About Us

What We Do

Resources

<< Home <<

Using Spokesperson Training To Build Credibility

By Al Rothstein, President, Al Rothstein Media Services, Inc.
As Published in "Capital Executive"

Critical Issue

When I get that phone call from an organization wanting media relations or spokesperson training for its key representatives, many times it’s because there is an impending critical issue. “We need to let the public know how this issue affects everyone,” the caller says.

A prime example is an association of judges whose members were threatened by new merit-retention elections. Instead of needing only a majority of votes to retain their seats, the judges needed more than sixty percent. So some veterans were being thrown out by voters because of a perception that the judges were not responsive to the average person.

When is the last time you saw a judge campaign? Judges like to be above the political fray and rightfully so. However now, in order to get votes, they were being forced to participate in the political process. That meant speaking at campaign rallies, marching in parades, and being more aggressive about seeking campaign dollars.

The Impact of Training

The judges association wanted spokesperson training for its member judges to make their campaign messages clear and concise. After all, they now had to seek media interviews and public appearances. The training emphasized turning perceived negatives into positives, for example:

The judges’ image of “stodgy and unresponsive” was now more accurately described as one of “toughness and independence”.
Instead of being “forced to campaign”, the judges now had “the opportunity to get to know their constituents better” and vice versa.
The judges were now able to present their excellent records and show how their decisions had positively affected the public. This built credibility with the public and the news media.

Before any association member can deliver your message effectively, it is important to follow these tips, as the judges did:

The most effective way to get your message across is through credibility.
Don’t wait for a crisis to build your relationship with the news media.
Be as open as possible.
Remember that a reporter is paid to be cynical, so you must be able to document what you say.
Stay away from negative words, even if the reporter uses them. Turn them into positive words and phrases.

In the judge’s example, attitudes were changed. The result was the judge’s association helping its members build a more positive image through openness and credibility. The judges, its association and the public benefited. And, yes, the rest of the judges were re-elected.