The Pacific Northwest is home to a thriving technology industry with many innovative startups in residence. In our role as strategic communications advisors, we frequently have the opportunity to work with many of them; companies that have built successful businesses from the ground up and that are now ready to begin laying the foundation for a communications strategy. The CEOs of these companies are brilliant businesspeople. They’ve built successful startups with innovative products and services offerings. They’ve assembled teams of the brightest minds in their respective industries. And they have the entrepreneurial spirit to bring their ideas to life. Busy as they’ve been growing their companies, they haven’t much time to devote to honing their skills as press spokespersons.
You might wonder, well, how hard could that be? Harder than it might seem, at first blush. Think back, if you will, to a situation in which you were asked a question where you either didn’t know the answer or didn’t want to respond. What did you do?
U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway, House Agricultural Committee chairman, provides a great example of what not to do. When asked recently by a panel of reporters about the impact of GOP budget cuts to food stamp recipients, Conaway answered, “I’m not answering your question.” He continued, to the surprised laughter of the assembled journalists, “It’s premature. I’m not giving you a specific on where I’m going to cut anything … I’m giving you the classic political nonsense, the 10,000-foot, nonsensical kind of thing we’re all polished to do.”
An extreme answer, yes. But one that illustrates what can happen when spokespersons are unprepared and put on the spot. Honesty is always the best policy, but there are better ways to respond than the way Conaway did. If you prepare in advance, you’ll come through with flying colors. Here’s how:
Know your target audience. Take some time to identify who you most want to reach with your story. Is it partners? Consumers? Industry analysts? This will determine the opportunities you choose to pursue and will inform the way you talk about your product or services.
Know your story. Take some time to review your product messaging and think about the questions you’re likely to be asked. One of the first things we do with new clients is development a messaging framework and a detailed FAQ. These documents almost always include the overall story arc or company trajectory. We use these materials to frame each interaction with journalists. Before every engagement, we counsel clients to think about the three things they want the reporter (and by extension, their core audiences) to take away from the conversation. We encourage spokespersons to know these points, practice them, and return to them throughout the course of the discussion.
Prepare in advance. Do your homework on the person with whom you’ll be speaking. We typically provide clients with a detailed briefing ahead of every interview; a high-level snapshot of the reporter they’ll be speaking to, what that person typically covers, and what the key areas of focus should be for the interview. The rest is up to the spokesperson! Some reporters are more controversial than others and will ask hard questions, others not so much. For the former, a little practice goes a long way.
Honesty is the best policy. Always be honest, respectful, and to the point. Conaway’s answer, while honest and to the point, was not very respectful. Unfortunately, he left a lasting impression, one of arrogance and untrustworthiness. Future perceptions matter, so take the time to craft a thoughtful response.
If you don’t know the answer, that’s OK.
Even in an interview situation, it’s OK to admit you don’t have the answer to a specific question. There are, however, better ways of admitting that than saying, “I don’t know.”
Here are some tips:
- Offer to follow up: “I don’t have the data at my fingertips, but I’m happy to follow up with you or have a member of my team do so later today.”
- Validate the question and ask one of your own: That’s an interesting area and one we’re continuing to explore,” or “What are you hearing from readers? Is this a feature they want to see in the next 6-12 months?”
- If it’s too early, it’s OK to admit that. You might say, “I’m not at liberty to discuss those details now, but I should have more data to share with you over the next three months.”
So, what should Conaway have done? For starters, he could have validated the question and then stated what information he was at liberty to share. Something like this:
“I understand the desire to know what these budget cuts are going to mean for food stamp recipients. Believe me, we thought long and hard about this program and the many people who rely on it for basic needs. I don’t have specifics to share with you today but I hope to follow up in the coming weeks with a clear roadmap and what we’re planning to do to support these families.”
See? Piece of cake.