WDC MEDIA'S: Nine Tips for Speaking Effectively with the Media

**Know Your Audience
Know which audiences the reporter writes or broadcasts for and develop messages that will resonate with those audiences whether they are suburban, downstate, or in a particular Chicago neighborhood. Keep that audience in mind as you are interviewing and try, as much as possible, to imagine yourself speaking directly to them.

**Be Prepared
Come to the interview in command of your facts. Prepare short, simple, easy-to-understand examples that help explain your main points. Be ready to articulate the one thing you want audiences to take away from the interview.

**Be Enthusiastic
Passion is contagious. The reporter and the public may have trouble latching on to your subject if your excitement and commitment don't come through. Get in touch with why you believe the topic impacts the lives of the audience and make sure that passion comes through in your messages.

**Sound Bites Rule
Reporters use quotes to make their stories come alive and get people's attention. Count on them to use your strongest, most controversial or colorful statement to illustrate their story. To avoid comments being taken out of context or statements that appear stronger than you intended, anticipate the reporter's questions by crafting sound bites in advance and then stick to them in the interview.

**Forbidden Topics
Expect reporters to return to extremely sensitive or controversial topics many times from different vantage points. It's their job to probe for cracks in your message. Saying "no comment" or obviously stonewalling only exacerbates the situation. Instead, try redirecting the conversation ("That's not the question you should be asking; the real question is…") or explain why this is not an appropriate topic for discussion at this time ("We are having an ongoing discussion of this issue, and I'm not ready to take a position at this time.").

**Stay on Message
Don't get mad or exasperated if you can't redirect the conversation. Also, don't succumb to games of "20 questions" or invitations to speculate about other people's motivations or actions-no matter how tempting-in an effort to end a persistent line of questioning. If the topic is really controversial, giving a little information may encourage the reporter to continue. Rather, stay on message and repeat an answer as many times as it takes to end the subject.

**There Is No "Off The Record"
When you've known and worked with a reporter for a long time, you can usually safely "go off the record." However, it is not something you should do if you are new to interviewing or don't know the reporter you are working with well. Assume everything is on the record and don't say anything you wouldn't want to see in print.

**It's Not Over Til It's Over
Reporters often get people to say things they hadn't intended by ending the interview and then continuing to talk in a friendly, conversational style. As long as a reporter is present, the interview is not over. Again, don't say anything you wouldn't want to see in print.

**Practice, Practice, Practice
Even seasoned interviewees need to refresh and practice their interview skills. If you are new to interviewing, take a class or start out on public affairs programs-reporters for these programs are usually friendly and helpful. Tape the session and review it with others to determine how well your messages came across. If you are in a crisis or a high stakes situation, get professional public relations help. An outside assessment is almost always a necessity for developing convincing, effective messages.

### ### ### ###

Vision. Passion. Commitment. Together, these distinctives comprise the drive for excellence that WDC Media is known for. They set the stage for a dynamic communications strategy that effectively maximizes the needs of our clients.