Media in a tight spot
Mistakes I've made, and how you can avoid them
Included in this week’s Gazette:
Live TV interviews under pressure
How to address diplomats, formally
Trouble with the “Mega Embassy”
10 diplomacy jobs, including British Ambassador to the USA
Practical diplomacy tools, guides and resources, and a confession:
After one of my worst “live” TV interviews, I thought I’d done fine. In the aftermath of a plane crash, under fire from an aggressive reporter, I stayed calm, deflected provocative questions and struck to the agreed line.
Fortunately this was live interview training, and I got immediate audience feedback. Headline: “You sound scary, like a politician”. 😱
It brought home the importance of conveying warmth, and showing it’s possible to be both diplomat and human.
In a crisis, people want to know three things: that you care, that you have a plan, and that you’re acting on it - Rudi Giuliani
Ambassadors and senior diplomats deal frequently with news media. The first rule: agree an interview only if and when it serves the right purpose.
But in a crisis, you need to be visible and available. That means live interviewing under pressure, and (for me) learning lessons from mistakes.
I’ve distilled the essence of those hard-won lessons in a Diplomacy Micro-Guide: Media in a tight spot, with 30 simple reminders for yourself and your team before you go on air (and during and after). You can download it here:
