Preparing for a media interview: a guide for spokespeople

Good media interview preparation begins the moment a journalist calls. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in its guidance for spokespersons, advises knowing the format and duration of the interview, asking who else will be or has been interviewed on the subject, and asking when and where the interview will be available.¹

Broadcast codes set out what a fair programme maker should tell you. The UK regulator Ofcom's code says contributors should normally be told the nature and purpose of the programme, why they were asked to take part, whether the contribution will be live or pre-recorded, edited or unedited, and the areas of questioning.² Wherever you are interviewed, those are reasonable questions to ask before you agree.

Every interview needs a small number of points you want the audience to remember. The World Health Organization's guidance on media communication advises preparing three key points that communicate your core messages, keeping messages simple and short, and practising delivery.³

Risk communication researcher Vincent Covello and colleagues, in a report for the US Environmental Protection Agency, describe a 27/9/3 template: three key messages totalling no more than 27 words, which can be spoken in about nine seconds.⁴ The report explains that people under stress can process only around three messages at a time, and that short messages help spokespeople be quoted accurately and completely.⁴ Even outside a crisis, the discipline is valuable: if you cannot say it in nine seconds, the editor will cut it.

Write down the ten questions you would least like to be asked, then prepare an honest answer to each. Covello's message mapping process aims to anticipate around 95% of the questions likely to come up, and stresses that spokespeople should prepare answers and practise them ahead of time rather than improvise.⁴

If you do not know an answer, say so. The CDC notes that "I don't know" or "That's not my area of expertise" is an appropriate response, and advises refuting negative allegations without repeating them.¹ The EPA report suggests acknowledging the question, explaining why you cannot answer, saying when you will follow up, and then moving to what you can say.⁴

Reading your messages silently is not preparation. The CDC says a spokesperson's presentation should be reviewed and rehearsed.¹ WHO's handbook on media communication sets out a seven-step approach, and training communicators is one of those steps, alongside preparing messages and evaluating performance afterwards.³⁵

Good media training is simple: a colleague plays the journalist, asks friendly and hostile questions, and records the answers on a phone. Watch the recording together. Did the key messages come through? Were the answers short? Was there jargon? Two or three rounds usually make a visible difference, especially for experts who are used to speaking at length.

Television rewards brevity. The CDC advises practising answers in 10- to 20-second phrases, and warns that television reporters may be more likely to seek dramatic responses.¹ It recommends looking at the reporter rather than the camera unless told otherwise, noting that eye contact helps establish credibility, and that natural animation, gestures and facial expressions increase it too.¹

Clothing matters on screen, the CDC notes.¹ In our own practice, we suggest plain, solid colours, avoiding fine stripes and busy patterns, and checking the background behind you. For telephone and radio interviews, the CDC suggests standing up, because it strengthens your voice and makes you sound more alert.¹ The same advice works for video calls.

Answer the question you are asked, briefly, and then return to your key messages. WHO's guidance offers bridging phrases such as "And what's most important to know is…" and "What this all boils down to is…".³ Bridging works when it follows a real answer; used to avoid every question, it looks evasive.

Three rules from the CDC apply to every spokesperson. Do not respond with "no comment". Understand that there is no such thing as off the record. Do not speculate, assume or make premature promises that may later have to be reversed.¹ WHO adds: state what is factual and known, avoid technical terms, and build trust by admitting what you do not yet know.³

Evaluating messages and performance is the final step in WHO's approach.³ Note when and where the piece will appear, then review it with your communications team. Did your key messages survive the edit? Was anything misreported? If there is a factual error, contact the journalist politely with the correct information and a source.

Keep a short log of interviews, the questions asked, how the coverage turned out and the lessons learned. Over time it becomes a briefing pack for new spokespeople, shows which messages journalists pick up and which they ignore, and helps you decide who is best placed to speak on each topic.

• Format, length, topic and other interviewees confirmed
• Three key messages, short enough to quote in full
• One fact or example to support each message
• Answers ready for the ten hardest questions
• Rehearsed aloud and recorded at least twice
• No jargon, no speculation, no "no comment"
• Plain clothes and a tidy background for TV or video
• Coverage reviewed and lessons logged afterwards