When you are preparing for a news briefing or any media encounter, it’s imperative that you understand what will keep your audience of journalists engaged. The last thing you want to do is bore or distract reporters, which could keep them from absorbing your key messages and communicating them to the public.
So, we were stunned when we viewed a recent news briefing in Houston. The primary speaker, Pastor Willie Davis, spent the first two minutes rambling about community involvement without identifying himself or the topic of the briefing.
Then, once he identified himself, Davis mentioned the names of several community leaders while still not saying why the media encounter was being held. As he recited the names, Houston Mayor John Whitmire, standing next to the pastor, motioned for an aide to give him a pen. Whitmire then distracted the audience by writing notes, which he later used when it was his turn to speak.
We’ll follow our own advice and not bore you with the entire clip. But check out the video below and you will see what we mean.
Not very exciting or informative, right? At more than five minutes into the briefing, Pastor Davis had still not announced the purpose of the briefing as Mayor Whitmire continued to write notes. It took another two minutes for Davis to announce that the briefing was called to outline a new juvenile crime prevention program.
Instead of rambling, Davis should have immediately said, “Good morning, I’m Pastor Willie Davis and my colleagues and I are here to announce a new juvenile crime prevention program.” He could have outlined the program and then introduced his colleagues. And Mayor Whitmire, of course, should have already prepared his remarks before the briefing began.
The lesson here is to clearly and concisely tell reporters immediately why you are holding the briefing and talk about it. You will likely get better coverage that way. And, please, write your planned remarks before the cameras start rolling. You won’t distract anyone and you’ll probably do a much better job of delivering your messages.