The world has been buzzing since the announcement of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s tell-all interview with Oprah. Since airing on March 7 in the U.S., the internet, talk shows and celebrities have not stopped talking about the content of the interview and its potential impact.
The highly anticipated interview, as well as the aftermath, have highlighted a handful of important PR lessons that spokespeople and PR professionals should all keep in mind.
Know your messages
If you’ve watched the interview, it was clear that Meghan prepared. Her responses were measured, thoughtful and direct. This is critical for spokespeople when conducting interviews. Interviews are an excellent way to raise awareness for your organization, communicate benefits and demonstrate thought leadership. Unprepared or underprepared spokespeople often don’t communicate their messages clearly or effectively, minimizing the potential impact of the interview.
Proof points are critical
Several times throughout the interview, Oprah pushed Meghan on her claims and/or sought clarity. In some of her responses Meghan had examples or facts to back up her claims, and other times she did not have all the information to back statements. For example, she noted that 60-70% of the commonwealth is made up of people of color, which is why she believes representation is so important. However, when pushed on the topic of Archie’s title, she fumbled as she referenced a clause, which she felt supported her claim of a discrepancy in tradition. If the reference to this had been clearer with more detail, her statement would have been more impactful.
Don’t rush it
Often, spokespeople feel pressured to respond to journalists quickly—it’s human nature to avoid the awkward silence. Especially when spokespeople are feeling nervous or pressured during an interview, they often jump into a response that is filled with rambling or “ums.”
Meghan usually paused before her responses to Oprah’s questions, giving her a moment to gather her thoughts and deliver an eloquent and concise response. This approach makes it easier for the interviewer and the audience to follow along with the spokesperson.
Be ready to adapt
This goes for both spokespeople during interviews and for organizations responding to public claims. For spokespeople, they will never know exactly how an interview will go. Regardless of the amount of preparation, its important to always be ready to adapt. And the pause mentioned above can be very helpful in doing so.
More importantly, if an organization is responding to public claims, it needs to be prepared to adapt. There are claims (that we cannot substantiate), that the palace had a statement drafted and ready to publish following the broadcast of the interview. However, after hearing the content of the interview, it held the statement and drafted a new one.
Whether this is true or not, it does raise an important point: It is critical to be prepared for crises, but regardless of what you have on hand, you may be forced to adapt. In this case, the information shared during the interview was shocking and sensitive and required a more thoughtful and personal response.
It’s uncommon for one interview to be as high-profile as the one with Meghan, Harry and Oprah was, but it does remind us that effective interviews can have a significant impact.