Speak to Lead

Persuasion: Preparing Spokespersons to Handle Sensitive Questions

In the previous post, Interview Prep: Was spokesman being honest or just nervous?, you saw what can happen when the spokesperson is not properly prepared to handle sensitive questions.

Mr. Hallor appears to me to be a likeable and competent guy with a genuine concern for the public's safety who wants to be helpful to the reporter. This should have been an interesting interview that aired once and then was forgotten.

But the interview goes viral because Hallor acknowledges that WMDs have been found in the U.S., only to have the onsite public affairs person, followed by a written statement, and a phone call to the station (20+ days after the interview-how's that for timely response?!) clarify Hallor's "misstatement."

So how could (and should) this have been prevented? Here are 5 steps for handling sensitive questions:

Interview prep: WMDs in U.S.? Was spokesman being honest or just nervous? You Decide.

A posting today on TheBlaze alerted me to this interview from ABC affiliate KGTV in San Diego. 

In the interview the assistant port director, Al Hallor, indicates that weapons of mass "effect" have been found, although not at the port. A statement from the Department of Homeland Security to KGTV, however, "clarifies" Hallor's response saying he was "nervous and misspoke."

Watch the interview and decide for yourself. Did nervousness cause Hallor to "misspeak"? Or was he speaking from experience?

Let me know what you think.

And let me know what you feel about the new we-don't-want-to-scare-anyone relabeling weapons of mass destruction as weapons of mass effect? Maybe the Twin Towers collapse was just an unfortunate aeronautic effect. 

 

I'll have tips on Wednesday on how to prepare a spokesperson to prevent these awkward interview moments. 

Persuasion: Overcoming 'we just don't have the money' objections

A webinar participant recently asked the following question:

How can we eliminate the objection of 'we just don't have the money.' This seems to be common when seeking a job with a small company or funding for a project.

Often this objection is preceded by "We'd really like to hire you/fund your project/etc., but..."

While the detailed answer to the question would involve numerous variables unique to each situation, here are some general guidelines.

You first need to reconsider the WHAM!factor^TM of your offer:

Are you able to show conclusively that what you are suggesting will benefit the potential employer or project funder? When lack of funds is an issue, your number one priority is to demonstrate that the cost of hiring you or funding your project will produce returns several times more than the cost.

Without first creating a convincing and compelling desire on the part of your prospect, you have little chance to bypass the "no money" objection.

You also need to determine whether the "we just don't have the money" is real, is perceived to be real, or is a polite way to say, 'No.'"

Recognize that there are situations where the saying, "You can't squeeze blood out of a turnip" applies. They don’t have the funds nor the means to get the funding.

Action: Find who does have the resources and focus on them; don't hang around waiting for the turnip to get a transfusion.

At other times your prospect may perceive the objection as real, when in fact the needed resources could be found in-house or could be raised from external sources.

Actions: Come up with suggestions on how to find or acquire the necessary funds. Think of options they might not have considered. Focus on ways of reducing risk to the prospect. Be creative.

 

Leadership Under Fire: Answering Tough Personal Questions Positively

Unprepared interviewees.

They seem to be ubiquitous in the news these days. Every election, at almost any level of politics, seems to have at least one candidate who stumbles when asked a question about embarrassing personal or professional conduct.

And it's not only politicians. Business executives, professional athletes, and plain Joes suffer the same fate.

I'm often asked why people, many of them experienced public figures, aren't prepared when the inevitable questions come.  

Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, who was forced to resign after being caught in a sex scandal, provided an answer.

When asked by NBC Today Show's host Matt Lauer whether it had ever occurred to him his actions might be exposed, Spitzer replied,

Presidential Leaders Speak Silently: Romney-Clinton Silent Debate Provides Relief for Weary Listeners

After last month's CNN-YouTube debates (not to mention the recent--and excruciatingly boring--presidential debates in Iowa), a new debate format has arisen: the SILENT debate.

No more three-minute answers to yes or no questions. No more long answers that start with drivers licenses and end with global warming. No more vocal attacks on opponents.

Just visceral responses to key issues.

Here Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton participate in the first silent presidential debate (following a brief trailer for Charlie Wilson's War). (Note Romney's coded message at the end.)

Media Interviews: Sometimes a Simple Question Deserves a Simple Answer

Question: Yes or No, most politicians are unable to answer simple questions with yes or no?

During the recent Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, Barack Obama and John Edwards proved incapable of simple yes or no answers. Click here for their answers to "Do you support driver's licenses for illegal immigrants, yes or no?" (BTW, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden did limit their answers to "no.")

Tonight the Republicans debate in St. Petersburg, Florida. Will their front runners do any better?

But the all-time record for not answering the same question with a simple "yes or no" goes to Michael Howard, former Conservative party leader in the UK, in this BBC2 Newsnight interview.

 

Media Training: Answering Hostile Questions-How to Stay in Control When the Interviewer Goes from Jekyll to Hyde

The interview has been going great when suddenly your interviewer changes from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde and zaps you with a nasty question.

How do you avoid looking like a deer in the headlights? Here's a technique to help you stay in control.

- - - P A U S E - - -

and quickly remind yourself: 

Media Training in Your Pocket: It's in the Cards

Need a quick refresher of media training techniques just before you talk to reporters? Want an easy way to internalize the concepts learned during a media training workshop? Never had media training but you've got an interview in 30 minutes and you need a crash course?

It's all in the cards. Our just released Meet the Media & Win! -- How to Ace Every Interview card deck, that is.

I condensed the content of our Meet the Media & Win! workshop onto 26 cards. Sort of like having a condensed version of a CliffsNotes version. All meat, no filler!

Great as a refresher, review, or crash course. (You can shuffle them too, although I'm not sure why you would want to.)

For more information (i.e., the "sales" page), go to http://www.meetthemediacards.com Special introductory pricing through August 31st.