacked,” she said.
“They worry about facing tricky questions and getting derailed in an interview. The environment can also be nerve-wracking.
“One of the most important things we teach delegates is that you can be in control of an interview from the start. You need to be confident and prepared and go into the interview knowing your objectives.”
That confidence starts with knowing what journalists are looking for in a story, which is where our handy TRUTH acronym comes into play.
James said: "When Media First started, the team reportedly got together in a pub and came up with some media training methodologies. And one of those was TRUTH, which we still use today.”
Elisa added: “It is an easy way to grasp some of the concepts of what a journalist is looking for in a story, and understanding what they want can help you get on the same page.”
It stands for Topical, Relevant, Unusual, Trouble and Human,
Topical: News is topical, timely and, in a social media age, trending. Elisa said: “Some things can be topical over a longer period. The cost-of-living crisis is topical because it is still ongoing.”
Relevant: The story must be relevant to the audience. Elisa said: “As a journalist, I would pitch stories to my news editor, and they would say, ‘Is our audience concerned about that?’.”
Unusual: Journalists look for something unique or unusual. “Planes take off and land every day, but when something goes wrong, journalists jump on the story,” Elisa said. “But ‘unusual’ can also be that lovely quirky element.”
Trouble: This is something journalists are often accused of stirring. “Journalists love trouble and tension,” Elisa said. “And it is something spokespeople need to be aware of – do they know about the tension and trouble that might be out there? It could be different perspectives on what you think is a good news story. For example, a new factory might create jobs, but there may be environmental concerns. You need to anticipate the trouble element and have answers for it.” You can also tick the ‘Trouble’ box by offering a solution to a problem people are experiencing.
Human: For Elisa, this is the crucial element. She said: “Sometimes, our delegates might have been working on the process around something for so long that they can lose sight of why it is important to a human. During our training, we always say, ‘Use people and not processes’. We are storytelling beings – we connect through stories and examples.”
Elisa believes the TRUTH acronym has never been more essential. She said: “Times are tough in newsrooms, and they have to do more with less.
“If you can go to a journalist with these TRUTH boxes ticked and a lovely case study, which a journalist might find difficult to get, you have much more chance of getting your story on to the airwaves and into column inches.”
Developing your media message
So, you’ve got the attention of a journalist.
What do you want to say to them?
You need a compelling message. But how do you create one that convinces, resonates and persuades?
Elisa said: “You need to try to get authenticity into the message.
“If you have a personal brand as a spokesperson, you must ensure it marries with your corporate branding.
“The best interviews are the ones where this feels natural and seamless.
“I like to talk to delegates about why they do their job and what motivates them to get out of bed each morning because the audience is drawn to people who are passionate about the stuff they do. They are more likely to get on board and be persuaded.”
To get spokespeople confident with what they need to say and into the right mindset, Elisa recommends something she calls ‘Smart Prep’, which is based on our AMEN acronym.
Audience: “The first thing to consider when speaking to a media outlet is who is their audience,” she said. “It is vital because it needs to overlap with your audience. Speaking to the Financial Times is different to speaking to BBC Radio Berkshire. You need to consider who they are, their interests, and how you can connect with them.”
Message: Knowing the audience helps to inform the message. “I know many spokespeople will say, ‘I have four or five key messages I want to get across’,” Elisa said. “That is unrealistic. During our training, we stress the importance of one key message. One key message is the most memorable thing to take from an interview. If I listen to an interview on the radio and I’m later asked about what they were saying, I’m unlikely to remember three or four key messages. But I will remember one clear message if a spokesperson has done a great job of getting it across throughout the interview.” Messages should be clear, concise and no more than 20 words.
Examples: “A message is just a slogan without proof,” Elisa said. “And this is where examples come in. If you say your company is one of the best ones to work for, we need some case studies. You can use yourself and your experience. You could say, ‘When I started here, I didn’t have this experience, but I learnt from mentors along the way and…’. Someone might be inspired by your journey. And it is hard for a journalist or audience to disbelieve something you have experienced. Personal stories are powerful.”
Negatives: It is not all positive, and negatives can distract from any message, no matter how well put together. “You must consider the negatives that could come into your interview,” Elisa said. “That could include being asked about an unrelated topic or one you don’t want to discuss through a ‘While you are here’ question. The key is to ensure you are not blindsided. Do a little horizon scanning and look at what else is happening that you could get asked about.”
Cut the jargon
Negatives are not the only thing that can distract in media interviews.
Jargon can also be a huge issue.
It can cause audiences to switch off and lead to spokespeople being misunderstood.
Elisa said: “When I worked in comms, there were so many times when I said, ‘I understand what you are saying here, but what does it mean?’ or ‘That’s not a word people use’.
“It comes back to thinking about the language you would use if you were talking to a friend in the pub.
“The first thing I was told as a journalist was ‘If you were talking to your friends about this story, what would you say?’ and that is how I should tell the story.
“I think spokespeople sometimes hold on to jargon because it is a sort of security blanket. Or feel it shows they know the industry.
“That may work for trade press, but for a general media interview, stripping jargon back is crucial.”
Is simplifying dumbing down?
“If you can take something complicated and make it accessible with simple language, that is fantastic communication,” Elisa said.
What about ‘Ers’ and ‘Ums’?
“When people come to us, they are sometimes worried about the Ums and Ers,” Elisa said.
“Our advice is to try not to worry – it sounds natural, and people watching and listening don’t notice it as much.
“But one of the benefits of the playback and feedback of interviews on our courses is spokespeople notice those sorts of things, and they become easier to manage.
“If you are worried about where you are going next with an answer, pause. It works well and can stop you from using Errs, Ums and clutch words.”
Dealing with difficult questions
Difficult questions can come in many different forms.
Not being able to answer them is probably the concern we hear the most at the start of our media training courses.
“This is something so many people are concerned about,” Elisa said.
“But, if you bring a strong story to an interview and back it up with stories and examples, you might get through it without facing tricky questions.
“If they do come up, we can help you navigate them elegantly, without sounding like politicians – who avoid answering questions.”
It is called the bridging technique.
“It’s as simple as ABC,” Elisa said.
“It starts with answering or at least acknowledging the question. For example, you could say something like, “I understand why there is a lot of interest in that’. Here, you are answering the question in a way, and giving it some respect. So, it doesn’t look like you don’t care.
“But you don’t want to spend too much time here and need to build a bridge. ‘But’ and ‘However’ are great bridging words. So, after acknowledging or answering the question, you could say, ‘But that’s not what we are seeing here’ or ‘But what people are telling us is…’. These phrases take some time and practice to get right, but they get you away from the tricky area.
“And once that has been done, you need to communicate. Get back to your message and examples.
“Once you are over that bridge, remember it burns behind you. Avoid the temptation to return to it by saying something like, ‘Does that answer your question?’.
As with many media training techniques and skills, practice makes perfect
“People can grasp the bridging technique quite quickly and see how it is useful,” Elisa said. “But you must practice to ensure it does not sound over-rehearsed or slick.
“And the time to practice is not during your media interview.”
Elisa and James faced many audience questions during the webinar. And there were plenty they did not have time to answer.
But we put our thinking caps on and answered them in this blog.
You can watch the webinar again – which also includes tips on preparing for different media formats – by clicking here.
Media First are media and communications training specialists with over 35 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.
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