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"Clearly, the media isn't going to go away. You may
shut yourself in your office, ban interviews, communicate
to the public with pre-taped talks, canned speeches, and
public relations pieces, but the media will still be there
. . . It's better to learn how to deal with them. If you
are not practiced in dealing with them, you may at one
point in your career bungle an important interview, damaging
your career and your business."
Brent Filson, Executive Speeches
Overview
Beyond the world of speeches and presentations, there
is the world of mass media: television, radio, newspapers,
and magazines. These media do not ignore technical experts
as sources. In fact, they commonly seek out their opinions
on nearly every subject imaginable, from technology and
business to culture and the environment. You may be invited
to appear on a television documentary, radio show, TV
show, or to act as a source for a news story. Are you
ready for prime time?
Unlike in professional discussions and formal presentations,
media people control when, where and how your story is
depicted. They edit what they want and leave out what
doesn't suit their preconceived story line. Especially
on radio and TV, they limit the time allotments. They
may decide that only one-eighth of your interview fits
their story, leaving out what you thought was your most
important statements. They may decide that only a few
statements you made supported their editorial position
and leave out the other half of your opinion. They may
even choose the statements you make that are most in line
with their tone and style. Thus, if you say something
in an exaggerated, emotional way, they may use it only
because their news product reflects sensationalism and
controversial topics. Worst of all, they may only use
one or two phrases from hours of interviews, simply because
their time requirements only permit 20 seconds worth of
your information.
Since media outlets are highly selective, you must approach
the challenge of technical communication with the utmost
diligence and forethought when dealing with them. Therefore,
you must be your own on-the-spot editor, ensuring that
you provide the most precise, selective information, with
little room for error or misinterpretation.
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A
flattering headshot photo (in the format commonly
used by corporate executives) that depicts you in
an everyday "non-technical" situation. For example,
a scientist will appear less technical and more
approachable in a suit and tie, as compared to a
lab coat. |
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Biographical history: a list or resume of your professional
accomplishments, job titles, awards and projects. |
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Job Title/description and contact information: your
current position title and a description of what
you do, with your organization's mission and your
current professional objectives. There should also
be contact information provided so people can reach
you (phone number, FAX, e-mail address, etc.). |
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Published
materials: copies of reports, white papers, books,
studies and articles you have written - also lists
of any major speeches you have given, television
interviews, or media stories on you. |
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Photos:
it cannot be emphasized enough how important it
is to provide photos of your work, whether photos
of products, technologies, or the environment you
work in. |
Preparing for Interviews and Appearances
If you recall from Section II, it's imperative to know
your audience. In the case of appearing before the media,
you must also know who will interview you and what questions
they intend to ask. By learning this, you can gather information
on their background, interviewing style and their position
on the issues. You may also learn whether or not they
have a technical background and what types of technical
stories they have already covered. As usual, you must
learn as much as you can about the audience. Chances are,
if it's the mainstream media, the audience will have a
broad demographic range. However, you might be able to
narrow things down, such as age range, sex, ethnicity
and education level, just by gathering information on
your media's markets. (Request their press kits for this.)
Here are some specific tips to consider:
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Request
the press kit or media kit of the organization that
plans to interview you or have you as their guest.
Study the demographic information on their audiences,
so you can tailor your presentation accordingly. |
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Find
out who will interview you. Learn what you can about
their media personality, position, previous stories,
and background. |
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Request
a list of questions in advance, whether they are
interview questions or debate topics. Ask what type
of information they seek from you. |
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Write
small scripts, typical responses, or statements
that you can memorize in advance. |
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Find
out who else is being interviewed or will be present
for the event. Do they support or refute your position?
What are their styles like? |
Speak
with Deliberateness
Before you appear in the media, be sure that you have
a communications strategy. In other words, prepare yourself
to be deliberate. Know what points you want to communicate
and be ready to take questions and defend them. Have your
research ready. Rehearse the tone that you wish to take
with your audience. If you appear ambiguous or ambivalent
about your subject, you will not be an effective communicator.
Let people know where you stand and why. Here are some
tips to consider:
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Study
as much research as you can that both supports and
refutes your position. Be prepared for all sides
of the argument |
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Prepare
responses to critical arguments inherent to your
position. |
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Determine
the tone you wish to take. |
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Speak
slowly and carefully choose your words. |
Preparing the Winning Sound Byte
Media people are always looking for it . . . that one
line that crystallizes it all, the statement that is packaged
with clarity, succinctness, and symbolism. It can be a
fact or an opinion; it can be humorous or dramatic; and
it can make you look good or bad. It's the winning sound
byte. You hear them every day on the news, in documentaries
and in commercials. Sound bytes are usually very brief
statements. They can be as brief as a five-second phrase
and as long as a minute or more. Ultimately, they have
impact. They stand on their own and are easy to recall.
If you are going to be communicating in the mass media,
you should already have a clear idea of which portions
of your speech or discussions will be sound bytes. You
can even prepare them in advance by making certain statements
irresistible for the editors of media sources. The following
table will help you prepare your own sound bytes:
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Isolate Your Statement
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Leave
several seconds of space on either side of your
statement so that news editors will have no problem
extracting it from the tape. Often, people speak so quickly that editors
cannot cut the tape seamlessly.
In such cases, the sound byte sounds incomplete
and rushed as it flows quickly into the next point.
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Emphasize Tone
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As
you get near to saying your sound byte, pause
and change tones. If it is intended to be a dramatic
statement, be sure to say it with intensity, passion
and intention.
If it is humorous, be sure to say it with
irony, mockery or a playful tone.
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Try Poetics
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Try
to incorporate some poetics, a rhythmic quality
to your statement. Use poetic devices such as hyperboles, metaphors,
onomatopoeias, oxymorons, etc.
Try to make your words colorful and memorable.
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Clean Up Your Speech
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Try
to remove unnecessary fillers such as ugh,
um, hmmm, and, etc. These words make poor
substitutes for a brief silence.
They make you appear less intelligent,
as if you are unsure about your statements.
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Use Transitions
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Words
and phrases such as consequently,
as a result, finally, on one hand, in one way,
etc. are often used as transitional statements.
They link one idea seamlessly to the next.
By using transitions in your speech, you
will sound more organized, well-thought out. You
will make it easier for people to follow your
ideas. In addition, you will make it easier for
editors to extract key statements in the right
context.
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Turn Statements into Provocative
Questions
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If
you can turn a statement into a question, you
may increase the likelihood of creating a winning
sound byte. You
could say, “Noise pollution is one of the most
controversial problems in suburban America today.”
Or you could say, “The question for suburban
Americans today is ‘would you like to have a power
plant in your back
yard?’ ”
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Create the Self-Powered Analogy
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There
are some analogies that require little or no further
explanation. They are highly effective because they illustrate
a technical point perfectly in laymen’s terms. These self-powered analogies also serve as
winning sound bytes.
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