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MEETING THE PRESS: INTERVIEWSPress interviews, news conferences, media tours, and other kinds of gatherings provide excellent opportunities to communicate your message to a variety of audiences. They are more personal than just sending written materials and allow reporters to get direct answers from news sources. Company executives prone to stage fright may view direct one-to-one contact with the media as a nightmare. They fear that they will say something stupid, be misquoted, or be "ambushed" by an aggressive reporter who will slant the interview to imply that the organization is guilty of some wrongdoing. Nevertheless, media interviews help the organization accomplish the objectives of increasing visibility, consumer awareness, and sales of services or products. The key is preparation. Most press interviews are set up in advance. They can be initiated by you as the public relations representative, or they can be requested by a reporter who is looking for credible experts to fill out a story. If a reporter calls requesting an interview, you should interview the reporter before the reporter interviews you. Some common questions are, "What's the nature of your story?" "Why did you call me?" "What are you looking for from me?" By doing this kind of questioning, you can decide if you are qualified to answer the questions or whether someone else in the organization would be a better source. You may also decide that the context of the story is not appropriate for your organization and decline to be interviewed. For example, the reporter may ask you to comment on some topic that has nothing to do with your organization. One danger in a telephone interview is that you're caught off guard and don't have time to formulate your thoughts. But before you know it, you and the reporter are chatting away like old friends about a number of topics. This is fine, but do remember that name and a quote will probably appear in the article or as a sound bite on a newscast. It may be accurate, or it may be completely out of context. A better approach for a major interview, whether initiated by you or by the reporter, is to schedule it in advance. If you know the purpose of the story, this will help you prepare yourself or other spokespersons for the session. There are some tips: Define your key points. Know the three most important points you want to get across to the interviewer. Anticipate difficult questions. Make a list of questions that might be asked and be prepared for them. Rehearse. It is normal to feel uncomfortable when you're in the "hot seat" when reporters start questioning you. Practice making your key points and answering difficult questions. If you're preparing an executive for the interview, you role-play as the reporter. Follow up. After the interview, provide any material promised to the reporter. Respect his deadlines. Getting back to a reporter in several days often isn't good enough. Another common suggestion is to provide reporters with company background materials in advance or at the time of the interview. This will help them get facts and names correct. Body language is also important: Be confident and relaxed, always look a reporter in the eye and never look away, keep your hands open, smile, and lean forward when you're talking.
Vocabulary: ambush - заманить в ловушку accomplish the objective - достичь цели in advance - заранее anticipate - ожидать, предвидеть appropriate - подходящий be in the hot seat - быть как на иголках body language - язык жестов catch smb. off guard - застигнуть к.-л. врасплох chat away - болтать consumer awareness - потребительская осведомленность decline - отвергнуть, отказаться follow up - довести до конца get across to smb. - донести до к.-л. imply - намекать, предполагать newscast - последние известия (по радио или телевидению) nightmare - кошмар prone to smth. - склонный к ч.-л. rehearse - репетировать slant - передергивать факты; необъективно представлять информацию stage-fright - страх перед публикой view - рассматривать visibility - обзор, видимость
Exercises 1) Find the English equivalents in the text. Use them in sentences of your own: быть компетентным; сформулировать мысль; цель ч.-л.; знающие специалисты; обычные вопросы; предоставить прекрасные возможности; служащие компании; источник (информации); прокомментировать ч.-л.; не иметь ничего общего с ч.-л.
2) Find the words in the text which describe or mean the following: changes in your body position and movements that show what you are feeling or thinking; likely to do smth.; nervousness felt by someone who is going to perform in front of a lot of people; to provide facts or information in a way that unfairly supports one opinion, one side of an argument etc.; to surprise someone by doing or saying something that they are not ready to deal with; a news program on television; to suggest that something is true without saying or showing it directly.
3) Match the words. Use the expressions in sentences of your own:
4) Translate the following sentences into Russian: She is prone to say exactly what she thinks. It was a nightmare driving home in the snow. The report was heavily slanted toward the city council's version of events. The sudden snowstorm caught weather forecasters off guard. The movie is appropriate for children over 12. Sales are better than anticipated. It was difficult to get his idea across to the committee. The salesmen implied that the cars were safe. He declined their invitation to take part in the conference. If it is viewed from an environmental perspective, the factory's closing is a good thing.
5) Match the words which are close in their meaning:
6) Match the words which are opposite in their meaning:
7) Write these words with correct negative prefixes (un, in, im). Translate the pairs of adjectives into Russian: qualified; personal; written; direct; appropriate; credible; common; accurate; important; confident.
8) Agree or disagree: Body language is as important as the verbal content. If a reporter calls requesting an interview, you should interview the reporter before he interviews you.
9) Write down the main stages of the preparation for an individual interview.
10) Prepare the topic Meeting the press: Interviews for retelling.
UNIT XV NEWS CONFERENCES A news conference is a setting where many reporters ask questions. It is called by an organization when there is important and significant news to announce, news that would attract major media and public interest. Here is a list of instances that are appropriate for news conferences: An announcement of considerable importance to a large number of people in the community is to be made. A matter of public concern needs to be explained. Reporters have requested access to a key individual, and it is important to give all media equal access to the person. A new product or an invention of public interest is to be unveiled, demonstrated, and explained to the media. A person of importance is coming to town, and there are many media requests for interviews. A complex issue or situation is to be announced, and the media need access to someone who can answer their questions. The two major reasons for having a news conference are to give all media an opportunity to hear the announcement at the same time and to provide a setting where reporters can ask follow-up questions. Many announcements, particularly ones involving research breakthroughs, major corporate decisions, and crises, raise numerous questions as reporters seek information on all aspects of an issue or event. Your role as a public relations professional is to determine when and if a news conference is needed. All too often, executives in an organization want to call a news conference just to stir up publicity and make routine announcements that can just as easily be handled with a news release. Not only is this an expensive proposition, but it also alienates the media, who have better things to do than attend news conferences where there is no news.
Vocabulary access - доступ alienate - отдалять, отчуждать announce news - сообщить новую информацию attract interest - привлечь внимание breakthrough - успех, достижение call a news conference - созвать пресс-конференцию follow-up - дополнительный, последующий instance - случай raise a question - поднять вопрос setting - обстановка stir up - пробудить, вызвать
Exercises 1) Find the English equivalents in the text: получить доступ; значительная личность; сложная проблема; предоставить возможность; одновременно; главная причина; коллективные решения; определить ч.-л.; обнародовать; слишком часто.
2) Translate the following word-combinations into Russian. Make up your own sentences with them: 1. to stir smth., (not) to stir a finger, to stir up an interest in smth., to stir up a quarrel, to stir up rebellion, to stir memories, to stir emotions. 2. to seek publicity, to seek smb.'s advice, to seek smb.'s help, to seek one's fortune, to seek a quarrel.
3) Find the words in the text which describe or mean the following: an important new discovery in something you are studying, especially one made after trying for a long time; to deliberately try to cause problems; to do smth. that makes someone unfriendly or unwilling to support you; done in order to find out more or do more about smth.; to try to achieve or get smth.
4) Match the words. Use them in sentences of your own:
5) Translate the following sentences into Russian: Walkways allow easy access to the beach. Scientists have made an important breakthrough in the treatment of heart diseases. His speech really stirred up the crowd. In this instance, I have decided there is not enough evidence to bring the case to court. He is doing a follow-up study to his research on children raised in single-parent families.
6) Match the words which are close in their meaning:
7) Match the words having the opposite meaning:
8) Write down 6 questions to the text beginning with who; what; how; when; where; why.
9) Write down one sentence summarizing the text.
10) Render the following item in English: Пресс-конференции являются весьма эффективным методом передачи прессе информации, если пользоваться им разумно. Однако некоторые организации никогда не упускают случая провести прием или пресс-конференцию для представителей прессы. Это может быть вызвано тем, что либо директор организации вообразил себя выдающимся оратором, либо настойчивость проявляют его консультанты по связям с общественностью, демонстрируя свою активность от имени клиентов. Если есть возможность распространить какую-нибудь информацию через пресс-релиз, не стоит созывать ради этого пресс-конференцию. Обычно пресс-конференция проводится только тогда, когда возникает необходимость в демонстрации каких-то образцов или других предметов, или же речь идет о важной теме, по которой у присутствующих журналистов могут возникнуть вопросы. 11) Prepare the topic News conferences for retelling. UNIT XVI   ЧТО ПРОИСХОДИТ ВО ВЗРОСЛОЙ ЖИЗНИ? Если вы все еще «неправильно» связаны с матерью, вы избегаете отделения и независимого взрослого существования...  ЧТО И КАК ПИСАЛИ О МОДЕ В ЖУРНАЛАХ НАЧАЛА XX ВЕКА Первый номер журнала «Аполлон» за 1909 г. начинался, по сути, с программного заявления редакции журнала...  Что делать, если нет взаимности? А теперь спустимся с небес на землю. Приземлились? Продолжаем разговор...  Конфликты в семейной жизни. Как это изменить? Редкий брак и взаимоотношения существуют без конфликтов и напряженности. Через это проходят все... Не нашли то, что искали? Воспользуйтесь поиском гугл на сайте:
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