This informal CPD article Less haste, more need was provided by Brian Weatherley at B2B Media Training, an award-winning trade journalist, video presenter, business-to-business magazine editor and media trainer.
I’m frequently reminded of the importance of speed by advertisements for faster broadband. Without digressing, is it so important to be able to download a document or jpeg in fifteen, rather than 45-seconds? Frankly, I doubt it. Unfortunately, most journalists are in a tearing hurry. That’s perfectly understandable given the amount of material the average reporter must generate in their working day, including for hard copy publications, social media, podcasts, webcasts, and videos. With all that stuff to deliver it’s no wonder they’re usually in such a rush to get things done.
As I’ve said before, when it comes to a media encounter it’s vital to know how long you’ve got to get your message or story over. So, long before a journalist opens his or her notebook, or turns on their recorder, you should be asking them: ‘How much time have we got?’ From their answer you’ll know whether you’ve the time to develop a comprehensive explanatory narrative, or simply deliver the bottom-line news.
Nevertheless, if something is worth saying to a journalist it’s usually worth saying in full, so they get the complete picture. That means having the confidence (and nerve) to say: ‘You’re not going to fully understand what this is all about in a short period of time.’ They may well baulk at this suggestion, but if you’re an acknowledged expert in a particular subject, or happen to have some specific knowledge they need, you’ll be in a strong position to negotiate for more time. Either way, you should be prepared to plant the seed of the doubt in their mind that, because their timescale is too short, they risk missing something that’s important to your story, or their understanding of it. If you don’t ask for more time, it’s unlikely you’ll get it.
Of course, if they do grant you an extension don’t waste it. It’s a good idea, especially for those chance media encounters to always have two stories to tell. Firstly, the condensed version which cuts straight to the chase for the journalist in a hurry. And the second one, where your bottom-line news is backed-up by a detailed narrative that fully confirms your case.
But what if you can’t persuade a reporter to stick around for the second version? If you know you’re going to meet with a journalist but only have limited time you should put together the key elements of your extended story - e.g. the timeline, supporting facts, external reference information, any research material and so on-into a separate briefing document (either in hard copy or on a memory stick) which the journalist can read and absorb later when they’ve got the time.
With all media encounters, whether it’s a planned formal interview, or the accidental ‘Glad I’ve bumped into you because I just want to ask…’ it’s important to make a journalist understand that the best messages and stories are worth making, and taking, the time to hear. Are yours?
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