It’s always nice to have a client mention how pleased they were with your efforts, especially in a public forum. I recently did some work for a client of Beckwith Communications and Sandy Beckwith was kind enough to share some advice of mine on her blog regarding how to deliver bad news via interview.
1. Attempt to get 3 good messages out during any interview. What do you want people to remember from the interview?
2. The goal of any interview is not to answer the reporter’s questions but to use them as opportunities to deliver your message.
3. Remember when answering questions that your ultimate audience is your client or customer.
4. Always answer the question you wish they asked, not the question that was actually asked. “Bridge” to your message by saying, “That’s a good question but it’s important to understand …” or “Before I answer that, I’d like to say…” Use politicians as your role models.
Remember that effective crisis management involves delivering your information to the target audience, so make that interviewer work for you! You can find the rest of those tips along with other insights from Sandra here.
JB
Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com