Winning and Keeping Media Interest While Resolving Intractable Conflicts

Public support can be a very important and often critical element in a highly complex and publicized negotiating situation. This is an area of negotiation preparation and process that you may choose to handle yourself, depending on your capabilities, or one you may determine is best turned-over to a professional spokesperson. Whichever course you select, however, an understanding of this key area is essential. This article provides an overview and key tips for success in negotiation media management.

To make the most of any media opportunities throughout your negotiations, scrupulously maintain the high ground by avoiding shouting matches, petty mud slinging and “spin”. Think ahead of your adversaries and recognize what will interest the media by imagining yourself in the place of a reporter. This will help prepare you to manage inevitable press questions and afford you precious time to plan your responses. When a significant event occurs in the course of your evolving situation, consider the who, what, where, when, why and how of the event. Failure to prepare your responses will leave you vulnerable to saying too much, not enough, or worse, something irrelevant.

Media loves conflict (it’s at the heart of any compelling story), so if your comments are aired, know that they may be edited, and the media is probably hoping for a response volley from your adversaries. It’s likely your opponent’s public relations department will parry, so in anticipation, try to work two or more steps ahead. This keeps control in your court and your opponent in a reactionary mode. It’s hard for anyone to plan tactics when they’re in constant panic. 

I’ve experienced many media interviews both planned and impromptu. Some lasted over an hour and others barely three minutes on-the-spot. Some have been over the phone, others over coffee, and many over the air. Since media opportunities may present themselves under less than ideal conditions, when verbalizing your case to the media, keeping the following points in mind can better prepare you for indeterminable circumstances and help you maintain a degree of consistency in your approach. This will contribute to your confidence and you’ll be less likely to allow a great, albeit unexpected, opportunity to pass you by. Let’s begin with ten essential techniques for success in media interviews:

1) Try to determine exactly what the reporter is asking and answer their question directly. This helps you prevent straying off point which can sometimes accompany feelings of awkwardness or embarrassment by being “in the spotlight.”

2) Keep your sentences short. This helps prevent the reporter from taking you out of context, or missing something vital which can occur if you get into too complex of a subject, litter your response with prolonged editorial commentary or stray into subject matter which is related but irrelevant.

3) Keep your comments tightly framed. That is, contain your response around the issue literally as you see it and want it illuminated to others. This immediately provides topical context; and, by artfully confining the reporter’s likely range of questioning, can further minimize any feelings of anxiety which you may find associated with an in-depth, unbridled discussion of the issues. Previously, I referred to the term “spin” which you may have heard elsewhere; and, you might suspect that this third point is advocating exactly that. Not so. Spin is a technique which takes a truth and attempts to shift the parameters which position it as either a perceived liability or asset to one side or the other. In extreme cases, spin attempts to actually create truth from a set of probable circumstances. Regardless of an adversary’s attempt to create a diversion of truth, there is no hedging cause and effect, or right and wrong. “Spin” or even outright lies will eventually show themselves to be what they are, and your adversary, if they participate in them, will probably entangle themselves in them.

4) Keep your comments on point – in other words, keep each response, closely relative to the talking points you create. This technique can, once again, somewhat restrain the scope of inquiry and guide it back to only those topics you consider relevant and would like to discuss.

5) Keep your comments highly relevant to the event which is the focus of your interview. This is why the reporter has approached you, so don’t attempt to seize the opportunity as a means of creating a forum for some other issue. You may be able to correlate a different issue and open a pathway of discussion through conversational threads; but, if not done subtly and skillfully, you might risk alienating the reporter or worse, lose a chance to discuss an important issue since you will have successfully changed the subject and there may be no going back. Other risks include confusing the reporter and being taken out of context. You should also consider the nature of your comments relative to what the current event or subject of discussion might lead to. Gauging your response accordingly can give the reporter greater insight and may inspire them toward a line of questioning which positions you ahead of your adversary.

6) Guard against overstatement. Overstating a situation will get you on the fast track to total loss of credibility. As emotional at the situation may be, seek a rounded perspective based on fact. Within their likely limited frame of reference, this is how your audience will perceive the issue, and you want to create empathy with your audience – not alienate them. By screening your information thusly, you will help preserve your objectivity and make it that much more difficult for your adversary to position you as a Chicken Little claiming that “the sky is falling.” When in doubt, it’s usually best to err on the side of understatement.

7) Use illustrative statements that can put otherwise abstract ideas into visual context. These types of statements pull a lot of weight in an interview and are more likely to be quoted because they help the reporter communicate more content while using less words and more importantly, bring imagery to the reader. Since reporters are always being edited and struggle with ways to make their story come alive on a tight word budget, you’ll be making their job a little easier. Most reporters will appreciate that. Let’s say you want to make a statement about the gross waste associated with your city throwing money at a consulting firm to figure out a relatively simple community problem. Instead of saying: “The city spent seven-thousand dollars to decide if a parking meter is worth installing at the city building.” You could safely assume your reader will understand the context via the content of the article then simply say, “It’s like buying an elephant to pull an apple cart.” This provides punctuation to the article and adds a nice visual dimension for the reporter’s readership.

8) Avoid casual speculation. Reporters may press you for speculation which can build tension, suspicion and conflict. While, in my opinion, it is completely reasonable to speculate, I think such conjecture should be disclosed and based on genuine plausibility. Speculation can be stretched into a sensationalistic technique which could backfire and get you into a sticky situation with not only your adversary but the public. Unless you are certain of why your adversary is not taking a more pro-active stance to mitigate a damaging situation, be careful of verbalizing your suspicion. If you decide to speculate, make absolutely certain you qualify your comments by saying so.

9) Assure timely information. In response to any new development, remember time will probably be of the essence. If you cannot speak to the press, prepare a statement which you can share, covering the basics: Who has done what? Why is it an issue? How many people are affected? Is anything being done to correct the problem? What might be done?

10.) Employ a strategy to get media attention. As you work to gain media attention and involve a concerned public, your opponent may counter your efforts by accusing you of having some kind of agenda. Well, heck yes. Unfortunately, today, this is becoming the only way a small voice can be heard. And a person’s know-how and willingness to create a media event in order to communicate a point can help them gain recognition from the opposition and others in a position to resolve an issue. I don’t blame or judge anyone the lesser for generating this type of interest. It is sometimes an essential part of the negotiation process. I know this first hand, because I have designed such a media component and felt what it is like to be a performer constantly attending rod after rod of suspended, spinning plates.

We, as individuals living in a world ruled by financial bottom lines, must learn to set aside our assumptions of how media, money and politics are related and adapt ourselves in order to even attempt to compete on the same field as, for example, gargantuan corporate or political adversaries. I lament that our society is so easily entertained by such a specter, justifying the investment in sensationalism by media empires and largely eliminating any real chance of dialog apart from sound bytes. But, let us be grateful that in America there at least exists a possibility of being heard -- even though you may have to create your own forum.

If you are the only one affected by an unjust situation and worry you won’t be able to generate sufficient media attention, don’t fret. You may be able to win local and possibly even national attention through the use of two helpful techniques. One of these techniques is to demonstrate how your situation and harm may come to likewise involve others, due to current policy or trend, if a clamorous public uproar (and hopefully subsequent policy change) isn’t heard soon. The second way is to compare and leverage your situation against a relevant and current hot topic or trend. This second technique helps to correlate current public interest and economically expand subject selection for a media outlet. Building up media attention is a slow process usually begun at a local level. Broader exposure through multiple media channels, such as social, radio, television and print, gains momentum over time through diligent updates to your press connections.

Beyond managing the interview, here are some additional important and central techniques for success in working with media:

1) Dress conservatively and neatly, demonstrating respect for your interviewer and your audience.

2) Take a breath and wait at least three seconds before responding. This gives you time to digest the question and potential implications of your answer, and allows you to better articulate your point. A few seconds will seem like forever in your head – not so much on camera. You’ll appear thoughtful, so don’t be afraid to pause.

3) Confine your statements to no more than three main focal or talking points you’d like to draw attention to. When identifying your primary focal points, remember these tend to reflect your primary argument with your adversary, such as: where they have failed; how they are denying their responsibility; and, how their actions have harmed you (and others if applicable). Regardless of what is asked, find a way to link the question with your response by integrating it with one or more of your three focal points. Your focal points may change relative to developments, but always narrow them to a few which you can easily associate with a range of questions. This will help you remember them and strengthen your point with your audience.

4) Always be polite. Though you may be quite upset, when you show anger, audiences tend to perceive that it is directed toward them. Remember, they are typically watching, listening to, or reading your comments ‘one on one’.

5) Tell the truth.

And, finally …

The more practice you gain in speaking to the media, the more adept you will become at anticipating questions and even suggesting, through your response, a lead for the next question the reporter may forget to ask.

Reporters are always on deadline; so, always return phone calls, address them courteously, and if you can’t meet with them when they contact you, ask when their deadline is and contact them allowing them sufficient time to integrate your comments.

Media outlets covet the “scoop” and appreciate loyalty. If you find a reporter/editor team who consistently respects your needs relative to their own and communicates a truly objective story, you may wish to preserve that relationship by honoring their needs as your primary source.

Credibility

Stay on the high ground. Be alert to comments made by your adversaries which should be countered, or can benefit you by being framed within your own context. Immediately counter adversarial comments which seem to suggest you are whining, lying, misinformed, simply stupid or greedy. Counter as quickly, comments which falsely imply your adversary is innocent, making every reasonable effort to correct the situation, are simply interested in being “good neighbors” within the community, or, are looking out for the public good when they are not. Be prepared to counter these statements and innuendos by framing them within your own context and illuminating your adversary as one who is simply spinning the truth in an effort to contain damage to their public image or advance an agenda. If they spin – spin it right back – but always with truth.

Although you want to stay on the high ground in the public’s eye, don’t worry if you slip and say something colorful or which might be misconstrued. Do your best, and remember, tomorrow’s another day.

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Copyright 2006 by Lisa Bracken

The information contained in this article by Lisa Bracken should not be construed or relied upon as legal advice. Please seek the advice of qualified counsel to address your specific situation and concerns.

Lisa Bracken is available as creative consultant, collaborator and lecturer, and may be reached at newflightbooks.com