I had a conversation recently about how organisations prepare their leaders that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.
A very senior leader. Impressive organisation. Genuinely good communicator in the room.
I asked him: “If a journalist called you right now, what would you say?”
He smiled. “I’d refer them to our comms team.”
I pushed. “The comms team is unavailable. It’s you or no-one.”
The smile disappeared.
He had no answer.
And this is the thing that keeps me up at night about how organisations prepare their leaders.
We invest enormous amounts of time crafting the perfect statement.
The approved lines. The holding response. The Q&A document.
And then we hand it all to one person who has never once practised saying any of it out loud.
Under pressure.
With a camera on them.
Without the document in front of them.
A statement on paper and a spokesperson under pressure are two completely different things.
I’ve watched polished statements fall apart in thirty seconds because the person delivering them hadn’t rehearsed uncertainty.
Hadn’t practised the pause.
Hadn’t decided what they’d say when the journalist ignored the prepared answer and asked something else entirely.
Preparation isn’t the document.
Preparation is the person.
A prepared statement is only half the battle. If you want to ensure your team can handle the heat of a real interview, find out more about our media training and presentation skills sessions.