Stand & Deliver: Tips for Being the Great Spokesperson

It’s a brand new world for PR people – each day, everything changes for us – and since we’re doing so much learning on the job we must have people we can count on to do the talking after we arrange it. What I mean is because of all the newness the best spokespeople better be malleable and raring to go at all times. Even though it’s a part of your job, you got to do it with verve, gusto, and a few rules in mind.



Everything that everyone says to the media or other influencers must be real, non-statement-oriented and pure gold. I call it “the dessert.” PR people have set up someone by sharing tons of background—now a speaker comes in for the kill. And with the current money-free period that person must talk about moving forward, progress, good stuff. Yet when spokespersons smile and mutter as if reading from paper, the reporter or blogger shuts off. It’s disconcerting when you consider that in these live situations (even via email) you have a golden, rare, opportunity to speak about what you do all day long.

I think Dave Letterman's format works pretty well, so here we go: The Top 10 Things a Great Spokesman (or Spokeslady) Should Never Do:

10. Don’t just smile and wait for the interviewer to realize your inherent brilliance and eloquence. Work it! Just start right away and make sure you begin with the most important reason you’re both here.

9. Don’t make small talk! You are paid you to talk about their product, not J. Lo’s latest travails. Who really cares about the weather?



8. Don’t make one group look good at the expense of another. Don’t just be snarky about someone – a competitor, another magazine – to look cool or know-it-all-y.

7. Don’t hesitate to dole out numbers or data or facts—ever. Play nice and show them you are the Real Deal and willing to cooperate. Share, like you were told in Kindergarten. Remember you've been hired to get the message out, not report info anyone can get via Google. (Also, most of that stuff is never used anyway.)

6. Don’t lean forward and say “This is between us, okay?” Hint: It isn’t.

5. Don’t use statements; do not speak from PowerPoint; or “present.” No one – not even the nicest person – enjoys an over-salesman-like spokesman.

4. Don’t use this time to babble on for so long that you forget why you’re there. The interviewer isn't actually your friend. Let’s just remember that you don’t want to tell them everything you know. You want to tell them everything THEY know.

3. Don’t make like anyone is doing you a favor, por favor. Give away your authenticity, and you may as well start vomiting spam all over the audience. Same affect.



2. Stop turning things back to the interviewer. “How long have you been at the Journal?” “Do you know what I mean?” “Are you with me?” “Do you get it?” Yikes.

And the number one on my list of Don’ts For Spokesfolks is (drum roll):

1. Don’t say, “Let me teach you something.” Or anything similar! There are those who like to wag their fingers when they are interviewed. This is a pure no-no—the worst sin of the interviewee. The fact is, you ARE teaching but you don’t want to be so ballsy to say as much. Make it like a conversation, albeit one that cannot go on for too long.

You aren't there to be James Edwards Olmos to the interviewer's Lou Diamond Philips in Stand and Deliver, unless of course, you are there to talk up calculus textbooks, in which guess, G’luck.