top of your gameagenda • communicating clearly and effectively • exercise #1: elevator speech...

Improving Your Public Speaking and Media Relations

Top of Your Game

Susan Feeney, partner Jon Summers, senior vice president

Agenda

• Communicating Clearly and Effectively

• Exercise #1: Elevator Speech

• Q&A

• 15 Minute Break

• Navigating the Media and Best Practices

• Exercise #2: Mock Interviews

• Q&A

• Social Media

• Questions?

2 Top of Your Game: Improving Your Public Speaking and Media Relations

Communicating Clearly and Effectively

Here’s what not to do…

4

Texas Gov. Rick Perry

Top of Your Game: Improving Your Public Speaking and Media Relations

Live and breathe your key messages


Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy

Everything you say is recorded


Montana Rep. Alan Hale

Always assume the microphone is on

7 Communicating GMMB’s Brand

U.S. President Barack Obama

Universal best practices

• Do your homework, be prepared

• Who, what, and why should they care

• Be relentlessly focused

• Think beyond engagement

• Publicize successes

• Publicly thank partners

• Think “storytelling”

• Keep telling your story


Messaging

• What is your top line?

• What do you stand for?

• What are your priorities and how do you want to talk about

them?

• Do you have talking points – one pager of messages?


Identify the three most important ideas you want to convey

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Before

• Know what key points you want to make

During

• Keep key messages concise, clean, brief

• If time permits, use illustrative, personal examples

As You Conclude

• Conclude by reinforcing main points

• Know exactly what you want to say and how to say it

• Use a 3-Frame to help you organize your thoughts and answer

questions clearly by framing your messages around three

questions:

• What is the issue?

• Why should people care?

• What needs to be done?


For any speaking opportunity:

Identify your target audience

• Constituents

• Policymakers

• Donors

• Media

• Business leaders

• Business policy allies

• Interest groups


Exercise #1: Elevator Speech

What do you hope to accomplish in this upcoming session?

15 Minute Break

Navigating the Media and Best Practices

The role of the media

• The reporter’s role is to tell a story and provide timely and

interesting information. Your objective is to tell YOUR story

and build support for your position.

• The media is the public’s eyes and ears, providing a

necessary check on government, corporations, and other

organizations

• The media can be an effective tool for reaching

constituents and spreading your message (and social

media amplifies!)


The role of the media (continued)

• What is news?

• Think about what you watch and read yourself

• Visual, different, draws viewers/listeners, sells papers

• “They’re only looking for the ‘gotcha’ story”

• Not true, they’re looking for news

• “It’s not news when a plane lands safely”

• Building relationships - it’s a two way street


Media must-know

• The differences between:

• on-the-record

• off-the-record

• on background

• not for attribution


Controlling the narrative during the legislative session

• Conduct weekly news conferences

• Reporters need stories to write about

• Provide fact sheets for proposed legislation

• Don’t be afraid to talk to reporters in unstructured settings

• Impromptu chats give the reporter the impression you are being

“real”

• Always stay on message

• Create news

• Take advantage of the news of the day


Mastering interview techniques: Make your first words count

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Be brief – responses to questions should be short (18-30 seconds) The hard truth – if it isn’t short, it doesn’t get used

Level of Interest

20 40 60 80 100 120 seconds


Mastering interview techniques: Message check-list

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Who am I trying to reach and what are they concerned about?

What do I want them to

remember and will they be persuaded by what I am

saying?

Are my messages simple and easy to understand?

Make most important point first, in one sentence

Limit your answers to three sentences


Mastering interview techniques: The art of the pivot

• YES

• “I’m not focused on that, what I do know it…”

• “That’s not my area of expertise, what I can tell you is why we are

here today…”

• “I can get you more information on that, right now I want to say…”

• NOT SO MUCH

• “I don’t want to answer that…”

• “I want to challenge your question…”


Mastering interview techniques: The art of the flagging

• “The most important thing to remember is…”

• “I’ve talked about many issues today. It boils down to these

three things…”

• “I hope you leave here today knowing the following…”


Interviewee’s Bill of Rights

• You have the right to:

• Know the topic

• Know the format

• Buy time

• Have time to answer the question

• Correct misstatements

• Use notes

• Record the interview

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• You do not have the right to:

• Know the questions in advance

• See the story in advance

• Change your quotes

• Edit the story

• Expect your view to be the only view

• Demand the article be published


Rules of the road: Print interviews

• Print stories use only a small portion of what you say

• In a longer interview format, it is easier to get off track

• Flag your key messages by saying things like “The most

important point is…” or “What people should really know is…”

• Don’t let your guard down – anything you say can be included

in the story

• Hard questions do not mean the reporter has taken a side

• Unsure of an answer? Tell the reporter you will get back to

them

• Print reporters blog & tweet, too


Rules of the road: Radio and television interviews • Gestures & posture

• Lean slightly forward

• Maintain eye contact

• All gestures should be in the triangle from the bottom of your chin

to your lower chest. Think forward – not out.

• Vary your vocal patterns

• Highlight points with variation in voice pitch & intensity

• Pause for effect

• Speak slightly slower than normal

• Keep a relaxed and informal tone; but be expressive & animated

• Messaging

• Keep your answers short

• Make your most important point first


Exercise #2: Mock Interviews

Social media: Statistics and demographics

• Over 66% of all adult online users are connected to

one or more social media platforms. Use of these

platforms and tools has been increasing steadily

over the last 10 years for both personal & business

reasons.


Using social media to your advantage

• Establish voice and tone

• Create meaningful content

• Two-way dialogue

• Integrated approach – retweet key followers, “like” relevant

posts

• Use visuals, think headline

• Post regularly

• Use #hashtags

• Social media is always on-the-record


Questions?

Thank You. Jon Summers @jonsummersdc

Susan Feeney @sfeens

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