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Last month I discussed how
to position your organization for success.
The first step I listed was to develop a
media policy. Why a media policy? First, you
want to control who will be a spokesperson
so you can provide consistent information
from a single source. Next, you want your
spokesperson to not only be knowledgeable
about the issues, but also be a good
communicator with media training. Finally,
you want to provide the media with the
latest, most complete and accurate
information possible consistent with the
policy of your organization. Here are the
steps to take:
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Your media policy should
be in writing. A policy that is not in
writing will eventually lead to
confusion and inconsistency.
-
Your policy should be
clear on who makes the decision to talk
to the media, who can be a spokesperson,
and on what issues.
-
Include specific
examples if some people can talk on
certain issues, such as on their
specific program, but not on others,
such as budget issues.
-
Limit the number of
people who can talk to the media. The
fewer people who serve as spokespersons,
the better.
-
Policy issues should be
referred to designated individuals.
Usually only the top officials have the
"big picture" and know the reasons
behind policy decisions
-
Have sensitive or
controversial issues handled by one
person. In these situations you want to
take control and insure that consistent
information is provided.
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Your policy should be
communicated to all employees on a
regular basis. Employees need to
understand the philosophy behind your
policy and also be comfortable with
referring reporters to a spokesperson.
The
"Media Interview Tip of the
Month" is taken from my book,
Winning Media Interviews: Sure-Fire Tactics
to Get Your Messages Out. Feel free to
share my tips with your staff and
colleagues. I would like to hear from you
about using the techniques I discuss in my
book. Also, send me a note and let me know
if it is okay to share your comments with
others on this web page (to contact Steve go
here.)
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