They say three’s a crowd and sometimes it feels like the phrase was intended for PR and comms professionals who sit in on media interviews.
After all, the journalist doesn’t really want you there and if you interfere directly in the interview it can go disastrously wrong.
I sat in on many media interviews during my comms career and sometimes wondered what I was doing there. I also carried out many interviews as a journalist where the PR person in the room appeared to be little more than a fifth wheel.
It can really feel like a no win situation at times but that does not mean it should not be done.
Sitting in on an interview can be vital to the success of an interview, particularly if you have an inexperienced and nervous spokesperson, who simply needs a reassuring presence in the room while they speak to the media. After all it can be a scary environment.
At the end of the interview you are ideally placed to praise them for what went well and highlight any areas which may need improvement.
Certainly in a crisis media management situation I would expect the PR person to be present during the interviews. This is not about hand holding, as you should be using an experienced spokesperson, but it is likely there will be numerous requests for interviews and being present will enable you to manage conflicting demands and time pressures and have an accurate record of who has been spoken to and what has been said. It will also enable you to have a greater understanding of what journalists are looking for, the questions they are asking and the angle they are likely to take. Great for future briefing of your spokespeople.
But if you have an experienced spokesperson, who has had recent media training, and the interview subject is not controversial, do you really need to be there?
Letting them carry out the interview on their own could help to create an impression of greater transparency. It could also allow the spokesperson to build positive relationships with reporters, which can help raise their profile as an industry leader or expert and see the journalist want to interview them again in the future.
If you do choose not to sit in on these interviews, make sure you have a mechanism in place to record what was said and how the interview went.
Increasingly we notice more and more interviews are being carried out by telephone as reporters battle against a range of time constraints. And often that means the interviews are conducted on speakerphone so the PR person can listen. But this really impacts on the sound quality and if the reporter can’t clearly hear what your spokesperson is saying there is more chance of them being misquoted.
Most modern office and mobile phones allow for an observer to ‘barge’ into a call so that they can ear wig on the conversation while the spokesperson can use the hand held receiver. We’d recommend speaking to your IT or telecoms provider to ensure that you are able to do this. It really should be very easy once you know how. But if you do this, please make sure the reporter is aware you are listening to the call.
Ultimately, the decision about whether there is room at the interview table for PR pros is going to come down to gut instinct and judgement on the experience of the spokesperson, the subject matter and the journalist who will be carrying out the interview. But don’t feel you automatically have to sit in on every interview your spokesperson carries out.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences on whether comms and PR people should sit in on media interviews. Comment below or email me at adam@mediafirst.co.uk
Media First are media and communications training specialists with over 30 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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