Simon Brooke's Blog

Where’s the fire?

Listening to Ed Balls, the UK’s Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on the radio this morning I was struck by a change in his manner. He sounded more considered, more thoughtful and basically more convincing.
Then I suddenly realised what had changed about the interview style of one of British politics’ brightest talents but worst media performers.
He had slowed down. It was as simple as that.
During media training courses participants will usually ask me about how they can ensure that the journalist has taken on board what they’re saying and has got the facts down correctly as the interviewee sees them. At least one participant will usually rail against journalists who have interviewed him or her but apparently got things wrong or not included what they see as a key point.
So, what should you do to improve the chances of printing your comments correctly? You can never have complete control over what is written about you unless you take out advertising space which is obviously far more expensive than editorial coverage which costs nothing and, according to research from the US, is somewhere between three and nine times more convincing to readers than an ad.
But one of the best ways in which to gain more control during a press interview is very simple and easy to do.
Just slow down.
The adrenaline might be running, you might have so much to say and you might even fear, as some people do, that you’ll forget what you were going to say unless you get it out quickly but speaking fast increases the chances of the journalist getting it wrong.
Even with reasonable shorthand (a rarity these days) journalists can struggle to get every word down properly and clearly. The interpretation of a messy little scribble in a notebook turns into hard facts in black and white on the printed page or the website. Time pressure these days means that journalists rarely have time to ring back to check on something.
As a working journalist, I can tell you that listening to an interviewee who goes like a speeding train, pumping out facts, figures, jargon and disparate thoughts is a nightmare but doing an interview with someone who speaks slowly and clearly is almost always a joy.
So, to ensure that a print journalist gets down what you’re saying accurately:

1. Speak slowly and clearly.
2. Check beforehand how much the journalist knows about the subject area. Are they an expert? Or have they a general reporter who has just started their research? This will enable you to decide how to pitch your comments in terms of their complexity. Incorrectly assuming a level of knowledge on the part of a journalist is a classic error.
3. At the end of the conversation repeat your key points just to ensure that the journalist has got them down correctly. Make this sound like a natural part of the conversation. “Good to talk to you, X, as I say, the really interesting thing here is…”
4. Very importantly, email something over to the journalist after you’ve finished. Make it short and snappy and do it as soon as possible. This will ensure that things like statistics, job titles and product names are correct – or more likely to be so anyway.
5. Finally, never expect to see something before it goes to print – there’s not time and besides this in my article not yours! However, you can always offer to check your quotes. “I hope I’ve made myself clear and understandable. If you want to check anything or email over my quotes to make sure that I’ve got my points across clearly then please do.” Flatter the journalist by suggesting that it’s your fault if there is any confusion not theirs!

This will help you to improve journalistic accuracy and help you to get your message across properly when you’re talking to a press journalist.
But as Ed Balls as obviously realised, it also helps when doing a broadcast interview too.