Sorry – I’m In The Middle of Something

By Susan Tomai, Founder

No words strike fear into the hearts of communications professionals quite like the following:

Company executive to communications professional in elevator: “Hi Jen – love that jacket! Oh by the way, I forgot to tell you I had a great conversation with a reporter from XYZ News yesterday. She called me in my office and I was free, so I talked to her. She asked me some tough questions but I think I handled them well.”

Yikes! Talk about a potential recipe for disaster. The executive probably was caught off-guard, and probably didn’t deliver information in a disciplined way that supported the company’s interests.

We tell all our clients that the communications pros should be in the loop of every official contact with journalists by anyone in your organization before, not after the fact. This applies to the receptionist all the way up to the CEO.  So if a reporter calls you or anyone else in the company out of the blue, here’s what to do:

Company executive picks up ringing phone in her office: “Hello, Jane Smith.”

Reporter on the other end says: “Hi Jane, this is Deborah Brown from XYZ News. I have a few questions about your company’s outlook for 2017.”

Company executive says: “Deborah! So nice to hear from you. Listen, I’m right in the middle of something. Please give me your number and we’ll get right back to you.”

Then, after hanging up the phone, the executive should then call the company’s communications lead. That person will then make the decision as to whether the company wants to be involved in the story, who should do the interview, and what the messaging should be.  You may be “just trying to be helpful” with the reporter, but communications is a team effort, and if you don’t involve the people who know how it’s done, you’re asking for trouble.

A Big Terps Upset – And A Little Solace for Spokespeople

No one would call me the world’s biggest college soccer fan, but I was stunned the other day when the top-ranked U. of Maryland men’s soccer team fell to Providence 5-4, after leading 4-1. What? How can this happen? You believe you’re going to win, there’s no way you can’t win, you’re great at what you do – but then BAM! You lose. 

We saw it with the elections. I saw it with my son in his football playoff game for Alexandria’s TC Williams Titans. And Oratorio sees it in media interviews. The spokesperson knows her stuff inside and out, she’s been nailing interviews without a worry,  and then one poorly chosen word and the whole communications effort goes up in smoke.

How do you avoid this? Discipline. Know your material and stick to it as best you can in the interview. But also recognize that even the most battle-hardened spokespeople get it right every single time.

Oratorio's Website Gets A Makeover

By Chris Breene

We loved the former Oratorio website - we really did. Sharp design, great pictures, compelling descriptions of Oratorio's work - but it wasn’t getting the job done for 2016 and beyond.  

We all live and die with our phones. Walk down the street of any city in the world and you’ll see this:

60+ per cent of Web users get online with mobile devices these days and that number is growing. So, just as we strive to keep our work in media training, presentation training, crisis communications training, and message development up-to-date, that’s what we’ve done with our online presence.

Today, we officially launch the new, mobile-friendly, Oratorio.com.

Take a look, and when you're ready, reach out to Oratorio and we'll help you modernize the way you tell your story.

Warm regards,

Suzy and Bill

Trust Your Instincts And Interrupt When Necessary

Trust Your Instincts And Interrupt When Necessary
By Susan Tomai, Founder, Oratorio

Let’s say you’re being interviewed on live TV, and all of a sudden the reporter starts to ask a lengthy question that’s clearly headed in a direction you don’t like. Instead of sitting there and letting the questioner bloviate, do something we’ve all been conditioned not to do in polite society: interrupt the reporter and take back the interview.

Example: the reporter says “Why do you charge so much for your product, and by the way, your customer service isn’t so great, and furthermore….” – you then put a polite smile on your face, hold up your hand and say “If I may,” or “You seem to have some incorrect information here” and proceed to push back with one of your key messages.

We call this the “Interrupting Bridge” – refusing to be steamrolled by a reporter whose agenda differs from yours. Of course you want to be credible, but more importantly, you want to stay on course and do all that you can to ensure that your agenda gets a fair hearing in the interview.

When the Phone Rings

What To Do When The Phone Rings Unexpectedly
By Susan Tomai, Founder, Oratorio

You’re in your office tackling your usual 97 daily tasks, and the phone rings. You don’t recognize the number, but you pick up because you think it might be important.

“Hello, Jane Smith here,” you say.

And the voice on the other end says “Hello Ms. Smith. I’m John Jones with Channel 6 and I’d like to ask you about…”

What do you do in this situation? Do you stay on the line and try to answer the reporter’s questions as best you can? 

In our view, that’s a recipe for trouble. It’s never a good idea to speak on the record on behalf of your organization before you know what you want to achieve in the interview – or whether you want to do the interview at all. So here’s what we recommend:

When the phone rings and the reporter starts in, you say:

“John, I’m so glad you called but I’m right in the middle of something. Tell my why you’re calling and give me your number.”

In doing this, you don’t commit to anything and you don’t go on the record unless and until you choose to and you’re ready. The reporter will probably persist and try to get you to answer the questions – but remember, you should only do an interview if it’s in your interest.