THE PRESS CONFERENCE - 3

More preparation

If you're dealing with a complicated technical product, make sure you and your speaker know how to use it. Completely, backwards, forwards, sideways and in the dark. Spend a lot of time getting to know the intricacies of the device.

If you're publicising the release of a new brand of cognac, then the thing people want to do is taste it. Make sure you've got plenty, plus enough (small) glasses for at least a couple of shots for each reporter.

Rehearsal

Some people like to have a rehearsal - partly to make sure that all the arrangements are in place, partly to gain some sort of feedback on the pacing of the thing.

A rehearsal will also enable you to consider the time-scale. Many reporters say a press conference should be no longer than twenty minutes. Obviously some are much longer; some shorter. But 'short and sweet' is always better than 'tedious and boring'. The speaker should try to get the main message across in the first ten to twenty seconds. Then he or she should elaborate on the benefits and details, then conclude with a repeat of the key message. If this 'scripted' part is only five minutes or so, that's probably about right.

Then it's time for questions. Even if your speaker doesn't rehearse the main event, he or she should have a practice session on this area. Try every variation of mood and attack. In particular, try to find someone who will pose the nastiest, most underhand questions possible to give you or your speaker practice. When you can handle the tough ones, the easy ones are a doddle.

By all means invite people from your own organisation to attend the rehearsal (with the speaker's permission). They'll give the rehearsal a better feel and their feedback could be valuable. But keep all but the bare minimum of them away from the actual event.

If you're going to record the event in any way - sound, still photography or video - you may want to have the crew/photographer present for the rehearsal. They'll get levels, find out where and when the new car will land when it's dropped from the ceiling, and maybe get better photographs or footage than during the actual event.

And recording the event gives the speaker a chance to review his or her own performance. If your rehearsal is a day before the actual event, it might be too expensive to book a crew for a separate event, but your organisation probably has a small video camera somewhere. Use that to record the rehearsal to check how it all goes.


Multiple Speakers

So far I've written about your speaker. Most press conferences have only one - things seem to work best that way. But sometimes you'll have two or more speakers. If you do, make sure there's a good reason. Reporters like having one person to deal with - it puts you, your organisation or product in a friendly light. Put three people on the platform and things become a bit more dilute and remote.

Of course there are times when you need more than one person. In a fast-developing crisis situation such as an air crash it would be too much to expect one person to have at his fingertips all the details of the pilot, his age, experience and qualifications plus knowledge of the aeroplane's service history plus a complete passenger list plus detailed knowledge of cockpit procedures plus…

Well in that sort of situation, it would be natural to have more than one person on the platform. But each one should have a role and that role (and his or her name) should be made clear to people. One may be a pilot on that kind of aircraft, one may be in charge of the investigation and one a specialist in 'black box' data recovery. Three seems a good number - more than that can seem as if you're trying to cover up something.

The main speaker, or 'chairman' should introduces the others by name and area of knowledge. He may invite them to take part in the preliminary address, or bring them in as 'experts' for the question and answer session.


Press kit or Handout

You will need one. If it's a war update it will be minimalist. If not, put a lot of time and effort into preparing it. Even if the typical journo doesn't bother to do more than glance at it before the briefing, he or she will find it useful afterwards. And if a newspaper spells your managing director's name wrong, at least it wasn't your fault!

A standard kit should include at least some of these things:

	A basic one paragraph release.
	A longer three or four page version of the story.
	A copy of the speaker's statement (though not word for word)
	Background information on your business, organisation, product, industry or cause.
	A brief biography of the speaker(s).
	Copies of any relevant documents.
	A product sample or samples.
	A small souvenir - a badge, pen, T-shirt or whatever.

You can add to, or subtract, as you see fit. If your product is a little large for a free sample for everybody (a jumbo jet, maybe), you'll probably include a sheaf of still pictures of it. You might go so far as to offer a videotape of the new aeroplane in flight; not a cut sequence, but twenty minutes of the best shots for the reporter or station to edit together.

Always remember that show is better than tell. A picture speaks a thousand words. Talking heads can be good. But even the cognac story can benefit from film or stills of the vineyard, pressing, oak barrels, etc. Get as much as you can together, then work out what will serve you best. For instance, how about starting with the speaker riding the new electric bicycle onto the platform?

More about what happens on the day (and after) next.

Press Conferences - Part Two

Press Conferences - Part Four