Working With and Respond To The Press: Media Intelligence 

A Spokesperson is the gatekeeper of your brand’s image as the face and voice of your business. They are there to assist you in navigating the ship during a crisis.

A successful Spokesperson is a unique and unusual breed. They are a business and market expert, a publicity expert, and the most likeable guy in the room all at the same time. Having a strong spokesperson by your side would help your public relations tremendously.

Spokespeople assist in the transformation of businesses from an “it” to a “we.” There would be a psychological barrier between you and the audience if the public does not understand what you do and why you do it.

The majority of spokespeople will tell you that their days are never the same because the news travels so quickly that they could be forced to clear their schedule and work on a storey at any time. Nonetheless, the following are some of their core activities:

Preparing for interviews and events, aligning communications with their staff and organisation, writing media releases, organising upcoming reports, resolving problems, responding to media inquiries, and planning press events are all things they do.

A Spokesperson is also available at all times, as they must respond to stories as quickly and as proactively as possible.

DO’S OF SPOKESPERSON
Know Your Audience

Always expect that your audience will be sceptical; if they already trust and like you, being prepared will cost you nothing. You will leave a winner if you arrive with the resources to win them over and succeed.

You must be familiar with your viewers’ culture, language, values, and any knowledge they might already have or need to understand what they want or need from you.

Ditching Jargon

You must use your audience’s language for them to interact with your storey. Jargon alienates people (by removing the sense of “we”) and dilutes your message. You’d be shocked by how much of the jargon you use in your workplace isn’t used anywhere else.

Showing Emotions

Humans are more relatable than corporate bots, which is why businesses employ a spokesperson rather than a corporate bot. Your humanity at work, whether in the form of humour, compassion for people who have suffered a tragedy, zeal, or excitement, resonates with people.

Following A Key Message 

This is extremely important. Before you start every meeting, make a list of 3-5 main messages you want to get across, making sure they are in line with your company’s overall communication strategy. In the interview, mention them all. No matter how sophisticated your audience is, don’t add any more ideas or your point will get muddled.