Off The Record

I’ve written about being off the record before, but the topic has come up a number of times over the last couple weeks and I believe the topic and the questions that accompany it bear repeating.

Over the course of an interview the person being interviewed is often asked a question they can easily answer, but for various reasons can’t or shouldn’t divulge certain information.  Most of the time this is the result of an agreement or deal that is not yet finalized and, as a result, can’t be shared or announced.  However, in the excitement of the moment and of being interviewed it doesn’t stop people from divulging the information anyway.

Usually what happens is the person blurts out or shares confidential information and then follows it up with, “That’s off the record, by the way.”

Well, guess what?  It really isn’t off the record if you’ve told a reporter the information without prior agreement that it’s off the record.  If you tell a reporter, or anybody else for that matter, something without a prior agreement or understanding that it’s off the record, it’s not off the record. Most of the time a reporter will agree to keep this information out of their report, but they don’t have to.

I advise my clients to avoid a scenario like this.  It’s bad practice and one, that while most reporters will still honor the request even though no prior agreement was in place, only takes one time to muddle up even the best-laid plans.  The most important thing to remember in any situation is that you’re always on the record.  Even things you think aren’t related to an actual interview can be used or included in a media report.  This includes materials sitting on your desk, photos on your office or your Facebook page, product or company strategy written on a white board and of course things you say to a reporter or others while the reporter is with you.

If a situation arises where you want to go off the record, coordinate this sharing of information in advance. As a PR person, I always recommend that you include your PR person in any interview.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a phone interview, face-to-face interview or a broadcast interview.  This allows you to have a second person or witness in the room to vouch for what was or was not said.  It also allows the PR person to be the bad guy and get, or keep, the interview on track in the event that the reporter takes the interview in an improper or wayward direction.

Additionally, if you want to go off the record to be able to provide background or context to what you’re saying, your PR person is the best person to handle this properly. If the situation arises, here’s the best way to handle it:

• Tell your PR person you have something you want or need to share that needs to be off the record.
• From here, your PR representative should tell the reporter, “We’ve got something we want to share but it needs to be off the record.  Do you agree to that?
• If the reporter says yes, then you can proceed to share the information.
• Once you’ve shared the information and answered questions related to that topic, your PR representative should then tell the reporter something along the lines of, “Ok, we’re back on the record,” and the interview can continue.

Once you agree with the reporter that you’re back on the record, everything from that point on is fair game for inclusion in any reporting that occurs as a result of the interview. In most instances, I recommend you avoid going off the record.  If you have something that is off the record or can’t be shared at that particular moment, it gives you a reason to go back to the reporter at a later date for a separate interview or coverage opportunity.

I’ve seen it too many times where a client has divulged confidential information and tried to go back and say, “that was off the record, by the way.”  In most instances the reporters were fine with that and agreed to keep the information of the record, but there have been plenty of times where the reporter has not agreed to that and used the information as part of their report.  Clients were upset by this and felt like they had been burned, but the reporter did nothing wrong.

The best policy is to remember you’re always on the record. If you don’t want something to be reported, don’t tell a reporter.

Author: Jeremy Kartchner | Google+

Are You Asking Me A Question?

I heard a radio interview the other day with one of my favorite book authors, John Feinstein.  Feinstein was being interviewed about his latest book, Where Nobody Knows Your Name: Life In The Minor Leagues of Baseball.  As the interview started, the radio show host made a statement and then paused.  There was a moment of awkward silence before Feinstein asked, “Are you asking me a question?”

Feinstein and the radio show host have been friends for a long time and in fact have done similar interviews for each of the 22 previous books he’s authored.  Feinstein’s question back to the host was more about giving his long-time friend a hard time than it was about being a jerk, but it provided a valuable example of how to handle this type of situation.

The exchange brings up an interesting dilemma and one that I see regularly in public relations (PR).  What do you do when a reporter says something that isn’t a question but looks at you and is clearly waiting for an answer?

In my part time job/hobby with the Utah Jazz I see a lot of this.  After the game during locker room interviews with players, it’s common to hear reporters say things like, that was some game or you guys really hung in there.  Neither example is a question but players respond to them as if they are.

In one of my favorite Rick Reilly columns in Sports Illustrated, Reilly raged over this very concept.  In his column, Reilly writes about things that bother him about Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls … “For that matter, I’m sick of NBC’s Ahmad Rashad, too. I’ve waited seven years for him to ask Jordan a question, and I’m pretty sure it’s not coming. You guys sure hung in there, Michael is not a question. That was some game, Michael is not a question. When is your contract up, Ahmad? is a question. Are you expecting a real question from a man who sleeps at Jordan’s house, drives with him to games and appears in Jordan’s ads? I just hope and pray that when Jordan finally stops, he doesn’t do it too suddenly. Rashad’s nose could break off.”

When these types of non questions come up with my clients, here are four tips I share and advise them to follow when being interviewed.

• Make sure you understand the question.  If you didn’t catch the question, understand it, hear it or realize a question was being asked, confirm what the question is.  Similar to Feinstein in the example above, don’t be afraid to say, “are you asking me a question?” Or, restate the question and wait for the reporter to confirm the question before answering, “So you’re asking…?”  Upon conformation then you can proceed to answer the question.  If you think the question was one thing and answer it in a way that makes no sense to the reporter you run the risk of sounding foolish or in giving away information you didn’t want to or shouldn’t have given.
• Take your time answering the question. It’s okay to think about the question and gather your thoughts before responding. Don’ take too much time but you don’t have to respond as soon as the question is asked.  A pause of more than a few seconds is to long and may make the reporter think you’re trying to hide something or are about to lie, but a few seconds to gather your thoughts is acceptable.
• Don’t guess.  It’s okay to not know al the answers.  If you’re unsure or simply do not know the answer be honest.  If you can get the information for the reporter, tell them as much but then be sure to follow up with them as promised.  Doing this builds confidence and trust. Guessing because you don’t want to admit you don’t know the answer will more often than not just get you into trouble or make you look foolish.
• Don’t answer questions unrelated to the topic.  Occasionally during the course of an interview you may have a question come up that has nothing to do with the topic at hand.  In these instances I recommend avoiding the temptation to respond.  Just because a question is asked doesn’t mean you have to answer it.  If it’s a question about a social topic that has nothing to do with your business or the expertise you’re being interviewed about, it will be reported as if you’re opinion on the topic is the view of the company you represent.  If that is at odds with customers, partners or clients it can cause serious problems.  In most cases, keep your opinions to yourself.

I say this all the time, but it’s important to remember that you’re always on the record.  Anything you say can be reported or published.  If you don’t’ want something to be known, then don’t say it. If you want to share information there are great ways to do so, but if you’re being interviewed always make sure you know what the question is.

Author: Jeremy Kartchner | Google+

There Is A Time And Place For Everything Under Heaven

If the 1980’s movie Footloose taught us anything it’s that there is a time and place for everything under heaven.  I the town of Beaumont, it was time for Kevin Bacon and his friends to finally have a dance.

In business and specifically in PR there are appropriate times to have specific conversations and other times where it’s not appropriate. You can do everything right in a new business meeting or a media interview and destroy it with one improper or inappropriate conversation.

In my experience, this happens more regularly than you’d think.  Most of the time when this happens, the offending party doesn’t even know or realize it’s happened but the reporter or potential new clients does and as a result doesn’t write about the company or engage in an ongoing relationship with that person.

Here are four tips to consider during the interview process or when pitching new business to avoid saying something inappropriate that may cost you desired media coverage or a potential new client.

• Avoid sexually inappropriate conversations.  In one business meeting an individual told a story about a friend who provided medical services to a local prison.  He proceeded to tell about an inmate who had cut a specific part of his body off and how his doctor friend had to go in and evaluate if it could be reattached.   This conversation was not appropriate but was made even more awkward by the fact that the other participants in the meeting were all female. The story was not even necessary to the conversation at hand and left the other participants wondering why the story was even shared and why he decided to tell the tale.
• Avoid cursing.  I never recommend a client use foul, profane or curse words in a media interview or new business meeting.  My mother always said that swearing and the use of crude language was a sign of a person that couldn’t think of a more appropriate or descriptive word to express themself.  I agree with this and while a properly used curse word can convey a strong emotion or meaning, I advise that you avoid using this type of language, especially when you don’t know a person very well.
• Be discreet.  I have a friend that works with a medical spa. This medical spa provides a number of services, including laser hair removal.  My friend provides PR services for the company and found an opportunity with one of their target publications to talk about laser hair removal. One of the questions the editor wanted to ask was about laser hair removal in private areas of the body.  My friend was unsure how to approach the client about this question and treaded lightly.  He was more embarrassed than anything else but was discreet in approaching the client.  It turns out that this question comes up quite regularly and is something the client deals with on a daily basis and was not offended or worried about answering the question.  The client did appreciate and respect my friend’s sensitivity to the line of questioning.
• Be honest.  Honesty is always the best policy.  I always feel that if you’re hired to provide a service you should be bold and honest in providing that service.  Just because you’re being paid by a company doesn’t mean you should simply take orders, “Can I supersize those fries for you?”  You should share your expertise and provide guidance and strategy that will help them accomplish the objectives they’ve hired to you for.  Honesty does not equate to being mean or insubordinate in any way, but rather you tell the client if something isn’t right or is being done incorrectly and teach them the proper ways to do it.

One key to remember is that you’re always on the record.  A lot of these instances happen during lunch or dinner appointments where people let their guards down and think there are differing rules simply because an interview or meeting is over.  Don’t let the fact that you think a meeting is over or that the meeting has shifted to a social scene derail you from applying the tips above and keeping the conversation on a professional and appropriate level.

Author: Jeremy Kartchner | Google+