Let’s say you’re pouring over ideas on how to attract press coverage when the phone rings. It’s the press. The voice on the other end says, “Got a minute to talk?” Of course you do. A minute and more. But a moment like this can produce a dozen conflicting thoughts or ideas, while trying to connect with the voice on the other end of the phone. Let’s try to sort out what’s going on.

I have a certain advantage because I am a journalist. So when I was being interviewed as a spokesman for the home entertainment electronics industry, I knew what the person on the other end was going through, since I’ve interviewed thousands of people myself. First, try and figure out the nature of the call. Is the reporter looking for a quick quote for a story that’s already in progress? Or, are they calling to set up an appointment later so that this call is really a pre-qualification call to see if you can intelligently discuss the topic at hand. And what is the topic at hand? There’s a big difference between a hard news story and a soft feature. That’s why it’s important to know why they’re calling or what’s the angle of the story. It’s OK to ask. For example, suppose you are a car dealer. They might be calling to quiz you on sales for a story about hard times in the auto business. Almost immediately, you can see that you’re going to be playing defense. But, being quoted in a story about hard times in your industry is better than not being quoted at all, because you still get your name out there. If they’re looking for a quick quote, you’re going to need to focus, because you probably have less then five minutes to show you’re a trusted expert–and that’s what you want to be–in the field.

I recommend you have your three takeaways–the points you want the press or anyone else to remember about you–written on an index card for just this kind of occasion. Don’t think you’re glib enough to wing it, because presidents and politicians who have public relations wizards to train them can’t wing it either. In fact, your brain is likely to be involved in a lot of cross talk while you’re being interviewed. (“Am I coming across OK? Should I mention this point that I really want to get in, even though I wasn’t asked about it? I just had an email that totally verifies my point–where is it?” and on and on.) It’s not uncommon for the brain to run ahead while the mouth struggles to keep up. The reporter is going to do her best to get down what you’re saying, so don’t make it harder than it has to be. If there are difficult technological or business concepts in your talking points, don’t make the person on the other end of the line guess about what you’re saying. Ideally, you’ll have time to introduce your three points, go through them, and tie them up in a bow about how you or your product is the solution to whatever problem is under discussion. So, to recap Focus Have your three talking points at your side and Keep the conversation as upbeat as possible.

You might be tempted or even goaded by the reporter to say something negative about a competitor, or an industry or the government, and you may even be right, but here’s the point–whether you’re right or not is not important in this context. What’s important is how does this come across to the listener. What message is being received? You don’t want to sound disappointed, like a loser, or bitter, even if you are. You might even want to practice with your PR person if you have one or with your spouse or friend if you don’t, so you can hear what you sound like answering questions. Do you ramble? Or do you rush through answers leaving out important information? It’s always a good idea to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n. Generally, you’ll want to wear your good guy white hat in all your public statements. But sometimes it’s not possible. You might pick up the phone to hear the reporter say, “People say you and your industry are a bunch of crooks.” Then you will have to don your black hat, and correct the misconceptions out there about you and your industry. (Or if your industry already has a bad reputation, how you’re different than them.)

In Part Two, we’ll discuss what to do when you have time to prepare, and have more control over the gist of the story…