Four Ways to Tell Whether You've Chosen the
Right Media Spokesperson

Not all individuals are equally adept at representing your organization as a whole or within a given campaign. For instance, your CEO might be the perfect candidate for speaking to investors or sharing corporate news, but she may not be the right person to inform consumers of policy changes or product development.

How, then, do you know if you've chosen the right spokesperson?

Characteristics of a good spokesperson
Regardless of job title, all spokespeople must possess the same basic qualities. In addition to being authorized to represent your organization, a spokesperson should, among other things:

• Resonate with your audience
• Project a good visual presence
• Possess good quality of voice (particularly when speaking live, or on radio and television)
• Maintain a good rapport with journalists
• Remain readily accessible to the media

Although some of these qualities directly reflect the individual's personality, others can be learned and refined over time. Therefore, regardless of the representative's level of experience, proper media training is essential. Conveying key messages and being savvy about how to avoid mis-steps are skills that can be learned.

A little training can go a long way
A good spokesperson knows how to be interviewed and is aware of what journalists want. Here are just a few points to consider when training your representative to be an effective spokesperson:

• Image. How you look can and will affect audience perception. Visual perception accounts for at least 60 percent of how audiences take in messages. At least another 30 percent is auditory, while the remaining is the actual message or what the audience believes is the message (The Spin Project, Broadcast Media and Spokesperson Skills, 2008).

• Rehearsal. Practicing before hand helps prevent stumbling and mumbling during the real interview or appearance and helps perpetuate a sense of confidence and authority.

• Sound bites. Sometimes all you have is a moment to punctuate key messages, or perhaps a journalist needs only one quote or phrase to set the tone for the entire piece. Your spokesperson should be prepared with snippets.

• Control. You may not be able to direct a journalist's line of questioning. However, you can still maintain control of the answers by transitioning them in a way that reinforces the key messages you want to convey.

Four ways to gauge the success of your spokesperson
Once the chosen representative has mastered your messages and talked publicly, there are some ways to tell whether they have been successful in the delivery.

1. How is the media depicting matters vital to your organization's interests and objectives? If they are noticing the strategic messages and themes you've created to define your brand, campaign or mission, it demonstrates that your spokesperson has been successful at communicating those ideas. If not, than you may want to reevaluate your messages or your spokesperson's approach to conveying your objectives.

2. Is your spokesperson cited in the story? Being quoted in an article sets your spokesperson up as an expert. Even if the article isn't directly related to your company or brand, a good spokesperson will be able to position himself as an authority.

3. What is the editorial tone of a given media piece? Knowing whether the media is portraying your organization or spokesperson in a favorable, neutral, or unfavorable light can provide valuable information on which to plan follow-up messages or campaigns

4. How prominently mentioned is your spokesperson? The content and context of your organizations mention are key indicators in accessing a spokesperson's success at conveying your company's ideas. Among some factors to consider: the position, location, length, and exclusivity of your spokesperson's mention, message, or quotation.

Sometimes you are your best representative
Even if your spokesperson is good at what he does, he might not be the appropriate person for a given initiative. If you are looking to host speaking engagements around the launch of a new marketing campaign or promotion, it might make sense to have the person in charge of marketing give the talks. And if this is your position or you are the "expert" why not fill the spot? It could very well be that you are your best representative.

About BurrellesLuce
BurrellesLuce helps communication professionals maximize their media relations results through a full range of planning, monitoring and measurement services. Besides delivering content, the company's online platform, called BurrellesLuce 2.0, enables clients to target and connect with journalists and bloggers, monitor the media for coverage, and measure and understand the impact of their outreach efforts. Founded in 1888 and headquartered in Livingston, New Jersey, BurrellesLuce has offices throughout the United States.