Can you read a statement conversationally and credibly at a news briefing? Yes, absolutely. But don’t mistake casual for conversational. If you do, your credibility will suffer and your key messages will likely get lost. Put simply, casual is not cool.
Case in point is a news briefing given by Bill Mateja, an attorney for convicted sex offender Pastor Robert Morris. The Texas megachurch founder pleaded guilty of sexually abusing a minor girl back in the 1980’s.
After the plea, Mataja read a statement on behalf of Morris. Unfortunately, Mataja’s appearance and body language were much too casual for the serious occasion. We have multiple issues with Mateja’s approach, including putting a hand in his pocket. We’ll go over more issues after you view the video.
It’s not uncommon for men to put a hand in a pocket while speaking. But especially when reading or speaking on a serious subject, the look is much too casual. It Mataja’s case, it also contributed to slouching, another body language negative.
Next, Mataja made another mistake by wearing his glasses on the tip of his nose. This made it difficult for him to establish eye contact even when he looked up from the page.
Mataja’s use of his legal pad also added to the casual nature of his appearance. At times he appeared to be reading a handwritten statement on the pad, which could indicate the statement was a last-minute decision. As it turned out, Mataja was reading from a typed statement on a separate piece of paper, but the “look” was still too casual.
So, how would we fix this media appearance? When reading a statement, hold it in both hands, using a clip board to support the paper. This is much stronger approach and it prevents the speaker from putting a hand in a pocket. And it helps with a speaker’s overall posture.
Also, if you wear glasses, make sure they are pushed back on the bridge of your nose, so the media or any audience can see your eyes when you look up.
We advise typing a statement in 20-point font, double-spaced and rehearsing it out loud at least three times. This will make it more likely that you can read the statement in a conversational tone while taking your eyes off the page occasionally to make some eye contact.
Remember, you want to look confident and sound conversational without descending into casualness. This approach will serve you well and help you succeed in media encounters.