Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, New Jersey was making the rounds on the early morning news shows today. Cory's media interviews went well because of his preparation, focus, and energy. He spoke with passion which is a lesson for any good public speaker but he also demonstrated two principles of good media training. The two principles are honesty and bridging. First, he was straightforward in his answers. When the reporter asked him how could he "sell" the idea of a reduction in city services he responded that there was no good way to sell it. This is refreshing because it's the truth. He then bridged back to his message that it would take innovation, shrinking government, creating enterprise zones, etc. The reporter asked him at a later time how he could sell the reduction of services to his constituents. He again acknowledged that you can't sell it and brought back his solution of innovation.
A good reporter will ask a question three different times or in three different ways.
An effective public speaker who is media trained will give the same, consistent answer and not allow himself to go off message. Cory did this well.
To accomplish this, you must be well prepared and know your message points cold.
Effective media interviews require the confidence to stay on message and the agility to bridge from the reporter's question to your message point.