As Prince Andrew has aptly demonstrated, even royal heads can roll if you fail to prepare well for a media interview.
If the idea was to clear the record, tell his side of the story and come across as a caring, sensitive man, it really didn’t work. It just fuelled the fire, as the Duke failed to communicate whatever message he had.
Never speak to the media unless you know what you want to say, how you want to say it and to whom you want to say it. Thinking about your audience and being able to empathise with them will help you prepare for media interviews effectively.
As a media training company we can help you prepare your key messages and choose the right words, words that will resonate with your audience and bring them closer. We also talk about using the right tone of voice. There are times to sound authoritative, there are also times to sound contrite and apologetic.
We may never know whose decision it was for Prince Andrew to face the media, but as everyone knows now that it was the wrong one.
A crisis media scenario doesn’t get much bigger than this and it left no option but for the Duke to step back from royal duties to in an attempt to protect the reputation of the royal family.
Metro fairly smashed it with their Prince Andrew headline. pic.twitter.com/R1mFKgbhoO
— Richard Chambers (@newschambers) November 21, 2019
If you are considering speaking to the media, or coming on a media training course, speak with Media Friendly. We offer crisis media management, media training and presentation skills in London, across the UK and worldwide. Don’t let your media interview turn into a media disaster.
