CorpComms Magazine

The idea of appearing on television may sound impossibly glamorous but as too many businessmen know to their cost, the reality can be somewhat different. Glaring studio lights coupled with a Paxman-style interviewing technique can create a situation where perfectly competent bosses are reduced to jittering wrecks.

In many ways, the demand for media training has never been higher as journalists increasingly prefer expert comment to generic chief executive interviews or comments from spokespeople. ‘We are seeing more than just company CEOs speak to the public. It no longer makes sense to just fall back on the chief executive for a potentially bland or inaccurate comment,' notes Jonathan Rooper, account director at CTN Communications.

The first thing any corporate communications director must consider is the kind of programme that their boss has been invited to appear on. Appearances on television news can range from a brief reaction to a financial results announcement to serious damage limitation in the aftermath of a catastrophic event. The length of the appearance can also vary widely. A television interview on Newsnight, for example, would typically last around three to four minutes. More documentary-style programmes such as Dispatches or Panorama would reasonably be expected to last around 45 minutes.

Longer interviews will tend to be more hazardous as it is easy to become relaxed and start treating the interview like a conversation. ‘These are the trickiest to do because they require considerable levels of concentration for a prolonged period,' says Warwick Partington, managing director of Media Training Masterclass. ‘Most people can keep their concentration for the first five to ten minutes of an interview, after that it gets harder.'

Such appearances are a great way to get your message out to those people who really matter. David Oakley, a consultant at broadcast PR agency Markettiers4dc, argues that Northern Rock failed to capitalise on the outlets available. ‘They failed to go to the consumer television media; they did one interview on the Today programme and avoided things like BBC Breakfast News. Consequently, the vacuum was filled by rumours, which then became queues and a run on the bank.'

Know your facts

Even popular and experienced business people get it wrong sometimes. Affable entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson came off badly after a Panorama interview with investigative journalist John Ware. The documentary, which was broadcast in 1998, was giving an account of the performance of the then notoriously tardy Virgin train service.

Ware put it to Branson that the reduction in delays was actually down to Railtrack rather than Virgin Trains and that ‘delays attributable to Virgin Trains, as the operator, are now 151/2 per cent greater than they were under British Rail.'

At which point a nervous looking Branson turned to Brian Barrett, chief executive of Virgin Trains, and said: ‘Brian, you better tell me what he's talking about here now?'

After an uncomfortable silence, the visibly squirming Branson refused to continue cooperating with the programme, which by this time could now reasonably (and rather ironically) be described as a ‘train wreck' of an interview.

Being ready to answer that difficult question is an essential part of preparing for television interviews. ‘Most of us, when facing an interview, can think of a question which we dread being asked,' says Rooper. ‘Most managers, for example, would prefer not to have to express a view on the salary or bonus being paid to their chief executive.'

Rather than hoping such a question does not come up, Rooper suggests thinking through a line in advance. ‘Often, for example, it's enough for the interviewee to state that there are formal processes and it would not be appropriate for he or she to express a view.'

He also suggests getting would-be interviewees inside the organisation to think about how they appear from the outside. ‘The best thing is to discuss the issues and challenge them. Preparing for an interview is a constant process of distilling and refining the message. There can be no making up things on the spot,' he adds.

Proper messaging

John Fryer, director of Polhill Communications, also notes the importance of preparation. ‘Unless you know what your key messages are, don't do it. You must have two or three messages that you want to get across in the interview.'

Partington thinks the most common pitfall is failing to engage with the interviewer. ‘The biggest mistake is not to prepare sufficient relevant examples and good soundbites that will allow them to hook the journalist in and control the interview,' he says.

Peter Coë, managing director of communications training agency Media Speak, thinks interviewees should be wary of over promising. ‘There has to be absolute clarity in your key message and you need to be prepared to deliver that message with confidence and words of reassurance,' he advises. ‘But at the same time, it's unwise to imply any guarantee that the worst is over when you face a situation that's ultimately beyond your control as we've seen with the banking crisis.

‘It's best to avoid making confidence-building statements too frequently without substantive actions to back them up,' he adds. There will be times when preparing for an interview that it emerges a position is unsustainable, Rooper says. ‘When this occurs the person advising has to say We need to change this position or reconsider doing the interview at all. I don't think any amount of training can get you past a position that is unsustainable but people expect openness and accountability more than ever now so deciding not to talk is a very serious decision.'

Cultural quirks

Experts advise that it is essential to consider the audience. A television appearance in another country might involve quite a different approach to the domestic marketplace, so it is crucial to understand the media in the country in which the broadcast will air. Those who are adept at this are skilled at relating to their audience and the best speakers understand the performance element of a television appearance.

Inadequate briefing in this area can prove calamitous. Experts still recall the disastrous unveiling of the new Rover 75 ten years ago. BMW chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder held a presentation for the media at the Birmingham International Motor Show.

‘He sorely misunderstood the difference between the UK and German press. He ended up going completely off target and onto financials, all of which eventually led him to say that BMW was prepared to close Longbridge. The Rover 75 was forgotten and the story became the plant closure and resulting job losses,' Partington explains.

It is vital to consider the interviewer in question and the environment. While Jeremy Paxman has a well-known aggressive style from the outset, techniques vary widely. Some interviewers dive straight in with the most challenging question, while others use a softer form of questioning to disarm the interviewee before going in for the kill. ‘It's essential to speak to the journalist beforehand. You have to ask the journalist in advance what the story is about, the target audience and who else is being interviewed,' says Partington.

‘We always get clients to practice for what we call the Columbo question,' says Fryer, alluding to the American crime fiction television series. ‘Police Lieutenant Columbo would ask a series of questions, walk towards the door and then turn and ask one last killer question and that is the one to look out for,' he explains.

Keeping your head

Not all interviewers are skilled. But if a chief executive holds his nerve in the face of an unskilled interviewer, it will help build his credibility. The blogosphere went berserk after a bungled interview with Facebook creator Mark Zuckenberg. The interview took the form of a televised fireside chat complete with a live audience but the rather erratic style of questioning from Business Week columnist Sarah Lacy led to a situation where the audience was heckling her attempts to interact with Zuckenberg. Ultimately, while appearing relatively uncomfortable in the face of Lacy's meandering interview technique, Zuckenberg was widely perceived to have come out of the appearance rather better.

The ultimate recommendation from experts is to retain a calm demeanour at all times. ‘Never lose your cool,' advises Rooper. In a famous interview between Sir John Nott and the late Sir Robin Day, the then chief defence secretary lost his rag after being asked: ‘Why should the public believe you? A ‘Here today, gone tomorrow' politician'.

‘All he succeeded in doing was making himself look ridiculous - and attracting days of front page coverage,' Rooper notes. ‘If he had answered the question calmly and with humour, he would have come out of it very positively.' John Prescott, the former deputy prime minister, fared much better in a recent Newsnight interview with Paxman. ‘It's a dangerous tactic to attack an interviewer, especially Paxman, but Prescott did it with humour and conviction and the result made for interesting viewing,' he adds.

The growth of viral messaging, the proliferation of the Blogosphere and the popularity of sites such as YouTube have widened the potential audience of television interviews.

If a chief executive makes a disastrous gaffe, there is a good chance that it could end up being flagged up all around the world. Fortunately, there are more opportunities to hone interview skills by utilising a wide variety of media, as well as just television.

But, as with so many things, it is the extent and nature of the preparatory work that will largely determine how successfully the interviewee actually performs when placed in the hot seat.

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