How to Talk Through the Media to Your Target Audiences
Obvious dread. Turning an improbable shade of red. Weird stomach noises.
As a public speaking instructor at Auburn University, I saw it all. During my subsequent decade as a communicator, I’ve seen countless similar reactions at the very mention of chatting with a journalist.
The good news is, there are easy tactics you can practice to conquer the art of interviews! Here are two important strategies to help you approach interviews with confidence—and to say exactly what you want to say, every time.
Plan What You Want to Say
When I work with a team to prepare for a media engagement, I always ask one question: what message do YOU want your audiences to walk away with after they read, watch or listen to your interview? It’s important to remember that you are the one shaping the conversation and the key takeaways.
Start by choosing the 2-3 most important points your team wants to highlight during the interview.
Plan what the interviewee (whether that’s you or a leader you’re working with) is going to say based on those priority talking points.
Practice! Even a seasoned CEO will benefit from running through their answers at least once before chatting with a journalist.
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Pro tip: Don’t memorize your answers word for word (unless that’s a proven strategy for you!) This can make you sound robotic—and in some cases, become flustered if you forget one of your planned lines.
Learn the Art of the Pivot
You know what your most important takeaways are. You’ve planned your talking points. You’ve even practiced! And then the journalist asks you a question...about something completely different. It’s time for you to practice your pivot phrases.
Pivot phrases (sometimes called bridging phrases) empower you or your spokerson to change the conversation and redirect it toward your core messaging. Great pivots refocus your listener on what you want to talk about! Here are just a few of our favorites:
Great question, but what’s most important for parents to understand is…
Keep in mind that…
Let me tell you what we’ve been seeing…
That’s an interesting question, but what I’m here to talk about is...
That is an issue, but what the public is most concerned about is…
Well, first, I would like to say…
The important thing to focus on…
That’s one view, but we need to look at how this fits into the bigger picture…
Before you answer the question, remember: it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.
You can download a list of our favorite pivot phrases here! And, in our typical Forthright fashion, we’re sharing even more resources to help you succeed in your media relations, from the first steps of pitching all the way to tracking your media mentions.
