Executive Spokesperson DOs and DON’Ts — Critiquing a CEO interview on CNBC

I just watched a CNBC interview with a CEO (no need to disclose the CEO’s name or his company).  Critiquing what the CEO did well — and what he could have done better — is an opportunity to share some real life spokesperson DOs and DON’Ts.

Media Interview DOs:

1. Given today’s news about the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the CEO started his interview correctly by expressing genuine concern and empathy for the people of Japan.
2. He delivered his key messages and repeated an important message more than once.
3. The CEO reframed potentially negative perspectives paraphrased by the reporter in order to communicate a more positive company stance.  The reporter said, “…The news must be a win for your company.”  The CEO replied confidently, “The news is a win for consumers.”  Bravo!

Media Interview DON’Ts:

1. In an attempt to demonstrate the company’s commitment to their customers, the CEO said that his company “thinks of customers as friends.” Unfortunately he took a positive point about wanting to deepen the company’s relationships with their customers to an unbelievable extreme.  Just sounded silly.
2. He beat us over the head with his key message. Once is good; twice can be better if the actual wording or context of the message delivery is different. More than that begins to feel overly scripted and opportunistic.
3. The reporter asked a tough question and the CEO handled it, calmly responding that he had nothing to add to the information already released on the issue. (Better than saying “no comment.”) But then he kept talking and ending up mentioning the negative perceptions that he was hoping to avoid. It’s almost always better to stop talking after you’ve answered a tough question.

Overall, the CEO did a very good job. There are teachable moments everywhere for corporate spokespersons who want to polish their media interview skills. Start paying attention to executive interviews–whether on CNBC, the nightly news or in print media and do your own constructive critique. What is the spokesperson doing well and what would you do differently?

Reputation-Building 101: What You Say and Do Matter

In the news this morning there were three short celebrity stories that begged a 101 tutorial on reputation-building or at least on avoiding reputation-busting. Beyond our seemingly endless curiosity about celebrity behavior, it’s worthwhile to think about lessons we can apply to our own reputations.

John Galliano apologized for his drunken anti-semitic rants after he was fired from his job as creative director at Christian Dior.  Dior was concerned that Galliano’s reputation for inspired dress design was being overshadowed by his now infamous reputation as an out-of-control and hateful drunk. Like Mel Gibson, Galliano will be going to rehab, hoping not only to deal with a drinking problem and bad behavior but also hoping to rehab his reputation. Clearly what Galliano says matters. What you say offers the world a peek at your values. Will what you say (in conversations, in interviews, in public appearances) enhance or tarnish what you want to be known for?

In the Boston Globe’s “Names” section, Lindsay Lohan was quoted about her desire to be “identified with great films and not her personal problems , ‘I don’t want that to be what I’m known for anymore — the tabloid stuff.'”  Lohan has blown any good will that people felt for this child star with her repeated bad behavior. Her name no longer conjures up an image of her film performances; rather our brains see a disheveled party girl. Clearly what Lohan does matters. Your collective actions frame how the world (your employees, managers, clients, colleagues…) see you.  Do your actions signal confident leadership or does everything about your behavior scream, “can’t be trusted” or “volatile.”

Charlie Sheen was back on the news within hours of his children being taken away from him. No need to recap his too-many-to-count missteps lately. He says he’s “winning” and in control. But the cumulative impact of his ego-centric words and actions is that Sheen is spiraling downward. While he was previously thought of as personally wild but with some impressive credentials, his reputation is now consumed by his decline. Clearly what Sheen says and does matters. What impression do your words and actions leave with the people watching and listening (your clients, managers, employees…)?

So how’s your reputation?  What are you doing to help or hurt it?

Lessons from the Oscars’ Quotable Quotes

Of course the morning after the Oscars is a fun time to reflect on the celebrities’ dresses. But as USA Today noted in their morning-after article, \”Oscar show mixes old and new…\, there were also several quotable quotes that serve as lessons for spokespersons and presenters.

1. Nail your delivery: Sandra Bullock’s remarks were clearly scripted and, in fact, they followed the same format as Jeff Bridge’s comments only a few moments earlier. Everything about her body language and vocal delivery nailed it and USA Today recognized Bullock as the “best greeter.”
2. Grab their attention with an unexpected opening: Not all awards capture our full attention during a more than three-hour broadcast. People might have missed the winner of best art direction (Robert Stromberg for Alice in Wonderland) had he not opened with the line, “Why didn’t I lose that 20 pounds?” I might have scripted a slightly different surprising opening line so that he’d be remembered for his craft and not his weight…but he absolutely caught our attention in a night mostly centered on the rush of beautiful celebrities. The audience is all yours during the first few seconds after you step to the microphone. Use those precious seconds well!
3. Say it don’t slay it: Last night’s Oscars show was all about targeting a younger audience. The hosts mentioned early on that they were chosen to be “cool and hip.” Then they said it again…and again and again in case we forgot. Don’t abuse your quotable quotes.
4. Beware of trying too hard to be funny: Justin Timberlake’s reference to Bansky (the street artist legend) and James Franco’s reference to a text message from Charlie Sheen both were scripted to be funny but fell flat. Timberlake’s reference felt like an inside joke and Franco’s comic timing was off (sadly for much of the night). Beware of humor…it’s hard to pull off.
5. Don’t ramble: It was painful to watch the too-many award recipients who rambled. If overcome with emotion, as I’m sure they were, they would have been much better served by standing tall and saying, “Thank you. I am humbled by this distinguished award.” At least they might have been remembered for being poised and coherent.
6. Finally…Stay in the moment: Melissa Leo reminded us early on in the evening about the hazards of stepping out of the moment. Her foul language reverberated in the theatre and was broadcast live to an audience of a billion people worldwide.  Her excuse on the morning talk shows today was that she was swept away by the moment. Sadly her inappropriate comment may be remembered long after people have forgotten who won the award for best supporting actress in 2011.  Stay in the moment and be very aware what that moment is all about.

Executive Spokesperson Tips: Spokesperson Media Training Take-Aways

I wrap up each spokesperson message and media training session that I lead by asking the spokespersons to share their biggest take-aways from the training. After four hours of mock interviews, facilitated discussion about their messaging and how to conversationally deliver those messages in interviews, it’s good to step back and focus on what the spokesperson has learned.  It’s also amazingly gratifying for me because 100% of the time the spokespersons get “it.”

Here are 10 executive spokesperson tips — in their own words — from just a few recent media training sessions.

1. “You absolutely can control how you respond to the questions asked by a reporter.”
2. “The reporter is just a conduit to my real audience. Always respond with my intended audience in mind.”
3. “Let my passion speak out; speak with absolute conviction.”
4. “Avoid tentative language (e.g. ‘I think…’) that detracts from my authority and credibility.”
5. “Headline my response, supported by anecdotes that build an emotional connection with my audience and compelling data.”
6. “Distinguish between my ‘internal voice’ (information relevant for company planning meetings) and ‘external voice’ (my audience-relevant messages).”
7. “Balance responding at the 30,000′ level with answers that include greater specificity.”
8. “Avoid corporate-ese and vague-isms.”
9. “Integrate my audience’s voice into my response, e.g. ‘Our customers tell us….'”
10. “Think about how I want to answer the questions I know I’ll be asked, want to be asked (“gift questions”) and dread being asked. In fact, the ‘gift’ questions are really the toughest to answer succinctly and clearly.”

Well said!

5 Ways to Keep Your Audience Interested

Several years ago Business Week reported that the typical U.S. executive has an on-the-job attention span of six minutes.  According to the Northwestern School of Speech, the average attention span of an audience is nine seconds or shorter! Notice how long it takes for someone (everyone) attending your next meeting to serepticiously check their BlackBerry for the e-mail, BBM or instant message that announces its arrival by vibrating, successfully interrupting your audience’s ability to listen to you. Technology has rewired our brains so that we require more constant stimulation.  That means as speakers we need to present in short “scenes.”  In each scene there needs to be one major point or takeaway (a nugget).  And the way you deliver that major point lets the audience know that what you’re saying is important.

Just to make it harder for you to keep your audience engaged, the average presenter talks at a rate of 120 words per minute, but the human brain can receive input at a rate of from 400 to 600 words per minute.  The mind wanders during the idle cycles.  The answer isn’t to speak more quickly (though many try).

Your audience comes ready to listen and is typically fully engaged during your brief opening which means you’ve got their attention for the first few minutes as long as those minutes are well spent!  Interest returns again when the speaker says, “In summary,” or “To wrap this up…” The challenge is to grab hold of your audience at several points during the body of your speech or presentation.  If you think of your presentation as a conversation, it gets easier.  Don’t let your audience have a passive experience.  Anticipate creating multiple “new peaks” — a change in the way you’re connecting with your audience.  Here are five peaks to try:

1. Build in open-ended questions to drive discussion.  For example, “Can anyone describe an example of…” or “How would we know if…”)
2. Take a poll.  “Raise your hand if you’ve ever experienced….”
3. Break the monotous pace of slide after slide with bullets (slide alternatives to bullets is the topic for another blog) by telling a story that is relevant and compelling for your audience. Make sure there’s drama, suspense, protagonists and antagonists. And remember to shift your body language as you change from delivering slides to storytelling. By changing your delivery you signal to the audience that they’re about to experience something different and special.
4. Introduce visual aids or props to make your point and whenever possible invite your audience to engage with the prop.
5. Move! Step away from your laptop or the screen or the podium.  Move as if you want to get closer to your audience.

These are just five of the many ways you can actively hold onto your audience’s attention.  What others can you think of?  It’s not your audience’s responsibility to stay tuned in.  It’s yours.

The 3 Biggest Mistakes You See in Executive Spokesperson Quotes

A company makes an announcement — ideally about an exciting product or service launch — and typically in about the third paragraph of their news release there’s an executive spokesperson quote. From the company’s perspective this is an opportunity to convey a message in the first person voice that the company hopes will get picked up in media coverage.  From the reader’s perspective, the executive quote is a peek inside the company, a chance to learn a little bit about the company’s personality and values.  But the quote is too often a missed opportunity and a disappointment.

Here are the three biggest mistakes you see in executive spokesperson quotes.

1. The quote is boring and generic. You learn nothing. Blah, blah, blah. Instead the quote should capture our interest and be specific to that company, that spokesperson and that moment in time.
2. The quote states the obvious. For example, a CEO saying, “I’m very pleased that our company is growing.”  Really? What a surprising statement.
3. The quote is written in corporate-speak, overly stilted and formal language. Spokesperson quotes should be in conversational English.  For example, how would that executive share the company’s exciting news if he was speaking one-to-one with someone he likes and respects?

The best executive spokesperson quotes on paper — and when delivered live in an interview — are those that sound trustworthy, reveal the executive’s passion for what he’s announcing, and make a clear point.