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Media Relations Training
- 1. 10/31/15 1 Media Interviewing Training Leadership Group
- 2. Media Policy • Refer all inquires from the media to the Marketing Department (x2005) from 8:30 am to 5 pm • Nights and weekends refer to nursing supervisors • Emergency care center nurse • Administrator-on-call • Administrative Director of Marketing, Planning and Community Relations
- 3. How Marketing Screens Stories • Date and time of call • Media representative’s name/title • Name of news organization • Address, Phone, Fax, E-mail • Thrust of the story • Information requested • Sample questions • Other people being interviewed • Deadline • When and where story will appear/air
- 4. When you might be called upon • New program or service • New staff member • Patient profile • Charitable donation • Awareness week or month • Current or topical event • Statewide or regional industry issues • Adverse event • Crisis
- 5. The Realities •It is not a conversation •The reporter is not who you are talking to •It is not casual or off-the-cuff •There is no such thing as off the record •You are owed no favors
- 6. An Effective Spokesperson •Shows empathy •Is natural and straightforward •Is prepared •Shows credibility and expertise •Is honest and open
- 7. Use Plain English •Avoid jargon, industry terms, or abbreviations. Responses should be targeted for the general public. Speak with words that would be understood by a junior high school student.
- 8. Limit Statistics • Don’t use too many numbers, percentages or statistics. Remember, you are speaking to the reporter’s audience. People can’t absorb and retain too many statistics, especially in broadcast interviews. Isolate one or two statistics and repeat them a few times. As much as possible, try to put statistics into human terms.
- 9. You can say, “ I don’t know” • Never answer a question unless you are certain of the answer. Instead, say: • “That’s a good question. But I’m not the right person to answer it.” • “I will be better prepared to tell you that about 2 pm today.” • “I can get you that information. It will take a few calls on my part. What is the best way for me to reach you?” • “I want to make sure to give you accurate information, so I’ll need to check something first and get back to you.”
- 10. Avoid Saying “No Comment” • “We are still gathering information at this point can I get back to you?” • “I can only talk to you about the work I do here at CMC/DHK as a -----. If you need info beyond that scope you should check with Tom in Marketing to point you to someone who can discuss those types of issues.” • “I am not certain anyone knows the answer to that question at this point.”
- 11. Speak with Narrow Authority • Speak only from your professional position. If you are a physician, discuss clinical issues. If you are an administrator, discuss administrative issues. • Don’t discuss national or industry trends. • Don’t discuss what your competitors are doing. • Share your knowledge and perspectives that are a result of your experience and training. • If a reporter is looking for comments beyond your purview, refer him or her to
- 12. Be Concise • Keep answers short and to the point. Long answers will be edited. You may or may not like how the reporter edits your response. By keeping it short, you can edit yourself. Answers should be 15 to 20 seconds in length. • Get your messages out first. The interview may only last a few questions.
- 13. Use bridges and highlighters • The key thing to remember is… • Let me explain how it works… • If there is one thing I want you to know… • That’s one aspect, but the most immediate concern is • You’ve raised a lot of issues, the one that is most important to CMC/DHK is… • What we really need people to know about this situation is….
- 14. Reframe Negatives • If a reporter uses a closed probe that contains negative claims and charges, do not repeat the claims. Don’t repeat words like misconduct, infected, or discriminated • Use neutral words like situation, event, condition, or issue. • Posture from the positive. • Refute any accusation.
- 15. Stay Cool and in Control • Never loose your cool. Some interviewers might try to rustle your feathers to incite a powerful response. Remember that this is not a normal conversation. Each party is engaged in verbal tactics to fulfill their professional goals. Your goal is to present a controlled, professional, image—no matter what is alleged, accused, or asked.
- 16. It’s never “ either or” • A question that requires a yes or no or a series of options may be too limiting for you to respond to. You can’t say how bad something is on a scale of one to ten. You don’t need to choose among alternatives offered in a multiple choice question: “Was this pipe bomb a warning or a hoax?” Once again you will need to reframe the question in order to answer it. • “I wish the answer was that simple…” • “The solution is not that black and white…” • “The problem is so complex that it’s impossible for me to put it into those terms. But I can tell you that…”
- 17. Never answer…What If? • “I can’t predict the future. But, I can tell you what we are doing right now to…” • “I really can’t guess about what might happen…” • “Instead of speculating about remote possibilities, I’d rather stay focused on the facts of the matter. We have…” • “We have a contingency plan that considers a range of scenarios. Right now, we are…
- 18. Never Speculate About • What if • Suppose… • What went wrong • What might result • What someone might do • How someone is feeling • Whether this is a pattern • How much it will cost • Who is responsible
- 19. Never Do the Following • Don’t get aggravated, angry, or defensive. • Don’t attack a competitor or other organization. • Don’t use slurs, swears, or slang. • Don’t make jokes or threats. • Don’t be sarcastic or condescending. • Don’t speculate, estimate, or guess. • Don’t adlib. Always be prepared. • Don’t avoid the media, cover up or lie.
- 20. Protect Confidentiality • When an inpatient (>18) does not opt out (says “no”) to having info public • When media identifies patient by name, we can let the person know the person was admitted and give a one-word condition: good, fair, serious, critical, or undetermined. • Under 18 need written parental permission • If unable to opt in/out, not info till able • Can indicated deceased only (not time/date/cause) after next of kin notified.
- 21. Accept, Don’t Cast Blame • Don’t shift blame or responsibility to others or magnify another’s involvement or fault. • “This is a tragic event. We are deeply concerned. We want you to know that we are taking every possible step to understand what contributed to the outcome. Based on what we learn, our systems and procedures will continue to be strengthened and improved.”
- 22. Know when to Close • If an interview is going poorly, end it quickly and positively. For example, “The questions you are asking are different from what I was told to expect. I’ll contact the public relations department for you. They should be able to connect you with the right person to talk with you about these issues. Thank you for your time.” Get up and walk away. If the reporter keeps asking questions, just keep walking.
- 23. Just the Facts • What happened. • When. • Where. • Who. Types of people involved. (25 adults, two children or a registered nurse) • What is the status of the situation is at this time. • What is being done to address the issue or event.
- 24. What the Media Wants to do • Localize • Humanize • Dramatize • Individualize
- 25. The Media’s 5 Ws • Who • What • When • Where • Why • How much
- 26. What else the media wants to know • How the organization plans to proceed? • How much money has been lost, spent, made or requested? • Extent of damage to property. • Number of injuries or fatalities. • Background information on the facility, person or event. • What staff, patients, or family members are thinking or feeling? • Has this ever happened before? • What repercussions are anticipated?
- 27. Your responsibility •Consider questions •Prepare responses •Think before you speak •Expect imperfection •Learn from your mistakes
Editor's Notes
- An Effective Spokesperson Upbeat and Energetic When talking with the media be lively, upbeat and optimistictic, while maintaining professionalism. Appear excited about your facility’s purpose. Maintain “open” posture. Adopt a slight “smile of attention” while waiting for your next question. Don’t be stale or flat in your manner of speaking. Use rhythm and inflection in your voice to accent key points. Use your hands when you talk. It’s also OK to be a bit corny with punchy phrases, personal anecdotes, or cliches. Show Empathy Though an optimistic presentation is an effective tool for gaining audience trust, and approval, be careful to respect the nature of the situation. A more somber approach might be indicated in certain serious conditions. In matters where injury, damage or death has occurred it is important to communicate concern and sympathy with your words, manner of speaking and body language. Be Natural Even though you need to prepare and rehearse your responses, try to appear as natural as possible during interviews. Relax. Let your personality come through. Try to adopt a conversational, friendly, approachable presentation. Don’t talk too fast or too slow. Be careful not to be staged or have automated responses; you won’t be received as genuine or sincere. Be Prepared Ask the reporter what he or she plans to ask and who else is being interviewed for the story. Ask about the focus of the story and when and how it will appear. Anticipate questions you might be asked. Write out the questions and prepare written responses. Read your responses out loud. Rehearse in front of a mirror or with a friend. Role-play the interview with someone else while an audio or video recorder is running. Review the tape and identify your strong and weak points. Illustrate your Points Include personal anecdotes and examples when possible. Talk about people you’ve helped and how you’ve made an impact on their lives. Ever notice how every State of the Union address introduces the plight and life story of regular folks? It’s the same principal here, but with less detail about Little Jimmy with the leg braces. Also, think about using analogies, examples, and comparisons to illustrate your points. “Let’s not let this isolated situation overshadow the thousands of people who of Southville has successfully treated. I can think of one person in particular, a young single mother with schizophrenia, who was unable to care for herself or child because of the severity of her illness. Today, she is a college graduate and proud mother of a swim team champion. The expert care that she received at our facility gave this woman and her child a second chance at life.” “None of us is immune from the disease of chemical dependency, not even doctors or nurses. One in ten people will have a substance abuse problem at some point in their lives. Consider these odds next time you are at a baseball park, movie theater, or shopping center. One in ten of the people you see will develop an addiction. The good news is that we can successfully treat dependence.”
- Be careful about body language. Don’t be nodding in agreement and then switch tables
- Is it true your hospital failed to test that staff member for swine flu and that child’s death is your fault? “CMD/DHK adheres to and exceeds every regulatory precaution. We take our performance seriously—patient safety is always our utmost concern. We will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure we exceed the standards.” “We are cooperating with state health and human service officials to try to identify the source of the virus. Until we know more, we have elevated precautions to ensure the safety of patients and staff. Is it true your staff are dissatisfied? Our staff are not dissatisfied. Your patient satisfaction scores lag far behind your competitors?
- Never Say What If… We’ve already said don’t ever speculate, but for the sake of emphasis… When a question starts with if or suppose, you can safely assume you are being asked a hypothetical question. Never answer a hypothetical question. Always explain that you aren’t willing to speculate. Then segue into a message point. “I can’t predict the future. But, I can tell you about what we are doing right now to…” “I really can’t guess about what might happen…” “Instead of speculating about remote possibilities, I’d rather stay focused on the facts of the matter. We have…”
- Never Speculate Do not address any of the following issues in any of your correspondence or communication with the media. Why the event occurred. The names, addresses or phone numbers of victims, patients, families, or staff. How much the incident will cost or what the financial or regulatory impact of the event might be. Who is responsible for the event. What types of criminal charges, litigation, settlement, or insurance claims may result. How involved individuals might be feeling or what they are doing. Whether the event represents a pattern, trend, or warning light. The media sometimes looks for expert interpretation of events or behavior, but this is something we can’t do. It’s inappropriate and unethical for a member of the medical staff to discuss whether or not Lindsey Lohan has an eating disorder or what type of tubal igation would be best for the first lady. As a general rule, we cannot discuss people’s medical histories. Even with a authorized release of information, in most cases it would be improper and unethical to expose such information to the public. Certainly, we cannot speculate on the status or medical history of individuals who have never even been in our care. The good news is that, in cases like these, we may be able to help out with a story, just not in the way the reporter originally intended. We can talk about the types of eating disorders or tubal ligattions are available today. But, we cannot associate these generalizations with an individual.
- It is also against policy to participate in any story that might compromise patient confidentiality, care or safety. Likewise, those stories that might adversely affect the reputation of any facility or the credibility of the name, should be referred to corporate staff for review and coordination.
- The media will try to: Localize: Reporters will try to show the local significance and impact of the event on the community. They will talk to area civic leaders, neighbors, and competitors. In trying to demonstrate the importance of the story to their audience they may try to quantify the significance or show a trend through historical information, statistics, or anecdotes. They may also try to speak directly to audience members with a consumer scare-tactic approach: “How to prevent this from happening to you.” If an event occurs regionally or nationally, the media may examine the possibility of a local occurrence or look for local reaction. Humanize: All media want to put a human face to the story. The media wants “real people” to tell their stories, triumphs, struggles, and emotion. They will aggressively seek out the human factor behind every story. If the key individuals involved in event are unavailable for an interview, they will approach former teachers, neighbors, or employers. They will take photographs or videotape of people’s homes or workplaces. The will acquire yearbooks, wedding announcements, or candid family photographs to put a face with a name. They will hold up artifacts (a child’s schoolbook or mother’s diaper bag) during an on-camera stand-up to make a connection with a person’s life or death. Dramatize: The media will try to capture and convey for optimal emotional impact the most dramatic moments, effects and aspects of the story. This might try to recruit tears or outrage from individuals who are interviewed. Through a variety of production techniques they might also heighten a story’s drama, such as showing an empty swing set in a deserted playground with haunting music. Individualize: Each reporter or news outlet will try to put their own individual spin on the story. A story may be looked at from a financial, regulatory, or human interest angle. The main story may spin off related stories that examine the overall or specific aspects of the industry, issue, or problem. A reporter might profile individuals, communities or families who have dealt with similar circumstances. Other reporters may look for exclusive, high-impact, angles, which involve aggressive investigative reporting.