The following list preps your CEO for a broadcast TV interview
that is more than just a 60-second stock performance update on
CNBC's "Power Lunch." (Most of these items are useful for
print and radio, too.) However, they are not designed to help your
CEO brace for other communications challenges, such as stakeholder
conferences and analyst meetings. The list also assumes that you
have done due diligence to ascertain the necessary information
about the reporter, the angle, and the competing coverage.
1. How well does he know the subject matter for the
interview?
It is perfectly reasonable to expect that the CEO has only
top-line knowledge of the inner workings of the organization. You
should gain a sense for how he would field a question that requires
specificity. Avoidance or spin is not good advice. But, there are
appropriate and credible ways to answer a "bull's-eye" question
with a "target" answer.
2. What does he think will be the first question?
The first question in an interview -- and how it is handled --
may very well set the tone and the "rules of engagement" for the
entire Q/A. It can be disastrous if your CEO is expecting the first
question to be a "softball" and it ends up hard and fast and trips
him up.
3. What question does he think will never get asked?
CEOs frequently assume that issues resolved will not reappear.
They will. Showcase this by having the media trainer bring it up in
rehearsal. Better yet, do some quick, stealth soft-sounding of your
friends in journalism and report back to your CEO.
4. What are his secrets?
What subjects does he consider too personal? In a reporter's
mind, nothing is too out of bounds or irrelevant. For CEOs of
publicly held organizations, even his compensation and personal
security trades are fair game. Prepare your CEO to answer questions
about that long-dismissed lawsuit, or that SEC probe, even though
the interview is supposed to be about a product launch.
5. What are his affiliations?
Guilt by association is rampant among the media, so make sure
you know what organizations, associations, movements, etc., your
CEO is associated with and prepare for a reporter to connect the
dots, however accurately or inaccurately.
6. What are his favorite subjects and do they bear any
resemblance to the company's key messages?
As communications specialists, we must always make the
connection between the CEO's talking points and the audiences with
whom he is speaking. Often, what the CEO finds most compelling does
not answer the audience's "WHAM," or What Here Applies to Me?
7. Which reporters does he have the most and least
respect for?
This is important so you can have an understanding of your CEO's
perceptions of reporters. What are his biases? Based on that
information, you can better prepare him for the style and format of
the next on-air interview.
8. Who does he think the main audiences are?
Some CEOs focus most of their energies on strategic partners,
some on investors, and still others on consumers and/or employees.
So, before a TV interview, your CEO needs to be reminded of whom
the likely viewers are and the message should be tailored toward
them.
9. How can he personalize key messages?
Habitually, CEOs will deliver statistical data that they feel is
sufficient in and of itself to support their message: "We are the
premiere private equity firm because our funds outperformed the
S&P 500 by 20%." That's O.K., but incomplete. Have the CEO
inject some personal passion into the soundbite. Why does he
believe in these funds? He needs to tell a personal anecdote that
paints a picture to complete the message.
10. How can he close strong?
Even those enlightened CEOs who prepare for broadcast interviews
often don't have a plan to end on a high note. Coach him to circle
back to the most compelling message when the interview is winding
down and deliver a strong close.
Jerry Doyle is executive vice president at CommCore
Consulting Group, an executive spokesmen coaching firm with offices
in New York City and Washington, D.C. He can be reached at
212.468.4309, [email protected].