Let me start by
saying that this is a non-partisan commentary. On Monday, Paul Ryan was
interviewed by a reporter with ABC12 in Flint, Michigan. Like all good
broadcast interviews, the topic quickly changed. Vice Presidential
candidate Paul Ryan and his public relations handler didn’t like the direction
and instantly ended the interview. See it here on BuzzFeed. I have
written about this topic before and am always drawn to the abruptly ended
interview. Mostly because it makes
the person who walked off look ill prepared and silly.
Mr. Ryan was
engaged in an interview discussing gun laws. He successfully talked about
the need to enforce the current laws. He called it a crime problem, not a gun
problem. He then went on to explain the need for improved services in inner
cities and that more should be done to address what is at the heart of the
crime problem. All good.
The reporter then
asked how that would be possible while cutting taxes. Cue the flak who then
interrupted and said that the interview was over. Ryan appeared appalled
and accused the reporter of putting those words in his mouth and said that was
a “strange question.” Not really. A strange question would be
something like “boxers or briefs?”
Ok, you are running
for a high profile political office. You will likely have hundreds of
press interviews. The topics you need to be prepared to respond to are
always going to be, well, everything. If you are the Republican vice
presidential candidate, you can safely assume that hot topics will include
taxes, guns, abortion and your marathon time. It appears that in this
recent interview, Ryan’s prep for a tax-related question was to be pulled off
stage.
To be fair, Paul
Ryan’s campaign responded to follow-up media queries with the following
clarification “Eventually you’re going to see a local reporter embarrass
himself.” Well played. Always blame the reporter. I recall that this
worked well when Sarah Palin blamed Katie Couric for her tough line of questioning,
which included asking what Ms. Palin read on a regular basis.
Let’s apply Ryan’s
performance to the business world. When senior executives are going to be
interviewed by the media, they need to be prepared for everything that has to
do with their company and industry. But they also need to be prepared for
anything that is in the public domain, or would eventually become public.
The right
preparation for any interview should include the basics of the subject you are
scheduled to discuss. But as a business leader or other spokesperson, you need
to assess what could be asked. How do we figure that out? First,
look at the paper and see what’s being said about you or the firm and your
competitors. Next, think about any industry or regulatory issues. You
also need to consider what you have talked about in the past. Topics that you
have been on the record
about are also fair
game. Have an answer.
Paul Ryan blew an
opportunity to discuss his platform. The word “taxes” was uttered and
mics were ripped off. So instead of everyone discussing Romney/Ryan’s proposed budget plan,
the story is now Paul Ryan lost his cool, blamed the reporter and now looks
like the kid who walked off the playground and took his ball home.
Melissa Daly has
worked in media relations and financial communications for nearly 20 years.
Melissa formed MFD Communications, a strategic consulting firm, after spending
three years at Goldman Sachs as Vice President, Corporate Communications. Prior
to that, Melissa was a Director at Brunswick Group, a London-based financial
and business communications firm. There, she spearheaded its financial services
business in the US, managing communications for hedge fund, private equity,
insurance and traditional asset management firms. Melissa also worked at Fred
Alger Management, The Hartford and Lipper in communications and media relations
roles and has frequently appeared on CNBC and CNN as an industry
commentator. Her experience spans across business sectors and
continents.
