Why do bad interviews happen to good people? The reason behind that - bad prep work by PR folks who are missing the mark when it comes to media training. The second part to this is the willingness of the spokesperson to take the time to brief, research, and prepare. Media training isn't about just going over the dos and don'ts of media interviews but it's about understanding your key messages, delivery, authenticity, and knowing your audience.

1. MediaTraining

2. Media Training 2011 Prepared by Cindy Kim Email: kimvanhorne@gmail.com Twitter: @CindyKimPR Blog: The Marketing Journalist Blog http://cindykimblog.wordpress.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/CindyKim

3. make an Impression

5. Common - junior/pro/cynic

6. Rare - Winos and politicos/bridge burners/newshounds

7. The Print Process

8. Researching a story

9. Editing

10. Deadlines

11. How PR people develop stories

12. Features/Case Studies

13. News stories

14. Opinion pieces

15. Interview Environments

16. One-on-one/lunch

17. Telephone/casual

19. Have very little time available and are working to tight deadlines

20. Won’t remember much about your company if they met you six months ago

21. Will have spoken with your competitors recently

22. May be distracted by thinking about the (unrelated) article they’ve got to finish that afternoon

23. Will have different levels of experience and knowledge of the industry

24. Are more interested in your customers than your company

25. Will be more excited by a sniff of a disaster / product failure

28. Know the publication

29. Know their space & what they cover

30. Know the topic for the interview

31. Know your messages/talking points

32. Be prepared for hard questions

33. Know your competitive messaging & positioning

34. Ask for a briefing document

35. Ask for the journalist’s bio

38. Be dynamic

39. Tell a GOOD story

40. Paint a picture; illustrate

41. Add personalization

42. ALWAYS answer the QUESTION

43. Make it a two-way dialogue

46. Know the space

47. Understand the issues

48. Use examples

49. Ask the journalist if they’re familiar w/ this space

51. Elevator Pitch Supporting Messages Proof Points

53. Think about your three most important messages

54. Repeat, repeat, repeat

55. Keep it succinct – simple ‘sound bites’

56. Personalize - add anecdotes and put it in your own words

57. Illustrate and paint the picture

58. Practice, practice, practice

61. Don't get into an argument or become critical

62. Don't make the other person appear wrong or guilty for not understanding or agreeing with you

63. Change emphasis -- negative to positive, e.g.

64. Change emphasis -- general to specific, or specific to general

65. Use an example to demonstrate your idea, or a visual aid

68. Don’t bluff your way through an answer

69. *Don’t take a call directly from a reporter

70. Don’t lie

71. Don’t be defensive

72. Don’t comment on subjects outside your knowledge area

73. Don’t answer hypothetical questions and don’t speculate

75. Never get into an argument

76. Never say ‘no comment’

77. Never tell a journalist he/she is wrong

78. Never criticize a competitor

82. “COMPANYbelieves…..”

83. “COMPANY’s solutions….”

84. “COMPANYhelps its customers….”

85. Maintain an ‘open door’ attitude to talking about your company (publicONLY)

86. Try to build rapport with the journalist – long term relationship goal

87. Become comfortable with silence

88. Project a confident, yet helpful demeanor

90. What are the biggest challenges facing….?

91. How does COMPANY solve business challenges….?

92. What makes COMPANYunique?

93. be Successful

95. Convey a positive image of your company

96. Position your company favourably against your competitors

97. Influence journalists to perceive your company as a key player in your market

98. Generate an article or mention in a feature following the interview

99. Lead to closer media relationships and ongoing coverage in target publications

100. As a Spokesperson you are:

101. The voice of the company

102. The expert on your subject / industry

105. Remember that how you relay that information will have the most impact on what is remembered by the editor

106. Illustrate confidence, control, comfort and certainty in your interview

107. Use warmth, sincerity, facial expressions and vocal inflection to create a strong and positive impression

110. Don’t assume they know your language

111. Control your use of jargon

112. Use analogies to add colour, and especially if the editor appears to be confused

113. Speak dynamically, using hand movements to help convey your enthusiasm

114. Beware of using "vocalised pauses" (um, uh, okay...), as they can become very distracting during an interview

116. Don’t fidget or play with your pen – it can be distracting for the journalist

117. Maintain eye contact

118. Use hand gestures to animate your voice

119. Smile and nod encouragingly when the journalist asks questions

120. Pause

121. Use facial expressions to add warmth to your delivery

122. Don’t leave your cell phone on

123. Don’t play with your BlackBerry during an interview (face to face)

124. Telephone Interviews

125. If caught by surprise, find out the focus of the interview and call back

126. Avoid using mobile phones

128. Provide non-published financial information

129. Say anything slanderous!

130. Reference customers that are not yet ‘cleared’ / deals not yet signed

131. Mention impending changes/re-structuring

132. Share any views on your company’s shortcomings!

133. Do!

134. Summarise (“This is an important issue for three reasons…”)

135. Spell your name

136. Confirm your job title and company