In our over communicated, over networked world, we are hard wired to fill the void with information. Self-published video missives abound on YouTube and there’s a talk show for every imaginable topic.
But for grown-up businesses, sometimes the best thing to do is stop talking. In the quest of building a positive image, there is a zeal for over explaining. A former client could not help himself and spilled the beans “confidentially” to a reporter, then was astonished when the information showed up in print.
Unless you have a long relationship with a reporter and have built mutual trust, information is never off the record.
A best practice is to write down key messages and really embrace them so you can confidently and succinctly communicate. Unless you’re an experienced media source, don’t think you’re just going to riff these off with no practice.
Most people who are interview subjects are extremely uncomfortable with silence. The natural reaction in an interview is to keep the conversation going—which is exactly what experienced reporters want. Be comfortable with stating your response, then stop talking. It’s up to the reporter to ask follow up questions and dig deeper.
Interested in learning more? Drop me a message at mkathrynschmidt@gmail.com.
Schmidtcomm's Blog 