Studies indicate that more than 90% of people fear public speaking more than they fear death itself. Still, you may have overcome your fear by speaking in public, giving presentations, workshops, keynotes, conferences and meetings but when it comes to answering questions from an inquisitive reporter, TV news journalist and/or radio talk show host, do you find yourself filled with dread, stopping cold and/or quivering inside?
If so, you are not alone. How can you turn your interview experience/process from an anxiety provoking, heart pounding, and sweat inducing experience to one of peaceful calm, ease, and even joy? Gulp, take a slow deep breath now…
1. Be prepared. Do your homework. Rehearse, practice, practice and practice. Do you know your subject matter inside out, upside down, and all around? How many speeches have you given on this topic? one, five, ten, twenty, 100? Keep on talking until you feel completely comfortable. Experts also suggest that you record your speeches and learn from each experience. How did you handle questions? Too many uhs, ums, and dead silences? Pretend you are being asked those hard to answer questions you are stumbling with and time yourself in front of the mirror until you have got a handle on them. Do the speech in front of your mate, friends, associates, and family members.
2. You don’t need to know everything. It is okay to say I don’t know the answer to that question but I can find out for you.
3. Change your beliefs. Many of us have errant, ambivalent and haunting images of the media succinctly epitomized by Princess Diana’s death, personifying reporters as insensitive, immoral, and unethical predators and clods who are just out for one thing, a story to sell. Now, if you are about to launch a public relations campaign and are going to have to communicate and work with these same people that you consciously, subconsciously, unconsciously or otherwise consider despicable, can you imagine for a moment that you just might be about to confront and address some real concerns that you just may have some apprehensions about?
Are you willing to make these thoughts and feelings conscious, face and own up to these fearful attitudes and beliefs about the media? Have you considered that you are stepping up to the plate of your own particular level of success, becoming more visible, and going beyond your own individual limitations (of being humiliated, making a fool of yourself, and/or feeling intimidated)?
You may think that you can just hire someone else to do YOUR public relations job and have it all SOMEHOW magically work out. The problem with that is that you have impact and if the campaign is for you and your business, your thoughts, feelings and beliefs do count. You matter. In fact, the success of the overall campaign, your success, hinges upon you. You are the essential component that will make the campaign work or not. The buck stops at your doorstep.
There a number of ways to change beliefs including the Emotional Freedom Technique, and several simple meditations. Tapping on meridian points while saying life affirming messages may seem silly but it works to change beliefs, release pain and phobias, and a variety of issues.
4. Woulda, shoulda, coulda. We all have insufficiencies, deficits and debilities that we can employ as reasons to fail. I am sure that we each could come up with hundreds if not thousands of reasons why we can’t succeed. But one major difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is not talent, privileged upbringings, luck and/or fortunate circumstances (although these help), it is how we handle our resources, our strengths and weaknesses and the courage or fortitude to persevere until we get the results. Or we can give into our fears, limitations and obstacles and tell everyone we meet I shoulda, woulda, coulda.
This same principle holds true for creating a successful public relations campaign. Some folks take to public relations easily. But others are not aware that they hold internal issues about the media, doing publicity and/or being successful that is getting in their way of having what they say they want. You might think, I have handled that and maybe you have. But think about this. Do you know when you are having a success crisis or sabotaging your own success and if so, do you know how to compensate and turn things around? Media coaching and training may be the answer. Atheletes utilize coaches to help them succeed, and nowadays professionals and business people hire coaches to assist them in every area from life to business.
Do you know the top 10 critical ingredients needed in order to execute a successful publicity campaign? Or have you spent more money than you care to remember on public relations efforts that have fizzled instead of sizzled? Do you consistently hire public relations people who are not obtaining the coverage you thought you wanted? Do you know what it takes to take charge of and run a successful public relations campaign?
Here are my top 10 ingredients for a successful publicity campaign (not necessarily in this order):
- clear, regular communications between you and your public relations professional
- written press releases that are publishable and produce results (i.e., interviews)
- follow up, follow up, follow up with the media to ensure coverage
- willingness to overcome your inner demons and obstacles to success and correct mistakes
- ownership of the entire process
- a targeted list of media contacts who are amenable to telling your story and who will tell it to the people you want to hear it
- a written binding contract that spells out the campaign and includes any and all pertinent details such as specific services provided, timeline, fees, and accountability
- ability to present clear, informative, entertaining, ie, quality interviews
- follow up, follow up, follow up with customers generated by the event/coverage
10. broadcasting a focused, innovative, original, compelling and unique message
EXPECT THE BEST
Perhaps your expectations are not realistic. A good public relations campaign is not a one shot deal. As in any successful venture, consistency, commitment and persistence play big roles in determining the outcome. If you are not getting the interviews you want, are your press releases newsworthy or blatant advertorial fluff? Was there sufficient or any follow-up? You can’t just fax press releases to any old media venues and expect miracles (although miracles DO happen).
If you truly seek results, you must hire a public relations professional who knows how to combine a winning blend of ingredients that will ensure your success and be willing to conquer your anxieties so that you can have your publicity campaign work out.
No one expects a garden to grow on its own without tender loving care, without enough water or sunlight, or without a responsible gardener. Paradoxically, when you can make your own reasons for not wanting to produce a successful publicity campaign conscious and weed out the troublemakers from your garden, instead of blaming bad luck or timing, frail genes, incompetent PR hacks or deficient media folk who eat your press releases for breakfast, then you will have taken the most important step necessary to create a winning promotion.
Heart & Soul Communications is a full service writing and public relations agency that can assist you in creating and implementing a total public relations campaign. PR Consultant and Media Coach Celia Sue Hecht is a longtime publicist and journalist who regularly spins words into bottom line profits. Contact her by calling 1-888-260-4673.
