Dad. Media training coach. I sold my 1st newspaper to my grandmother when I was 5. Writer. Conference speaker. Podcast host. Biz owner for 19+ years.
TCC 26: This body-part acronym will improve your media coverage
I was delivering a media training session for a university a few months back. As is often the case in media training sessions, most of the participants' interview topics were based on crisis scenarios. In these scenarios, it's common for people to be either killed, hurt, offended or inconvenienced. When it came time to review and discuss the participants' key messages, a member of the school's Communications team shared an acronym that's been stuck in my head ever since. I've referenced it numerous times in media training sessions since then and every time I mention it, people grab their pens to write it down (so it's gotta be pure gold!).
The acronym is: EAR (empathy, action, rationale).
Empathy
It seems obvious that a spokesperson should demonstrate empathy during a media interview about a crisis. But in the heat of the moment, when the spokesperson might be in fight-or-flight mode themselves, it can be easy to overlook or forget this crucial element. And when empathy is overlooked, the interview (and the larger crisis response) can go downhill quickly (Remember Tony Hayward? The spokesperson during the BP oil spill who said he wanted his life back?). Always demonstrate empathy. And do it right off the top.
Action
After you've acknowledged the human element by demonstrating empathy, let people know what your organization is doing to address the situation. Outline the operational steps that are being taken to resolve the crisis.
Rationale
Finally, spell out the reasons for the course of action you just described in the 'action' part. Let them know why the leadership team has chosen this set of actions, always keeping your audiences top of mind.
I generally despise acronyms. They require explanation and usually detract from the effectiveness of communications. But I love this one. It's short. It's memorable. And it's an excellent roadmap and sequence for crafting and delivering messages during a crisis. I hope your organization never has a crisis to deal with but if you do, I hope this acronym comes in handy.
Special, limited-time offer for subscribers: From now until 5:00 pm ET on Tuesday, March 28, subscribers to Taking Care of Comms can get lifetime access to my comprehensive online media training course, The Art of the Great Media Interview, for just C$149 (that's $200 off the regular price). Use code TCC26.
Warren Weeks
Dad. Media training coach. I sold my 1st newspaper to my grandmother when I was 5. Writer. Conference speaker. Podcast host. Biz owner for 19+ years.
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