Njba training deck

Making It YOUR Interview
Techniques for working the media & other confrontational audiences
New Jersey Builders Association
May 13, 2013
Presented by Doug Fenichel, APR
In-House Public Relations

Introductions
Making it YOUR Interview
1. Your Name
2. Who you work for
3. What you do there
4. What you do for the New Jersey Builders Association
5. Why you’re here
6. Have you ever done a media interview? How did it go?

Introductions
Doug Fenichel, APR
• 10 years in radio/television and newspaper journalism
• Joined AT&T Public Relations during break up
• Accredited public relations executive.
• President, In-House Public Relations
• Adjunct Professor of Communications – Fairleigh Dickenson Univ.
• Past President, Public Relations Society of America-NJ Chapter
• Member, Mount Olive Economic Development Committee
• Member, Flanders Fire Company #1 and Rescue Squad
• Member, Community Builders and Remodelers Association
• Member, North Central Jersey Association of Realtors

Introductions
In-House Public
Relations Clients

Goals
1. Increase confidence & comfort level with the media
2. Develop an understanding of the media
3. Learn how to structure a “media contract”
4. Become a “credible” spokesperson
5. Enhance your reputation (and that of your
organization) with the media

Media: Who are they?
MEDIA

• News media shape perceptions of
products, companies and industries
• Negative/positive perceptions affect sales,
stocks, ability to do business
• Negative/positive story outcome can
depend on you and how you deliver your
message!

• Traditional
• Books
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Electronic
•Television
• Radio
• Social
• See above
• Blogs
• E-zines
• Social networking sites

 Professionally curious
and skeptical
 Competitive
 Deadline-driven
 See journalism as a
cause
 Covering multiple or
very broad beats
 Multimedia

A “Good” Reporter:
Objective...Not personally involved
Fair…Gives both sides a chance
Accurate...Gets it right the first time
Listens…Truly wants to understand
Interesting...if nobody cares, the story
isn’t worth much (“If It Bleeds…It
Leads”)

Bad influences
• Incredible competition
• 24-hour news cycle
• Insecurity
• Beat the clock
• Find a new angle
• Live and die on their deadlines
It’s a world of constant change

• Visual medium
• Assignment desk posts
assignments for A.M.
• Morning Show cut in
reporters following last
night’s news
• Stories and Footage for the
Five is done by 4:15
• 6 is the 5 only with added
Can break in any time
• Video isn’t just for TV
anymore

• Audio medium
•Dying medium for local news
• Pre and post-market news radio
• The Peak – DRIVE TIME
• Material is collected all day
• Most info from wire services, local
news not always wanted
• Web radio

• Assign and find “Talking
Heads”
• As day progresses picking up
from local stations, wires
• European News is usually
early morning

• Original social network
• Members contribute
stories
• Reporters add to local
stories
• Focus is rarely local
• Distribute to other media
• Accessible on the Web

• Dailies, weeklies, general, trades
• Reporters get ideas from many
places, including wire services,
other media, trade journals and
releases
• Reporters have multiple beats and
cannot be experts in all of them
• Papers divided into desks, run by
editors who manage reporters
• Mid to late afternoon – crunch time
• Early evening – deadline & rewrite
• Huffington Post, Patch, bloggers

How does a recovering housing market
impact New Jersey’s economy?
How would you modify your answer to this for different media?

Let’s take a break

Know what you know.
Know what you don’t know
Know how to state what you know.
Know how to get away from what you don’t know
Preparing yourself

Preparing yourself
FACT
FACT
CONCLUSION
Most people speak in pyramid style

Preparing yourself
FACT
FACT
HEADLINE
Need to learn to speak in headlines, then add support

Preparing yourself
• Know and articulate three key messages
• Deliver messages in a simple, straightforward
and positive manner
• Key messages applicable to all public
comments you make
• Messages are consistent in all communications

Preparing yourself
• Who am I trying to reach?
• What do I want them to remember?
• What is the audience concerned about?
• Are my messages simple,
straightforward, and understandable?
• Would I be persuaded...if I didn’t already
know what I know?

Preparing yourself

Types of interviews
Phoner In-Person Ambush

Types of interviews
On Camera Social

Playing by the rules
Yes, there are rules…

• A direct question deserves a direct
answer
• If you don’t know the answer, say so
• No “no comment”
• Honesty is the best policy
• If a reporter gets something wrong,
immediately correct it

There is no “off the record”
• If you don’t want it quoted, don’t say it
• Off the cuff remarks can be next day’s
headlines
• Background statements can be quoted

There is no “no comment”
• Declining to answer a question is ok, but
NEVER say “No Comment”
• And ALWAYS use the opportunity to
bridge to what you want to say

Declining to answer
• When is it appropriate to not answer a
question?
– Personal opinion
– Competitive information
– Hypothetical situations
– Response to unfamiliar stats or comments
– Status of issues under negotiation or legal review
– Info you don’t know

Blocking & Bridging
• Blocking -- Halting the direction of the
interview
• Bridging -- Going from where you are to
where you want to be
• Flagging – Redirecting the interview to
a key point of importance

Blocking & Bridging
Question AnswerResponse
Deserves a Response
BridgeBlock

Blocking & Bridging
• Don't evade...restructure
• Asked about a problem? Talk about a
solution
• Don't become fixated by the question
• Number your points

Blocking & Bridging
Third-Party
Endorsements
Analogies
Facts/
Statistics
Experience/
Examples

Blocking & Bridging
• Swim into safer waters through the use
of “connectors”
– Yes...The real issue here is...
– No, but what I can say about that is...
– I don’t know...but what I do know is...
– Let’s look at that another way...

Dirty Tricks
• Mike is always live
• Camera is always on
• Anything in sight is fair game
• “Would you say…”
• “I heard that…”
• Silence isn’t golden
• Antagonism is powerful

Take a break

Commandment 1
Thou shalt treat reporters
(and everyone else)
with respect…
even when it isn’t returned.

Commandment 1
That means:
•Returning calls
•Honoring deadlines
•Honoring agreements
•Insisting on your rights

Commandment 2
Begin your preparations:
• Agree to a time do to the interview
•Call public relations, others
•Negotiate the “interview contract”

Commandment 2
Interview contract
• Agree to a time do to the interview
•Call public relations, others
•Negotiate the “interview contract”
•Understand your rights, their right

Commandment 2
Your “Bill of Rights”
• Know what the story is about
• Help define the agenda
• Know how long the interview will take
• Know whether you’ll be quoted
• Know who else is being quoted
• Know if there are photos or video

Commandment 2
Your “Bill of Rights”
• Know if interview is live or taped
• Know about your interviewer
• Ask questions about the interview
• Be treated respectfully
• Depend on PR or other help

Commandment 2
Your “Bill of Rights” excludes:
• Knowing the questions in advance
• Seeing the story in advance
• Changing quotes or editing the story
• Expecting to be the only one presented

Commandment 2
Reporter “Bill of Rights”:
• Reasonable access to legitimate,
prepared news sources
• Have deadlines, logistical needs
considered
•Get a concise and direct answer
•Conduct follow-up calls for clarification
• Refuse a request to see the story in
advance
• Redirect the interview to the subject
• Evaluate and report the story

Commandment 2
Preparations include being helpful
• What do you need?
•How can I help you?
•What is your deadline?
•How did you find me?
•Did anyone refer you to me?
•What is your story about? Am I really
the correct source?
• How can I help you better understand
my business?

Commandment 2
Preparations include being helpful
• Who will read/watch your story?
•What is the context of your story?
•What triggered your story idea?
•Is there a specific point of view you’d lik
to explore?
• How much of my time will you require?
•When and where will it run?

Commandment 2
All this leads to 2 major points:
• Builds relationship, trust & understanding
•Puts the reporter as ease because
you understand reporter’s goals, needs
• Helps you decide if you want to proceed
and, if so, if you’re the right person.

Commandment 3
Thou shalt remember:
“I am the expert unto whom the
reporter came for information”
“I shall pitch as well as catch,
for it is as much my game as
The reporters!”

Commandment 4
Thou shalt gather thine information.
Thine information shall make thee
prepared, for such is the stuff of
successful interviews.
From thine info, thou shalt write
thine heds

Commandment 5
Thou shalt do the interview
Confidence, always remembering
Commandment 3

Commandment 6
Thou shalt do thine interview right:
• Stay on message
• Stay on the record
•No opinions
•Think before you speak
•Don’t repeat language
• Speak only about what you know

Commandment 6
Thou shalt do thine interview right:
• Be honest
• Don’t speculate
• Don’t comment on rumors
• Correct misinformation
• Bridge, bridge

Commandment 7
Never shall thou say
“No comment”

Commandment 8
Thou shalt stay cool…

Commandment 9
How dost thee understan
the question posed
unto thee?

Commandment 10
Thou shalt thank thine
inquisitor and be availabl
for his or her follow up.

A few more dos and don’ts
• Agree to the Interview
• Remember the reporter has a stake in
a good story
• Remember your message
• Make sure you understand the
question
• Make answers concise & quotable
• Think before talking
• Keep your headlines in mind

• Be anecdotal, enthusiastic & likable
• Listen actively
• Be correct , don’t guess

• Don’t
– Accept “what if” questions
– Use jargon
– Go off the record
– Repeat negative language
– Throw ad weight around
– Depend on the reporter to ask all the
questions you want to answer
– Allow mistakes to go uncorrected

• Don’t
– Offer personal opinions
– Stray from agreed-upon subjects
– Disparage others
– Don’t preannounce
– Don’t allow words to be put in your mouth
– Don’t worry about using hands or smiling

After the interview
• Get on with life!!
• Unless requested to do so, don't call the
reporter and offer to check technical points
• If you don't like the line of questioning,
don't try to go over reporter's head to get a
story killed
• If story works out, don't send gifts (thank
you note is OK)

What does a PR guy do?
• Knows the reporters
• Negotiates “contract”
• Helps you with headlines, talking points
• Follows up with reporters
• Gets you into stories you should be in
• Coaches you

Let’s practice!

“Were it left to me to decide whether
we should have a government without
newspapers or newspapers without a
government, I should not hesitate a
moment to prefer the latter.
Thomas Jefferson

All business in a democratic society
Begins with public permission and
Exists by public approval.
Arthur W. Page

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