Media training for retailers – handling difficult questions and issues
In our media training courses for retailers, we look at how their spokespeople can handle difficult questions. Very often these relate to job losses. Sadly, over the last few weeks and months, Selfridges, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s, among other retailers have announced cuts to their headcount.
Other difficult questions that retailers are currently facing relate to profits (they’re too high), salaries (they’re too low), supply chain and sustainability. In our crisis communications courses for retailers, we look at what their Comms teams can do and say when things go seriously wrong. But even when they aren’t facing a crisis, retailers and their in-house communications teams must prepare to manage difficult issues, such as job cuts.
“How do you handle a difficult question from a journalist?” is something that we hear frequently in our media training courses for all kinds of organisations.
Media training workshops for retailers
The first thing to bear in mind is that the journalist isn’t out to get you when they do this – not usually, anyway. They’re really just thinking of the questions that their readers, listeners or viewers might want to ask. As part of the preparation techniques that we teach in our media training workshops for retailers, we encourage participants to think about what theywould want to ask themselves if the roles were reversed and they were doing the interviewing. We then add some typical journalists’ questions to this list.
When they interview you, journalists are also thinking about what their editor will want them to ask. “There’s nothing worse than talking to your editor after you’ve done an interview and have them say, ‘Why on earth didn’t you ask about X?’ It suggests that you’re not curious or well briefed,” says Simon Brooke, one of our senior trainers.
Improvements in your supply chain
Very often this might be something that’s not directly related to what you’re talking about. It could be something else in the news. If, for instance, you’re a retailer and you’re due to be interviewed about your use of AI or improvements in your supply chain, the chances are, that in the current climate you’ll be asked about job losses. When we do this during the role play interviews in our media training courses for retailers, we quite often hear: “But we never agreed to talk about that.”
That might be true. But then again, as we point out, journalists will ask anyone anything. Even if your PR company or Comms team has been clear about the subject matter of the interview and what you won’t comment on, we’ll have a go.
Do I have to answer a journalist’s question?
“Do I have to answer a journalist’s question?” you might ask. The answer is that there’s obviously no legal requirement to do so. However. if you appear to dodge a question then it’s very possible that the journalist and, the audience if it’s a broadcast interview, will think badly of you. They might regard you as being evasive or just plain dishonest.
There are some occasions, of course, when you would be quite within your rights not to answer the question. But which questions? In our media training sessions for retailers, we recommend that you apply the reasonableness test. “Would a reasonable person expect you to answer this question?” Clearly, if it’s directly related to the interview or your role then yes, you probably will have to answer it. Identifying replies and lines to take for difficult questions that might be put to you is all part of your preparation.
We’re currently finding that the public relations companies and press offices of a growing number of retailers are coming to us for interview preparation. They might have arranged a media interview with a senior leader or spokesperson within the organisation. Now they want a real life, working journalist (operating under a strict non-disclosure agreement) to put this person through their paces beforehand.
In-house comms teams
As part of this rehearsal or preparation will identify those difficult questions that we as journalists would want to ask. We then work with the in-house comms team or the PR company to help the spokesperson to find answers for them. Very importantly, we help them to identify the words and phrases that they, personally, feel comfortable with so that they sound genuine and authentic during the interview.
With other occasions, applying the reasonableness test might cause the audience to think, “I’m not surprised that they didn’t want to answer that question. Why should they? It’s unreasonable.” Here, you’re on safer ground. However, as we point out in our media training workshops for retailers, some ways of explaining that you’re not going to answer work better than others. A curt “No comment,” for instance, doesn’t come across well.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not here to talk about that,” or “Look, I’m here to talk about X,” can also sound defensive and slightly petulant. There are better ways of sanding firm and assertive but also relaxed and human. We recently worked with a major retailer whose key spokesperson had a lovely, honest, human way of giving a little laugh and saying, “Simon, you wouldn’t expect me to get into that, I’m sure.”
Journalist’s agenda
OK, so you’ve answered or effectively explained why you can’t answer the difficult question. But we would say don’t leave it there. You’re still on the journalist’s agenda and you’ve left it open for them to ask a follow-up question. Instead, we recommend that you then move the conversation on. This means changing the subject and, ideally, returning to your key messages and the issue that you’ve agreed to talk about.
Media training courses for retailers
Because we provide media training courses for retailers on a regular basis, we know how tough retailing is. We also know that because of this, spokespeople in the retail industry are likely to be asked some difficult questions. However, it’s still important for them to engage with the media. Knowing how to handle those difficult questions increases the chance of them maintaining control over the interview. As a result, they’re more likely to get positive media coverage.
Come and talk to us about media training for retailers and how we can help you. You can follow us on LinkedIn here.
