2/2/15 Four bases to cover today
© Property of the
Ohio School Boards
Association
The Preparation
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
First base
Prep for positive
message delivery
1 2/2/15 Prep for positive
message delivery
© Property of the
Ohio School Boards
Association
q  Media can be a valuable tool to
help deliver a message, whether
managing bad news or
promoting positive stories.
q  Don’t see reporters as
adversaries. They need you, you
need them. Work together!
Prep for positive message delivery
q Get all the facts beforehand
q Define 3-5 key positive messages. Try to
communicate at least one during the interview
q Anticipate questions & practice!!!
q Know what points to avoid
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Prep for positive message delivery
q Never say “no comment”
q Know when to stop talking
q Be accurate & answer in own words
q Always tell the truth & give brief answers
q Research the reporter ahead of time, if time
allows
q Minimize distractions
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
ü  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEYBUWCdG3I
2 2/2/15 Preparing for a media interview
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Prep for positive message delivery
q Be accessible (even when news is bad)
q Ask what areas will be covered in interview
q When being recorded, don’t be afraid to ask for
a “do-over”
q Eye contact should be steady, not shifty
q Have background materials ready, if needed
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
ü Offer graphics (such as charts) or photos. News
people love numbers!
Prep for positive message delivery
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
q  Speak at a moderate pace if you are being recorded;
too fast & you may stumble, too slow & you may lose
the audience.
q  Speak in soundbites & don’t lecture. The average TV
soundbite is only 9 seconds long (NPR, 2011).
q  Dress Sharp for TV. Bright or muted colors work
well; stripes & patterns, not so much.
q  Keep a spare suit/jacket in your office
q  Double check your body language/posture
3 2/2/15 Prep for positive message delivery
q Ahead of time, identify examples that help
make your message heartfelt/
personal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=3wmACOxVDDw
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
C’s of Communication
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Prep for positive message delivery
1) Lack of preparation
3) Not responding or saying no comment
5) Saying too much
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
4 2/2/15 Prep for positive message delivery
q Be sensitive to reporters’ deadlines
q Follow up with a call, email or both
q If information is not at hand, make arrangements
to get it
q Tailor the story to the reporter’s needs
q Know reporters’ limitations in terms of resources
& make covering stories easy
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Prep for positive message delivery
q  Newspaper cutbacks — down 30% since 2000
q  Time magazine cut ~5% of staff in 2013
q  Local TV — sports, weather & traffic are 40% of
content & story lengths are shorter
q  Staff does more than ever before — social
media in addition to regular stories
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
* Source: “The State of the News Media 2013: An Annual Report
on American Journalism”
The Twist
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Second base
Hit Home Runs Off
Media Curveballs
5 2/2/15 Homeruns Off Media Curveballs
Techniques
q Practice confidently bridging back to the key
messages. If it looks to be a confrontational
interview, bridge to:
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
ü Positive news about your organization
ü How the situation is being fixed, after accepting
responsibility for it
ü Brag about the speed of your organization’s response,
if applicable
Homeruns Off Media Curveballs
Techniques
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
q "That's an interesting question, but what you
really need to focus on is ... "
q "Well, the answer is no, but what is really
important here is ... "
q "Did you know that ... "
q "What we mustn't lose sight of is ... "
q "Let me answer by putting things into context."
q "I can't speak to that, but what I can tell you
is ... "
Homeruns Off Media Curveballs
Techniques
q “I am researching that issue & haven’t
formulated my opinion yet.”
q “The facts of this situation are...”
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
6 2/2/15 Homeruns Off Media Curveballs
Techniques
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
q Stay calm, no matter what
q Stick to the facts
q Remember, an emotional reaction might
end up being the story
q Pause if you need to compose yourself.
You might say, “Before I answer that, I’ll
need a moment...”
Homeruns Off Media Curveballs
Techniques
q To diffuse a hostile question, smile first (if
appropriate), pause, then answer
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
ü A professional real estate developer was asked,
“Some people call you a vulture, how do you
respond to that?” First, he smiled, then said,
“Well, they must not understand what we do. We
buy dilapidated houses when no one else will,
then we’ll make it the best house on the block.
Which would you rather live next to?”
Homeruns Off Media Curveballs
Techniques
q “Yes, X is a concern but let’s consider the
larger issue here…”
q “Well, to fully answer that, I first need to
explain that…”
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
7 2/2/15 Homeruns Off Media Curveballs
Techniques
q “Would you rephrase the question?”
q Sometimes it helps to understand the
motivation behind the question. So, you
could ask, “Why do you ask?” or “What do
you mean by that?”
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Homeruns Off Media Curveballs
Techniques
q  Hit important points hard, repeatedly
q  Your ultimate goal is to compel the audience to
trust your organization!
q  Examples:
ü "I'd just like to reiterate ... "
ü "Finally, the most important thing people need to know
is ... "
ü There are three things to highlight at this point ... ”
ü "You should write this down.”
ü "I can't stress enough the importance of ... "
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Homeruns Off Media Curveballs
Techniques
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
q “Of course, I’ve got personal feelings about this
issue, but my personal feelings don’t enter into
it”
q You’re never off the record, no matter how
chummy the reporter tries to be!
q Goodbye question = one last question the
reporter throws in before leaving to get you to
react so that they have a dramatic “close” to
their story
8 2/2/15 Homeruns Off Media Curveballs
Techniques
q It’s best to ignore “What if” questions and
confine your answers to the facts
q In response, you might say, “The root of
your question is the safety of our
employees, which we take very seriously…”
Then, move on to your key messages.
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Homeruns Off Media Curveballs
Techniques
q The reporter says, “I’m writing this story
about how your district is getting set to lay
off employees. I just wanted to get a couple
of quotes from you.”
ü To find out what the reporter is really after, ask,
“Can you give me a little background about what
this story is?” or “ Can you read me some of the
quotes you already have so I know whose
company I’m in?”
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Homeruns Off Media Curveballs
Techniques
q Don't believe it for a second
q Offer clarification
q Bridge to key points to answer
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
9 2/2/15 Homeruns Off Media Curveballs
Techniques
q Be polite
q Don't be defensive
q "I'll be happy to answer that question, but
first I'd like to finish saying ..."
q "You have a lot of questions there...”
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Homeruns Off Media Curveballs
Techniques
q  "Well, perhaps, it is closer to the way I feel
to describe it like this..."
q  Make certain you clarify when the
interpretation is wrong
q  The reporter may just be looking for a
good quote
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Homeruns
Off Media Curveballs
Techniques
q "What else would you like to know?"
q Do not fill-in the silence by saying more
than you should to keep the story on target
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
10 2/2/15 Homeruns Off Media Curveballs
Techniques
q "Well, it's easy to joke about it, but as a
result of this situation, I really saw an
opportunity to ..." (and move to your key
message points)
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
The Practice
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Tough media interviews on tape
The Practice
Scenario #1:
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
11 2/2/15 The Practice
Scenario #2:
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
The Practice
Scenario #3:
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
The Win!
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Home
Team promotion and postgame analysis
12 2/2/15 Streamline communications
When parents/media are used to
calling you and you are not the
designated spokesperson
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
•  If someone else is taking the lead on
disseminating information, say, “I don’t have the
latest information, but here’s how I can help in
another way.” Or, “here’s who you should call
now and/or in the future when you’re looking for
this type of information.”
Streamline communications
When an incident has occurred and
you’re the spokesperson
•  Tell customers, “please keep checking our
communication hub for the latest updates as I
work with the media to get the information out
to everyone.”
ü  Assure them that you will keep the primary
communication method updated and do it. They will
come to rely on it!
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Streamline communications
When an incident has occurred and
you’re the spokesperson
•  Assign a “helper” for crisis situations who can
update the communication hub in real time. If
you prefer to keep the “personal” connection
with certain parents, have the helper answer
their basic questions so that you can focus on
your media message(s)
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
13 2/2/15 Promotion Tactics
Add The Media To Your PR Team
•  For the best chance of getting your story on TV
and radio, get to know the producers, reporters,
editors & assignment editors on different shifts.
Call & ask for names, phone numbers & email
addresses
•  Reporters are generally assigned to work the
same shift and beat. Get to know the education
reporters!
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
*See “Newsroom Personnel” handout pg. 6
Promotion Tactics
Newsroom Meetings
•  Determine daily/special report assignments
•  TV & radio staff — meet in the AM and afternoon
(usually 9am & 2:30pm)
ü  Explains why reporters call at 4pm & expect you to
stay late for an interview
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
•  Print — generally one meeting per day
•  Often mandatory that reporters bring 3-5 story
ideas. If you provide newsworthy story ideas
regularly, they will think of you as an ally…and
think twice before burning you!
Promotion Tactics
Newsroom Deadline Considerations
•  TV & radio — required to report for multiple
newscasts
ü  Example: Columbus ABC/FOX affiliate has news from
4:30-10am, noon-1pm, 5pm-7pm, 10pm-11:30pm
ü  Average radio newsroom = 3 employees
•  Print — usually working on several stories at
one time
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
ü  Reporters typically turn in 1-2 stories at the end of
each business day for print
•  All — Editors may change story considerably
14 2/2/15 Promotion Tactics
Morning News
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
ü Pitch live interviews to the shift producer!
In bigger cities especially, they have
HOURS to fill for the morning shows…so
this is your best chance of getting your
positive press on the air and becoming
known as a subject matter expert!
ü Pre-plan, line up interviews, gather pictures
and make it easy for them to run your story
Promotion Tactics
Morning News
ü Again, there is a lot of time to fill and these
reporters generally have to pull stories
together in the shortest timespan
ü Offer to call in for phone interviews that
are in your district’s area of expertise. Try
to position your team as “go-to” experts
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Promotion Tactics
Weekends, Holidays & Small Papers
ü The newest employees work on the
weekends and holidays and typically
need help coming up with story ideas
ü Small papers love “ghostwriters!”
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
15 2/2/15 Promotion Tactics
Think small for large success!
•  Include small papers/publications/radio and TV
stations in neighboring cities, counties, etc., in
your media contact list
ü  They are always looking for “local” news and are
more likely to include positive stories because they
have space/time to fill with a smaller staff
ü  I’ve had a LOT of success with this tactic!
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Promotion Tactics
Pitch Sidebars
•  Reporters usually have to repackage stories
for later newscasts. That means they may
take different angles on the same story =
opportunity! Pitch them a positive “sidebar”
story that they can shoot/write/record while
they are at your district
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
ü Sidebar stories make reporters look like they
went above and beyond while making you look
doubly fabulous, too!
Promotion Tactics
Timing Your Pitch
•  Timing is everything! Know what time to send
your release based on when you’d like it to air/
be published
ü General rule of thumb for TV & radio — 5 – 8
hours
ü Paper — night before or morning of event
•  Pitch your story more than once, if not time
sensitive. A slow news day may help your
story rise to the surface
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
ü  If breaking news cancels your interview, pitch again
immediately, if applicable
16 2/2/15 Promotion Tactics
Timing Your Pitch
•  If you can, release your story in the middle of
the week. Weekend news crews are small and
typically pursue primarily breaking news or
“the story of the day”
ü  Mondays aren’t ideal because newsrooms may have
a pile of news to choose from from the weekend.
Fridays, well, do you pay attention on Fridays?
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
Thank you!
Ohio School Boards Association
© 2014, Ohio School
Boards Association
All rights reserved
@OHschoolboards
Visit our website at:
www.ohioschoolboards.org
17 2/2/15 18