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When a Reporter Calls, Be Prepared
By Barry List
Alone in our offices with our spreadsheets and our software and our scrubbed database, operations researchers often talk to fellow specialists in language that doesn't bring our valuable message to a broader public. Then sometimes, stuff happens. And we find ourselves with microphones thrust at us, the phone ringing with reporter questions, and the Associated Press taking the story national.
It can happen. Take, for example, Sheldon Jacobson of the University of Illinois. For years, Professor Jacobson has been doing valiant work studying children's vaccines, but receiving scant public attention. Then he and a graduate student came upon a killer research topic: exploring the relation between obesity and Americans' auto driving habits. As he wrote in OR/MS Today ["How to Survive Your 15 Minutes of Fame," December 2006], a well-executed plan by the public relations department of his university, along with media training, prepared him for the thunderstorm of interest that resulted in hundreds of placements in the media.
One day, you may be in Sheldon's position, with the opportunity to highlight your work, along with the important contributions of operations research, when a reporter comes to call.
The time to prepare is now. And as a public relations firm that recently consulted to INFORMS wrote, the steps can be managed. Here's what they recommend doing.
Interview Basics
• The real agenda
As odd as it may sound, you are not giving an interview to a reporter. You are speaking through the reporter to thousands of potential customers or partners.
- Market your company and the O.R. profession! Overcome your modesty. Every question is an opportunity for you to promote your organization, your research and the O.R. profession.
- Generate excitement! Act as your organization's ambassador, advocate and evangelist.
- Be newsworthy! Tell the reporter why their readers will care about your research.
• Prepare
- Read any briefing materials that you receive before the interview. This will give you background on the publication, the reporter, the story line and the target audience.
- Write out a few key messages in advance of each interview. Repeat your key messages throughout the interview. At the end take the opportunity to summarize your key points.
- Anticipate "tough" questions and prepare thoughtful, diplomatic responses.
- Give the interviewer your undivided attention. Shut off all cell phones and turn away from your desk and computer screen.
• "Take control" of the interview
- Stay on track. Use each question as a chance to emphasize (again) your key messages.
- Politely correct the interviewer if a question misstates a fact.
• Keep it simple
Even the most complex research can be explained in simple language.
- Assume the interviewer has zero knowledge base. Tell your story from scratch.
- Stick to non-technical language you'd use with a layperson.
- Avoid industry jargon and acronyms.
• Talk the reporter's language
- Each response should begin with a great "quote," "soundbite" or "headline" that you'd ordinarily use to conclude a statement.
- Use real-world examples whenever possible.
- Use the interviewer's name in phrases like "That's a great question, Sam..." When appropriate, refer to the interviewer's previous work.
• Things not to do
- Never go "off the record." Assume the discussion is "on the record" even if it's off the topic or takes place as you're walking with the reporter to the elevator. If you don't want to read it, hear it or see it — don't say it.
- Don't answer confusing questions. Ask that the question be restated.
- Don't bluff your way through an answer. Simply say...
"That's not my area of expertise, but I can put you in touch with the right person."
"Not all the facts have been gathered yet."
"There's someone else you should talk to about that."
- "No comment" is not an acceptable answer to any question.
- Don't repeat negative questions or phrases. Instead, rephrase or reframe your answers in a positive way, stressing your key points or messages.
- Avoid absolutes. Never say "never."
- If you get a call from a reporter and are not prepared to talk, offer to call them back at a more convenient time. Or tell him or her that company policy requires you go through the PR person. Then alert your PR professional who can set up a more structured call.
Be an O.R. Champion
Your training is almost complete. Now you should take advantage of a reporter's call to hammer away at these key messages about operations research. By doing so, you will advance your profession, as well as your personal career. Begin by visiting the O.R. Champion's Kit at http://www.orchampions.org/ for all the information you'll need about explaining the profession. Then use these key O.R. messages:
- O.R. applies advanced analytical methods to help executives make better decisions and solve real-world problems. (Use the words "The Science of Better.")
- O.R. has transformed entire industries and is used as a "secret weapon" by brand-name companies (FedEx, Disney and your own organization).
- O.R. is woven into every facet of daily life, including police dispatching, delivering an overnight package, sports scheduling and determining optimal medical treatments for patients.
- O.R.-based specialties like yield management, supply chain management and queueing theory are transforming the economy.
- O.R. is more important today than ever before because of increasing quality and quantity of real-time data; growing complexity of global economy; and an algorithms/mathematical tool box of the O.R. field that is more robust than ever before. It keeps building on itself.
- INFORMS is a 10,000-member international scientific society, including Nobel laureates, dedicated to applying scientific methods to improve decision making, management and operations.
Now you're a trained spokesman for yourself and INFORMS. All you need is a good story to tell. Once you've got it, talk to the public information officer at your organization or university. Then get in touch with INFORMS. Call 1-800-4INFORMs, or contact us by e-mail at barry.list@informs.org or informs@informs.org.
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Barry List is the director of marketing and public relations for INFORMS.
OR/MS Today copyright © 2007 by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences. All rights reserved.
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