Need some media prep advice?
Need some media prep advice? Here are four quick tips!
1) If you’ve got a happy story, my goodness, please communicate “happy”!
Be upbeat and show how proud you are about your company’s initiatives and expertise. How can you “communicate” and market your service or product to a potential stakeholder if you don’t show your enthusiasm for your idea or service? You can’t cut corners on this. Do the work. Sometimes all you need is a smile and a quick message to create a welcoming feel for your stakeholders, readers or viewers! Take a look at your website, digital media and social posts. Do you show happy people and spotlight good speakers? If not, why not? How old are those visuals? Do they communicate the current state of your organization? Don’t reuse those old photos of people not looking alive!
2) Stumble with grace
We stumble verbally in conversations with family and friends every day, and we just keep going. We do not fall apart. It’s natural. Remember to do the same thing in your media interviews. If you make a little fumble in your media interview, just keep on going with confidence! When I coach leaders, faculty, staff and students for media interviews and teach students in my undergraduate communications and public speaking classes, I tell them to “stumble with grace,” to get right up and keep going. Of course, singing this “Sound of Music” classic can help too: “I have confidence in me!”
3) Be thoughtful and pick your best designated talker
When picking your “designated talker” for a media interview or presentation, take time to consider your choice. I’m sorry, but the hard truth is that the person at the top is not always your best communicator! Be mindful of that when planning for any media interview. There are surely hidden gems among your employees who are good communicators for areas of expertise (especially those who have grown up in a digital media culture). After the first media interview, have the designated spokesperson watch/listen to it. Sorry, but you have to. That person will be able to make adjustments right away, and you will see huge improvements between interview #1 and interview #2. It is a valuable learning tool. If you are the one who did the interview, it might be painful to watch, but I guarantee you will never rub your nose again on television, a podcast or any media interview!
4) Proofread
Get two or three people who are proficient in grammar and punctuation to check your copy. Look at your website right now. Are there typos? Spelling errors? There might be! Did you fill in all the details? Did you supply cutlines for the photos? Don’t cut corners and call someone an “employee” or “student.” Do the detail work and get his or her name. If you are using AI, make sure it is “your voice,” your sentiment. Everyone makes mistakes (and machines do, too), but it is painful to see professional organizations leave out important facts or leave misspelled words up on their websites for months.
