March Madness is upon us.
Teams who take shots and grab rebounds win.
In public affairs, we are hesitant to even take the shot, then we defend on the rebound. There are more useful techniques.
Love sports analogies? This post is for you.
In basketball you have to drive toward the basketball, find an opportunity and shoot. You’re working against a shot clock while also being defended. You have to take shots to win. You can’t score if you don’t take shots. Even if you miss, you or your teammates can grab a rebound and take another shot to score.
Too often, we are the opposite in the conduct public affairs. We agonize over the announcement (the shot), we send through several reviews, we take so much time the newsworthiness of the event has passed or someone else has already reported without your perspective. Through too much careful planning, we miss the opportunity to shoot at all.
If we do get a shot off, we play defense. Our questions and answers are often written with the intent to defend the original statement rather than built to seize opportunities. We defend on the rebound.
To score and win in public affairs, seek to make timely, robust and newsworthy announcements. Avoid what-if negative thinking when drafting your announcement and consider positive opportunities. Make announcements to give the media reportable information and soundbites.
Understand your announcement will garner questions. Think of questions as chances to fuel stories with additional information. Good reporters are creative and may take a perspective you didn’t forecast or don’t want, try to engage the reporter in a useful way which is mutually beneficial rather than defensive. After the shot, look to score on the rebound.
Good public affairs is offensive. Start thinking that way.
(Photo by Tech. Sgt. Anthony Nelson Jr., DVIDS)
