People who don't truly understand the media interview process or how journalism works will often bring an element of wishful thinking to their interviews. Even though they know on an intellectual level that a reporter is almost certain to ask them a very obvious, important and potentially controversial question about a given story, they pretend that it doesn't exist. They prepare for the interview as if that question can't possibly be asked. And when it does invariably get asked, they try to dance around the question, weasel out of it or get flustered and crash and burn.

You've obviously heard the expression 'the elephant in the room'. But if you don't know where it originates from, it's from an 1814 fable by Ivan Krylov (well, that's what Wikipedia says, anyway). The fable was titled, 'The Inquisitive Man' and tells the story of a man who goes to a museum and observes all kinds of tiny details but who fails to notice an elephant in the museum. Apparently people liked the phrase and so it stuck around. 

Where media relations is concerned, this idea is more prevalent when you're dealing with a reactive or issue/crisis situation. We've all seen executives or celebrities make this mistake of ignoring the elephant over the years (the BP oil spill, the Rob Ford crack scandal, the Tiger Woods scandal, United Airlines, Boeing...the list goes on). To me, this doesn't come down to how smart someone is, how nice they are or what a great person they might be. It comes down to a fundamental misunderstanding of the media relations process. 

Key Takeaways:

• If there's a glaringly obvious core to the story that you want to gloss over or distract reporters from because you fear it will be unpleasant, understand that the instinct to hide it or minimize it is your brain playing a trick on you. It's a trick because avoiding it won't make the reporters stop asking questions about it. It will only make them more determined to get to that core.

• If you're going to introduce the elephant in the room, do it early. Lead off the interview with it. Do it on your terms. A great example of this is the Maple Leaf Foods listeria crisis from 2008. Very early on, the company's CEO Michael McCain did a short YouTube video where he very much introduced the elephant in the room (that some kind of mistake had led to customers becoming sick and dying). You can check out that video by clicking here.

• If you want to see what happens when you avoid introducing the elephant in the room, check out this story about XL Foods' response to an E. coli crisis. A very different response than Maple Leaf Foods and a very different result.

• Introducing the elephant early can change the tone and outcome of a media interview for the better. You can't always prevent negative things from happening but you can control your company's response to those things. Introducing the elephant helps your company to come across as transparent, empathetic and responsible.

• When introducing this topic, always try to connect it to some positive action or response. For example, outlining the problem is great but providing a proposed solution, action plan and/or apology is better. Always connect the response to your audience.

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Executives and entrepreneurs dedicate their lives to self improvement. They vie for the most prestigious schools. Many pursue post-graduate studies. They go on retreats, read books, listen to podcasts, attend conferences, do cleanses, meditate, do yoga, try intermittent fasting. They’re constantly on the lookout for a hack. An edge. Something that will make them smarter, more agile, better prepared, more successful.

But so many of these leaders share the same glaring vulnerability: They don’t actually know how to prepare for and conduct a great media interview. Many of them think they do. They think so because maybe they’re good at giving presentations, or they have a lot of self confidence or they’re great at networking. But media interviews are their own unique animal and to be great at them demands focus and training.

I was doing a media training session a few months back with a man in the financial services industry who was also finishing his studies in a graduate business program. As we were wrapping up and I was packing up my equipment, he said, “You know…they didn’t teach us any of this in business school. The people in my class are leaders at billion-dollar companies and I don’t think any of them would be able to excel at what we did here today. They’re not preparing us for this.”

Media interviews matter. Whether they’re proactive or reactive. Whether they’re about a product you’re launching or a crisis you’re managing. Media interviews are part of the public record. And thanks to the Internet, they’re there forever for everyone to see. Your colleagues. Your shareholders. Your employees. Your great grandchildren. The quality of your media interviews can impact your share price, your employee morale, your chances at getting funding, the perception of your brand.

Why are more leaders not taking action to address this vulnerability? Because whether you’re doing a media interview or driving down a busy highway, a blind spot isn’t a problem until it is. You can speed along, blissfully unaware of the danger lurking in your blind spot. On the road, that vulnerability can lead to an accident. With the media, it can lead to underwhelming interviews, lost opportunities, doors left open for your competition and, in the worst instances, the need for damage control or for you to work on your resume.

So while you’re downloading that list of books that Bill Gates recommended or signing up for that leadership conference in Idaho, make a point to get proper media interview training for you and the members of your executive team and eliminate that blind spot once and for all.

When companies let their PR or marketing agency facilitate their media interview training sessions, they’re taking the path of least resistance. They’ll say things like, “It’s included in our monthly retainer" or “We already have a relationship with them”.

Maybe so. But the reality is that getting your PR agency to do your media training session is a mistake. It’s the easy move. After all, every public relations and communications company lists some sort of media training service on their website. However, that doesn’t mean their training will adequately prepare your spokespeople to safeguard your company’s brand in their dealings with the media.

Many people who don’t have a lot of experience with media training tend to think of it as a binary service offering. Their company’s spokespeople either got media training or they didn’t. If they check the box, the thinking goes, they’re all set and their people are ready to meet the press.

But that’s not the case. Media training isn’t binary. There are many styles, approaches and levels of quality that all fit under the umbrella term ‘media training’.

To be fair, any media training is better than no media training. However, if you’re going to make the investment in dollars and your executives’ time, doesn’t it make sense to arrange the best quality training you can? The difference, both in terms of impact and quality of media coverage, can be significant.

This isn’t about taking a shot at agencies. They absolutely have their areas in which they excel. It’s just that when it comes to the preparation of front-line spokespeople to handle media interactions, there’s a better option: experienced pros who make media training their full-time career.

I realize, gentle reader, that there could be the appearance of an inherent bias in this post. “But HE’S a full-time media trainer!” Valid observation. So please note that I’m not saying that these companies need to hire me instead of having their agency do their training session. I’m happy to throw my hat in the ring and let the market decide, so to speak. But there are probably about a half dozen or so (that I’m aware of, anyway) dedicated media training coaches in Canada who would be more than capable of delivering a great training experience for your spokespeople. I’m not going to list all of their names here (after all, this is a business, it’s not Wikipedia). But a quick Google search should provide you with at least three names from whom you can ask for proposals.

So why is your agency the wrong call to conduct your media training session? Here are a few specific reasons in my opinion:

• It’s not a core service for them - If you check their ‘services’ page on their website, it will include a list of about 20 things ranging from media lists to influencer relations. Media training is usually near the end of the list. How much effort do you think they’re putting into that training program?

• Agency turnover - Agencies have notoriously high rates of employee turnover. Their ‘go-to’ media trainer today probably won’t be working there 18 months from now. It’s hard to master something like media training in a short stint with an agency, especially when it isn’t your core day-to-day job.

• They will be reluctant to do anything to damage the ‘relationship’ - When you hire a media training pro to facilitate a session, you’re going to get the Simon Cowell treatment. They’re going to tell you, hopefully in a tactful and empathetic way, exactly where you stand in terms of your skills and what you need to do to improve. They won’t pull any punches. They’re there to make you better. Your agency reps, generally speaking, may be reluctant to provide frank, honest feedback because of a fear of bruising egos or hurting the client relationship.

• Their simulated interviews will be lacking - Because of a combination of all of the other reasons listed here, the simulated interviews probably won’t be as challenging as they should be to give your spokespeople a great workout. There’s an art to conducting a tough but fair simulated interview (and providing relevant feedback).

I appreciate that all of this is just one person’s opinion. If you work for one of those companies, however, that has its PR agency do its media training, I would suggest that the objective proof of this hypothesis is in your media coverage. Audit your media coverage. The quality of your quotes. The placement of them. The tone of the stories. The amount of ‘interview regret’ or the number of times you and your colleagues were emailing about how to manage or respond to coverage that wasn’t what you hoped it would be. If, after an honest assessment, you realize there’s a gap between where your company’s media coverage is and where you’d like it to be, the culprit probably isn’t the journalists you’re working with. Chances are it’s that when someone in your company arranged media training, they took the path of least resistance.

Media interviews can be stressful. After all, there’s a lot on the line. And while no two people are exactly the same, as someone who helps coach people to do better media interviews for a living, I can tell you that there are some very common sources of interview anxiety. Here are the most common reasons people are stressed out about their media interviews (and some tips for minimizing that stress so that your interview goes well) and you can get that great coverage you’re hoping for:

Worry #1: They could ask me anything

This is the biggest source of anxiety prior to an interview. Your mind starts racing with all the things they ‘might’ ask you and you spiral down a rabbit hole of terrible hypothetical topics. In reality, a media interview is a negotiated interaction. If it’s a proactive story you’re pitching, you know what the topic is. If it’s a reactive story where they’re calling you, the reporter should give you a clear overview of the focus of their story. Once you know the focus, it’s your job to craft some high-quality remarks that cater to that focus and tell an actual story that the reporter’s audience would find interesting. Could they go off script and ask you something totally out of the blue? Well, sure. Hypothetically. But in most cases, the questions should be fairly predictable. And if they do ask you something way off base and unrelated, you don’t need to feel compelled to serve up an answer. This isn’t a police interrogation. You can say something like, “That’s not my area of expertise so I’d be hesitant to comment on that.” or “It would be inappropriate for me to comment on behalf of….” or “That’s a bit outside what we agreed to speak about today. We could certainly look into setting up another interview but we’d have to run it through our media relations people again to make sure we’re getting you the answers you need.”

In almost all cases, however, if you simply provide three or four great answers that are related to the focus of the story, that will be the end of the interview.

Worry #2: I won’t have the interviewer’s questions in advance

I hear this a lot. I also hear the flip side of this, where people become very excited when they get the reporter’s question in advance. I would recommend that you spend more time thinking about your answers than the reporter’s questions. Again, we know what the focus of the story is. We can predict what most of the questions will be. Spend your time creating high-quality answers - answers that are short, concise, contain examples, points of view, stats, etc.

Henry Kissinger had this great line way back in the 1970s: “Who’s got questions for my answers?” It’s a line that makes people chuckle. But that’s the right approach.

And when people DO get the questions in advance? What happens almost every time is that the reporter’s questions change once the interview starts. This isn’t a malicious tactic. You probably just said something they found interesting or wanted to follow up on.

In my experience, a more useful thing to ask a reporter prior to an interview is: Can you please give me a sense of the types of questions you’d like me to answer for your readers/listeners/viewers. The information you get can then help steer you in a direction. But always spend more time writing answers than sweating about questions.

Worry #3: I had a bad media interview experience before and it’s got me doubting myself

We’ve all had a bad experience. But get back on that horse! If you go back and study the interaction and your coverage, I’ll bet you can figure out why the bad experience/coverage happened. Did you not prep enough? Did we not anticipate key questions? Answers that were too long? Too short? Not enough examples? Did we repeat the journalist’s negative words or speculate or speak on behalf of another person/group? These are some of the most common missteps but the list goes on. Figure out the specific reason your interview went off the rails and then make a point of working on that to fix it for next time. Practice interviews and media training can help.

Worry #4: Reporters are out to get us

No, they’re not. Well, most of the time. Unless your company is doing something offside and/or trying to hide unethical or inappropriate behaviour, the vast majority of journalists are just trying to get some quotes from you to tell their story. A lot of times, though, organizations have a defensive mindset when it comes to media relations, thinking that it’s going to be adversarial or antagonistic. Guess what happens when you treat the interaction as if they’re trying to get you? Your answers are probably going to come up as short, curt and defensive. Which is going to prompt them to dig and may make them think you have something to hide. Vicious circle ensues.

Try wiping the slate clean and creating your story/messages based on your audience and your understanding of the outlet and the stories they typically cover. Don’t think of the reporter as your enemy. Think of them as a filter through which you’ll pass your content for your ultimate audience.

At the same time, it’s important to understand that while they’re probably not out to get you, they’re also not out to help you. Journalists are not there to promote you or be your buddy. If you say something you shouldn’t, chances are that’s going to be very quotable.

So they’re not out to get you. And they’re not out to help you. Where does that leave you? As the architect of your interview. Don’t take a passive role. Figure out what you want to say and do your homework and prep in advance.

Worry #5: I talk too much when I’m nervous

The average media interview is way longer than it should be. And one of the reasons is that many spokespeople don’t know how to tell a story in a concise way. Think of the last paper you read or TV/radio broadcast you saw/heard. How long were the answers? They’re quite short. Often 10-15 seconds long. Sometimes double that for a live, studio TV interview. So why are we giving answers that are two minutes long? Before the interview, take a stopwatch and time how long it takes to read your messages. If any of them are longer than 20 seconds, you need to start chopping. Deliver your message, then stop. The reporter will ask you another question. It’s a great opportunity to breathe, to regroup and to think about your next answer.

Worry #6: I don’t want to have a ‘deer in the headlights’ moment

Fair enough. No one wants this to happen. But there are a few things you can do to prevent this unpleasant situation from bringing your interview to a grinding halt. First, prepare. Spend some time considering the topic, writing your content and doing a practice interview or two in-house. That will get you into the cadence and flow of a media interview.

Still, now and then, you can get a question you simply were not expecting and it can feel like a punch in the head. When that happens, ask yourself what the REAL question behind the question is. In almost every situation, the question that you might not be ready/equipped to answer will be related to a large issue/trend that you can comment on. Speak to THAT issue and you will be able to keep the interview rolling.

For example, if there’s a security incident at your facility and the reporter asks what time people will be let back into the building, some spokespeople would get stuck on this question since they don’t know the time. Cue deer in the headlights moment, stammering, etc.

But in this situation, what’s the issue behind the question? It’s about safety. So try this answer: “We want to ensure that everyone in the building is safe and accounted for. We are working with the authorities to make sure they have everything they need. Once they make the determination that it’s safe to return to the building, we will communicate that to our employees.” Next question please…

Much of the time, the anxiety people feel about media interviews is unfounded. You can usually trace their worry back to one of these points listed above. But if you spend some time really preparing and getting yourself in the mindset for an interview, you’ll realize that many of these worries will simply melt away. The result? Greater confidence and better media coverage.

I had a refresher media training session with a client last week - the CEO of a large not-for-profit. While we were chatting, I asked what she had thought of the video of her simulated TV interview that I had sent after our initial session back in the spring. She got this sheepish look on her face and said, “…I haven’t watched it yet.”

I’m guessing she’s not the only one. I just assumed that when I sent people the videos of their TV interviews from our training sessions, that they were watching them, analyzing their performance and looking for ways to improve. But I was ignoring one fundamental truth. For many people, watching/reading/listening to your own media coverage can be incredibly uncomfortable.

I get it. People - especially those who demand a lot of themselves (e.g. perfectionists) - often wish they had handled part of the interview differently. Some people just don’t like how they look on camera. Whatever the reason, they let their media coverage (or simulated media training coverage) sit in the cloud or on a hard drive, unread, unwatched, unlistened to.

If you’re looking to give the best media interviews possible, ignoring your coverage is a huge lost opportunity. As uncomfortable as it might be, revisiting your coverage with an objective eye is one of the BEST ways to improve your media interviewing skills.

When you don’t revisit your media coverage with a critical eye, here are the kinds of things you’re missing:

• Finding out which quotes the journalist actually chose to put in their story - this is arguable the most important reason to study your coverage. You can find out what resonated with the journalist and adjust/adapt accordingly for future interviews.

• Seeing if the quotes the reporter chose were in line with the messages you had written prior to your interview. Again - very important! This is the name of the game, after all. Figuring out the quotes you want to have in the story BEFORE the interview and then navigating the interaction in such a way that the journalist finds them irresistible.

• Seeing if you fell prey to any of the typical pitfalls of a media interview, such as physical tics (swaying, shuffling, wandering eyes), repeating negative language, speculating, making up content on the fly, being defensive, being boring, too much jargon, etc.

• Seeing how your quotes were used in the large context of the story. Did your competitor get better coverage (more quotes, a photo, quotes higher up in the story)? Did your quotes set the tone and even influence the headline?

Remember that famous quote from George Santayana? “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” This goes for media interviews as well. For 2019, I’m really going to be pounding on this idea with the people I get to work with. I will encourage them to force themselves to watch/read/listen to their media coverage in the spirit of self improvement and professional development.

Is watching your media coverage uncomfortable? You bet. But ask yourself what’s more uncomfortable? Spending a few minutes revisiting your media coverage and making notes so that you can get better? Or ignoring your coverage and staying at the same level of interviewing skill and making the same missteps time after time after time?

Interview regret…

It’s that nagging feeling, right after you’ve given a media interview, that you didn’t quite nail it. That you could have done a better job.

If only I had answered that one question differently. Did I say ‘um’ too many times? Could they see that I was sweating? They’re not going to put that last thing I said in the story, are they? If they do, our competitors are going to have a field day with it. What’s my boss going to say?

Cue anxiety. Self doubt. Interview regret.

Until they invent the time machine, the best way to avoid interview regret is to develop a better understanding of how a media interview really works (hint: it’s not a conversation), to be more intentional about your media interactions and to put in the work BEFORE the reporter even says hello.

There are a lot of otherwise smart, successful people out there who mistakenly think that the heavy lifting of a media interview takes place during the interview. That they need to be coming up with brilliant answers in the moment, improvising and adjusting on the fly.

The people who are able to consistently generate superior media relations outcomes are the ones who put in the work prior to the interview. They also know how to prepare. It’s not about writing five or six self-serving marketing messages and repeatedly flinging them at the reporter like a politician.

The best spokespeople are the ones who are able to think like reporters. They create authentic messaging that’s customized for their audience. They understand their rights and obligations in a media interaction. They know a short interview is better than a long one. They also know that they have more control over the length of an interview than most people think. They often have someone on staff who will push them and challenge them when it comes to honing their media relations skills. They’re mindful of telling their story with their words, rather than parroting back the reporter’s words (which is the most common media interviewing mistake). They understand the upside of doing a practice interview in-house (and getting frank feedback) before speaking to the journalist for real. They appreciate the value of great media training and put themselves through a workshop every few years to stay sharp.

Regret is part of being human. Who doesn’t regret a choice they’ve made or something they did or didn’t do in their life? But when it comes to media interviews (and the resulting coverage), however, regret is 100% avoidable. You just need to be willing to put in the required work before the interview starts.