 When you think of a spokesperson, it's possible that these are the types of people that come to mind for you that represent that specific organization and their faces inextricably linked to that product or that service or that that company and and that's a natural thought they are spokespeople But there it's a little bit different in in regards to what we're going to be talking about because Much of the times folks people just are average people from the organization They're people who are part of that company on a day-to-day basis and and really are just speaking Because of their knowledge on that topic. So we want to talk a little bit about spokespeople in this video and and what it's like for them to be in the spotlight and how can we help them as public relations and Media relations professionals. How can we help them best represent the company and best? Represent the purpose that they're out there for on behalf of the organization. So with that in mind Let's talk a little bit about The first step which is choosing a spokesperson. Well first we've got to choose somebody, you know We may sometimes think that Automatically it would be the CEO or the public relations rep, but that's not always the case There are a variety of factors that should go into choosing the right spokesperson for a particular situation or circumstance First of their knowledge of the topic. Do they know this topic? Do you have a subject matter expert who is very? knowledgeable about the specific area that this person wants to talk about whether that's you know for a news conference or for an Interview or whatever is there somebody you know Who's the best person to speak about this topic? Who's gonna know the most about this and and have a really firm grasp of the information that's gonna be covered as part of that? And you also want to think about their knowledge of the organization You don't want somebody who's brand-new doesn't even know where the bathrooms are at right now You want to choose somebody who has a really solid understanding of the mission and the vision and the values and the culture of that organization and the structure of that organization and just is comfortable Being a part of that organization in such a way that makes them comfortable speaking about it and and and Relating what that organization is about then so you want to be sure that whoever you're choosing as a spokesperson has a good Knowledge of the organization as well Obviously this person should have good communication skills That's what they're there for us to represent this idea And it's clear ways possible concise ways possible persuasive potentially a ways possible So they ought to have good communication skills just in general It doesn't mean they have to be as you know like a professional speaker or whatever But they ought to have the ability to relate to an audience and relate to an interviewer and and connect to them in such a way That puts the best foot of the organization forward so to speak You also want to find somebody who's a good fit for that specific medium If it's a if it's an audio only medium like podcasts or radio or something like that It should be somebody who has a good grasp of language who can communicate ideas clearly and concisely and understand That there's no visual component and so they're going to be relying on their words and their tone of voice and things like that and If it's if it's for television though It should be somebody who can be presentable and represents the image of the organization that you want in addition to being able to communicate Verbally and and have those solid communication skills in that way It ought to be somebody who kind of looks the part so to speak and represents what you Hope to represent to the public as an organization So we need to think about it was the fit for that specific medium whether it's written whether it's audio only whether it's Audio and video like like television or something like that We ought to be picking somebody who's a good fit for whatever medium it is We're trying to find somebody to fill that role for Then we don't overlook the idea of willingness You shouldn't be forcing somebody into this not only is it not fair to that individual, but they're not gonna You know Present themselves in the best possible way I'm not gonna be the best fit for that for that role anyway. So we want to make sure that we're Identifying early on is this person willing to do this. Is this something that they're okay with doing and and if not Then we don't want to put them in that position. So willingness should be an important part of how we choose a spokesperson Another thing that we need to do is then prepare that person It's our responsibility as media relations and public relations professionals to help that person be as prepared as possible So the first thing we want to you know, review with them are the logistics. Where is this taking place? What time is this taking place get it on their calendar make sure it's blocked out so that they know what's happening and and Just make sure that they are prepared for you know Where is this? What time is this and comfortable with that situation and and available during that time and so forth? So be sure you review very early on the logistics of this situation with them Then you also want to go over the organizational goals. What are your goals? Why are they speaking? Why are you putting them out there? What is that you're trying to accomplish by making a spokesperson available in this situation? So be sure you communicate to them. What are the organizational goals for this particular scenario? Also, you might want to include what are the reporter goals if the reporter said to you I'd like information on this area or I'd like to talk about this specific topic Then you can let the person know that so they can be as prepared as possible So you want to let them know What the reporters goal is what the purpose of the article is and so forth or the interview and just let them know what that Reporter is looking for you kind of prep them and brief them on what are some likely topics Some may be obvious in terms of if your organization is in the news for something or if you're rolling on a new product or whatever But if it's just a more general Interview, but you still want to kind of identify. Okay, these are some things that are likely to come up let's go over some of these questions and some of these answers and and And I try and identify what the reporter or the interviewer is likely to answer or what people in the audience are likely to ask I guess in terms of what what are some topics that may come up Then you also want to identify what are the key message points give that person some key talking points try and bring it back Around to these things if possible because again your organization has goals in this situation So you want to be sure that you're identifying and conveying. Okay, these are the key message points These are the things we really want you to drive home and bring it back to these things if at all possible You also want to review some general interview techniques, you know to the things like restating the question as part of their answer You know not not just saying the question itself, but Including that as part of their answer because a lot of times in these situations the the outlet won't include the question as part of that They'll just you know, hopefully and get what the question was as part of that answer So you can you can prep them prep them on interview techniques of that sort right and and try and prepare them in that way to make the Reporter's job easier make the interview go more smoothly You can arrange some practice sessions where you actually, you know, do some mock interview stuff with them where you're asking them questions and identifying Key points in their answer and giving some feedback on those types of things, but you can do some practice sessions with them You can let them know of any special considerations that may be a part of this Is it you know as part of a feature series? Is it part of a? I don't know just you know any any you know again Is there going to be a photo shoot for example? And if so you may need to prepare them for that and so okay These are some things you may expect during a photo shoot that may not be something they're familiar with But they may want to do these particular, you know kind of poses or You know they may ask you to move something move this plant three or four different times to get different angles on it or Whatever just any of that kind of stuff You want to you want to prepare them for anything special or maybe what they might consider out of the ordinary that may come up as part of that interview And then if you have any info on the reporter if this is a reporter That's generally been very friendly or kind to your organization or if this is somebody who's been you know Obviously coming after your organization and you're still giving them an interview But you want to prepare that person that they may try and trap you into something or you know Just give them some basic background on the reporter if they have that available You want them to go into it in some respects as open as possible But at the same time you want them to be prepared if you know somebody's going to try and trap them or come at them or be Super aggressive it has a habit of a reputation for doing that then you want to inform the spokesperson of that in advance I'm during the interview in terms of your role as the public relations You know specialist if you are not conducting you know, you're not part of the interview But you're still as part of the interview during the interview you stop some responsibilities So first you want to be there you're not necessarily saying thing but you can take notes You can you can be there for support and you can be there to help protect that person If need be or to you know director for follow-up information thing So we'll talk about but you ought to be there It's you know if possible you want to be in attendance when these things are happening and then you can't take notes You should take notes just to kind of you know things you want to maybe follow up on afterwards with the reporter or with the spokesperson and things You want to clarify or Just to just to double-check the information that's going to be used in that you want to take notes It doesn't necessarily mean you should record. There's some that can be touchy You want to you want to talk to the reporter if you want to do that But but that's possible as well, but at the very least you ought to be taking notes on key points Remember that you're there for backup only you're not there to take over the interview or actually be an active part of that interview or Anything like that. You're there for backup only so that if the interviewer gets at the person being interviewed gets stuck And they say well, you know how this person follow up with you that you're there or whatever But you're there for backup only you can however offer follow-up after the interview in particular You can say to the board. Thanks so much for your time or appreciate this and and let me know if you have any questions Just make yourself available for any follow-up questions. They have at that moment or even later on So you do have some things to do during the interview even if you're not acting as the spokesperson So don't just totally think of it as a day off or whatever you gotta you got to be there You got to follow through and help this person with the with the achieving the objectives that you have as an organization There's some things then again that you can do after the interview we talked about before the interview and during the interview now Let's talk a little bit about after the interview first while you can check in with the spokesperson How do you think that went? What are some things we can do differently or improve upon for for the future and also just to say thank you for for doing that It's not easy for a lot of people to do that So say thank you and just check in with them see how they're feeling about that and see if they have any questions or concerns You can follow up with information for the reporter or for the spokesperson either one You can be sure that you follow up on anything That you say you were gonna follow up on if they asked about be sure that you actually follow up on that You also want to check the accuracy of the final story This does not mean you're necessarily gonna have an editorial approval It may be after the story comes out But when that story comes out you're gonna want to check the accuracy make sure it lines up with with your Collection and your notes and with what the spokesperson tried to convey if it doesn't then you may have an opportunity to correct that And or to revise that information and say here's what you know should have been stated or whatever And you may have an opportunity to present that information and see if you can get it Corrected or published after the fact, but but you definitely do want to check the accuracy of that final story And then make sure that you share that item with the spokesperson if it's a newspaper article or if it's a TV interview Make sure you tape it and just make it available to spokesperson as a thank you people like that and they they'll keep that as a keepsake and and Something they can show their friends and family and and say look I did this right this is pretty cool I had the opportunity to do this so be sure that you share whatever Kind of item that was with the spokesperson or at least know where they let them know where they can then find it on their own And and have access to it So the spokespeople play an important role, but maybe not one that we Considered in at least not in the way that we considered it before it doesn't have to be the CEO doesn't have to be a PR professional But even when it's not there are things that we can do to Help make this process go better and go more smoothly and be more effective for the organization by understanding What a spokesperson does how we can choose an appropriate spokesperson how we prep that person what our responsibilities are during that interview And then what our responsibilities are after that interview as well So again, hopefully this gives you a better understanding of what the role of a spokesperson is if you have questions about spokespersons or Anything related to to media relations or public relations at all. I'd love to hear from you via email So please shoot me an email and and communicate with me that way But in the meantime, I hope that you have a new and revised understanding of the role of a spokesperson And what we can do is media professionals and public relations professionals to help that person Help the organization achieve their goals through these particular circumstances