Ep 163 How to Prevent Your Spokesperson from Sounding Stiff and Rehearsed - Media Training June 11, 2016

So what is the best way to keep a spokesperson from sounding canned or rehearsed for a media interview?

Speaking the show about effective speaking in public to the media at work and in life. Speaking with TJ Walker.

This question comes courtesy of Jared Breaux, one of our friendly competitors over at the Brocast. You'll find that on his YouTube channel. B R Aud Communications is the website. I urge you to check that out as well. He has a lot of great information. Here's how I deal with that issue. First of all, let's look at the sources. One of the reasons that spokespersons seem canned in rehearse is they are literally reading a canned statement. Now, unless you are a professional actor or a full time news anchor reading three times three hours a day, it's very difficult to read a script in front of reporters or at a press conference without sounding sort of canned and phony and actually the opposite of rehearsed. But you sound monotone, robotic and not like a real person. So that's a problem. It's a challenge ever trying to read a document. And when you are reading a document, guess what? You've destroyed eye contact with reporters, with cameras, with actual human beings. So that's one issue, one reason why people often sound canned, phony and rehearsed. The other big issue is simply trying to cram way too many facts, themes, sub themes, messages, sub messages into an opening statement or a prepared statement. It's getting too greedy. Those, I think are the two biggest sources of spokesperson sounding phony, contrived and rehearsed. I'll give you some more solutions in just a moment.

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When you go to a great Broadway show or West End show, wherever the great theater is in your town or country and you see a performance and it's a great performance and it leaves you with chills up and down your spine, you're probably not thinking, wow, that sure was a rehearsed performance, that's not what you're thinking. You're simply experiencing the moment the person comes alive, the character comes alive to you. But it's not because the person is over rehearsed. It's certainly not because the actor is winging it. They've rehearsed hundreds of times, in some cases even thousands of times. It's the rehearsal that actually makes them seem live and spontaneous. So for starters, we have to define our terminology. When someone complains that a spokesperson is overly rehearsed, typically that's not what they mean. They mean the person doesn't sound casual, relaxed, normal, believable or likable. In my mind, that's not overly rehearsed, that's poorly rehearsed. Or in some cases it means there wasn't any rehearsal or there wasn't enough rehearsal. The whole point of rehearsal for anything you're doing that involves speaking, whether that is acting, speaking on stage, performing, stand up comedy. The whole point of rehearsal is to get you to the point where you don't sound like you're rehearsed, you don't sound like you're reading, you don't sound like you've memorized something. You sound like you're just talking. So anytime someone tells me somebody's over rehearsed, I hear something different. I hear that they have poorly rehearsed, they haven't rehearsed in the right way. So very important to acknowledge that concept. If you actually rehearse properly, you're not going to sound rehearsed because you're simply going to sound interesting and engaging. Now, my recommendation to corporations, government agencies, other high profile organizations, if you have a big issue, and let's say it is a major, major announcement or a crisis of some sort, but you know it's coming and you can plan and you have a spokesperson, the thing to do is to practice on video. I know some of you are saying, all right, tj, we've heard you say this before, blah, blah, blah, blah. Stop repeating yourself. Well, I'm sorry, but it is fundamental good advice. 99.9% of the world never follows does solve this problem of a spokesperson sounding canned or rehearsed. Because if you actually practice your opening statement to the media or a press statement on video, and you watch it and you look at it and you think, hmm, wow, I sound really canned and phony and over rehearsed and contrived and not believable, I don't like it. Guess what? You can now do it again. Tweak it. Figure out what is it that sounds awkward. Sometimes it's because you've written the statement for the eye and not for the ear. Your sentences are too long, so you find yourself almost gasping for breath because your sentence is way too long. Sometimes it is the selection of words you're using bureaucratic lingo, and you're using jargon that real people tend not to use and might not even understand sometimes. It's just the pressure you're putting on yourself to get every word just right, not forgetting anything. You've removed all the natural speech patterns from your voice. So instead of going a little bit faster and a little bit slower and a little louder, a little softer and pausing, everything is coming out of the say, good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Today I would like to go through my press statement to you and get through this official blah, blah, blah. And that's what makes someone sound contrived and phony and overly rehearsed. It's because they're thinking of this press conference, this media statement, as some body of text that's been approved from the legal department, the marketing department, and the whole point of them getting up in front of the cameras is to sort of go through all the text. Well, that's a part of it, perhaps, but more important is you have to convince people that you're a real person. You have to say it in a way that's believable. You have to say it in a way where you come across as likable, or at least not like some canned, stodgy, robotic, faceless bureaucrat. Because if you get the words just right, but you seem like a machine, people aren't going to feel good about you or your organization. So I'll sum up in just a moment with the key tips.

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So in summary, if you want your spokespersons to come across as likable, believable, interesting, engaging, incredible, and not canned, overly rehearsed. Step one is make sure you have a clear, clean, simple message. You should have no more than three message points. Everything should be said. It should be able to be delivered in about 30 seconds. You need to have a handful of sound bites for each message point. So if you have the three messages and say six sound bites for each one, you should be able to say everything you want to say at this press conference or this meaty opportunity in less than 90 seconds, probably less than 60 seconds, that solves most of the problems. Number two, really go through your statement and make sure that you've gotten rid of jargon, legalistic terms, long sentences. Number three, practice out loud and don't ask your spokesperson to say it word for word the same way. Just have them focus on what are the three ideas Sprinkle sound bites throughout. Let them use it any way they want. Let them use the words they want. As long as they're hitting the messages and as long as they have sound bites come out, you'll be in good shape. Number four Practice on video and have your spokesperson watch it. And you need to watch it. Keep doing that until you and your spokesperson like what you see on camera. Keep doing it until you think, okay, that person is believable, likable, interesting and engaging. If I can come across like that in the real interview, we'll be in good shape. Do that and your spokesperson will do a great job. Will not seem phony or canned. I'm TJ Walker. Thanks for joining me. May all of your presentations in life, including media interviews, be a success.

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