Media Interview & Public Speaking Tips for the Reluctant Blind
Q&A with Kate Snyder, Principal Strategist & Founder for Piper & Gold Public Relations
Over my 15+ year professional career in workforce development, and now as a business owner and accessibility consultant, there have been many requests for media interviews to go along with the presentations and other public speaking opportunities that I am often asked to do. I would say that I have had a sort of love hate relationship with the media. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely respect and like my friends in the media, I can appreciate the importance of earned media and how being able to push your message out through these far-reaching channels can help to generate positive PR, leading to more customers, and of course, increased revenue. That being said, I hate (maybe hate is too strong of a word) – well, let’s just say that I have usually been reluctant to do media interviews and other public speaking opportunities, and if there wasn’t this compelling business imperative to occasionally step out of my comfort zone and get in front of the camera, go on the record, or present to a large group, I probably wouldn’t, if I’m being completely honest.
This uneasiness with media interviews, and public speaking in general, is why I have often responded to people’s comments about seeing me on TV or hearing me on the radio by jokingly saying that being on the news is simply an “occupational hazard”. Just part of the job. For whatever reason, I have always felt self-conscious about the attention that I receive, even though this is completely counterintuitive, since the whole point about these PR opportunities is to be seen and/or heard.
I’m not really sure why I am so averse to being the center of attention. From what I have been told, I am an above average public speaker. But I am also an overly critical perfectionist who tends to fixate on, and beat myself up over, the most inconsequential of mistakes – which, believe me, I make plenty of.
Of course, underlining all of this is the whole not being able to see thing. Being blind definitely adds an extra layer of complexity. First, there are the challenges related to preparation. Whether it’s putting in the pre-work to memorize and rehearse your talking points, knowing that you won’t have the luxury of simply reading off a script, and there’s no cheating by peeking at your notes for reference, going through your slides over and over again so you don’t run into a situation where your remarks don’t match up with whatever information is being displayed, or hoping and praying that your assistive technology works the way it is supposed to. All of these factors can add stress and anxiety to what is already a tense process. And then there is the more practical aspect of not being able to rely on normal visual cues during the actual interview or presentation, things like making sure that you are looking in the right direction, or a big one for me, not being able to pick up on people’s body language.
Well, this got me thinking about some of the media interviews and presentations that I have done in the past, and whether there are specific things I could focus on to improve my public speaking skills. So I decided to reach out to a good friend of mine, Kate Snyder, principal strategist and founder of Piper & Gold Public Relations, to see if she would be willing to help me out.
Kate and I go way back to our time working together at Capital Area Michigan Works!, when I was serving as the Executive Director of the Capital Area IT Council and Kate was the Chief Communications Officer for CAMW! I felt Kate would be the perfect person for this task, since we already had a history of working together, and I always appreciated her blunt, but constructive approach to coaching and advising me back when she was conducting media training and coordinating marketing and public relations efforts for all of the Council Directors.
For this special assignment, I proposed that Kate start by reviewing the videos of several media interviews and recorded presentations that I have done over the past few months. I suggested that she take notes about some of the things that she felt I did well, and other areas where she thought I could use some improvement as she reviewed. Finally, I asked her to think about whether there were specific strategies she would recommend for how a blind person could approach media interviews and public speaking opportunities, such as any tips for how they could prepare better beforehand or how to conduct themselves during the interview, or simply improve their overall presentation skills.
Then, I got Kate on the phone to discuss her findings and suggestions. What follows is a transcript of our Q&A session.
Kate Snyder, Principal Strategist & Founder of Piper & Gold Public Relations.
Chris Knapp: Hey there Kate, thanks again for agreeing to do this.
Kate Snyder: Of course, thanks for having me.
CK: So, in my intro to this blog I referenced the fact that you and I used to work together at Capital Area Michigan Works! but what I didn’t mention is that you have owned your own public relations firm for several years now, so would you like to start by spending a couple of minutes talking about Piper & Gold and maybe some of the services that you and your team provide?
KS: Yeah, well, we’re a boutique public relations firm – boutique meaning we’re small by choice. We focus on impact-driven work that leverages communications to create a more just, equitable society. So we end up working with a lot of government agencies, nonprofits, associations and coalitions working toward change.
CK: So, let’s start by talking a little about media interviews. Back when we were working together at CAMW! you used to give me lots of great tips and tricks to use when doing media interviews, for example, I remember you telling me not to feel like you have to blurt out your answer, that you can take a few seconds to collect your thoughts before you respond to their question, since they are already going to be editing things on the back end, or if you are asked to supply a statistic or data point that you aren’t 100% sure about, that it’s okay to tell the reporter that you don’t have access to the specific information right at that moment, but that you would be happy to track down the answer and get them what they need. Is there other media relations 101 type stuff that you would suggest to folks?
KS: Taking a pause and a breath to think is still one of the best tips I can give people. Ultimately, media relations 101 is to remember you DO have control in the situation. I think that’s what freaks people out about media so much – the feeling of being out of control, not knowing what’s going to be asked, being afraid you’ll get stumped. But you DO have control. You can ask some simple questions of the reporter first to understand how best to prepare, and then prepare. Make notes, do your research, practice. Even if it’s only for 15 minutes. It’ll be a game-changer in terms of your confidence level, which will come through in the interview. I’ve actually got a guide I’ll share with you for your readers.
CK: Awesome, that would be great. Okay, now to flip the script a bit, I’m wondering if you have specific ideas or suggestions for how a blind or visually impaired person might prepare better for a media opportunity, or if you have any basic “do’s and don’ts” for how they should conduct themselves during the actual interview?
KS: I do think preparation is key for anyone, and for a blind or visually impaired person, that doesn’t really change much. But during the interview, there are definitely some things that can help. At the end of the day, though, you do you. The best advice I can give is to be yourself and if people aren’t down with that, that’s their problem. My tolerance levels for intolerance have plummeted.
CK: So when you got around to reviewing some of the videos of the media interviews and presentations I have done over the past few months, what sorts of things did you pick up on?
KS: One thing I know about you is that you don’t like to be on-camera, and I think that discomfort impacts the interviews you deliver in different settings. Your radio and podcast interviews have a more natural feel and vibe than your on-camera ones.
I wish I could give you tips and advice that didn’t rely on another human. I really do. But I think in the on-camera scenario, you have to be candid with your interviewer and rely on them to help you. That can help ensure your interview is as consistent with any other interviews included in a story as possible, but it’ll also hopefully help you feel more confident.
Here are a few things I think it would be helpful to talk through with an on-camera reporter to help you feel better:
Especially with a Zoom or remotely recorded video, explain that you’re blind and ask them to help you frame yourself within the shot. This was one of the things I noticed in one of your interviews – it was a split-screen shot and you were close to the camera with your shoulders and face visible and the interviewer was seated back with a view that included their chest, shoulders and top of their head. Ask the person interviewing you, “How will the view of this be set up? Am I framed the same way as you (or the other people you’ll be interviewing)? Can you please give me directions on whether or not I need to move closer, back away, center myself in the shot?” That kind of thing. At the end of the day, is this really that big of a deal? No. You rock that close-up shot, Chris. But I also know it’s important to you that little things like this don’t detract from your message, and a lot of reporters or interviewers just won’t think of this stuff. So take control of the situation to make yourself feel confident and get what you need.
Another thing you’ve mentioned is how hard it is to not be able to access your notes. Chris. Use your notes! If it’s not a live interview, explain to the reporter you’re going to keep an earpiece in and may use it to reference your notes from time to time so you can give them the best information possible. The. End. If it’s a live interview, go ahead and explain the same thing to the interviewer and audience. We need to normalize accommodations and you’ll be more confident and share better information if you are able to access your notes. It will never seem as long to the viewer or listener as it does to you. Just use them. I’d say the same thing for presentations. You may not be able to reference a full script and still deliver a good presentation, but you can use keywords or phrases in your notes to help you along and reference those while you present.
CK: And here I was worried you’d ding me for the usual “ums” and other awkward pauses. I was totally prepared for that. I know it’s something that I still need to improve on.
KS: Sure. Everyone does. But that’s just a part of interviews for people. The more you breathe and know the point you want to make before you start talking, the less that will happen. And practice. Practice answering questions – out loud – to commonly asked stuff. Say your replies over and over to help them stick. For you, personally, brevity is important. You’re a storyteller – me too. But that makes an interview tough. Make a rule for yourself to pause after every point you make or before any pivot. That’s a good way to give the interviewer a chance to steer the direction of the conversation, which is their role, or for the reporter to isolate information to use in small snippets in a story.
CK: I know that I personally have to prep a lot for any media interview or presentation that I do, so if you can provide any good tips or tricks on organizing your thoughts, memory recall, that kind of stuff.
KS: Use your notes. It really is okay, Chris. Keep your points concise. Use stories to draw people into a presentation, but know where you want them to go and why you’re telling them. And if a PowerPoint presentation is going to be too much of a hassle for you, don’t do one! Or just use images or a slideshow that gives a background but you don’t have to “follow” per se. Remove the hassle elements and make sure you’re adapting the environment to get what you need to be heard, not the other way around.
CK: Along these same lines, I will often email back and forth with the interviewer in advance of the interview/presentation, sometimes drafting an outline of topics to discuss, or even scripting out what some of my responses will be so they can prompt me for more information if I gloss over something, or they’ll know their cue to ask the next question.
KS: That’s a great approach. You could also explain to an interviewer, especially for a live interview, that as someone who is blind and relies on memorized responses more than notes, it would be helpful to have questions in advance so you can prepare. But again, and you’re going to get sick of hearing this… it’s ok to use your notes.
CK: I have done interviews that were being recorded for playback at a later date. Could we talk about how to ask the interviewer whether there is an option to do multiple takes, if necessary, so I’m not stressing about having to get everything perfect?
KS: Oh absolutely. As long as it’s not live, make that conversation a part of your interview prep – to ask what the interview format is and if multiple takes are possible. That’s a common fear and knowing you have the chance for a do-over provides a lot of people comfort.
CK: Yeah, at the end of the day I have to believe that they want the same thing, they want to put a quality product out there just as much as the person or organization who is the subject of their interview, so it just makes sense to adopt this sort of open, collaborative approach. Well, this has been great Kate—thank you again for taking the time to speak with me and for providing all of these valuable pointers for the blog. Below we will be sure to include a link to the guide you mentioned earlier so people can refer to that for more information, but if someone is interested in engaging with Piper & Gold to explore whether some of the services you are able to provide are a good fit for them and their organization, what is the best way for them to go about doing that?
KS: Sure. They can visit our website, www.piperandgold.com,to connect with me or any of the other members of our Piper & Gold Public Relations team. We also put a lot of content out on our various social channels and through our blog, www.piperandgold.com/what-we-say, if people would like to start by following us and joining the conversation that way.
Click here for a link to Kate’s guide.
About Our Featured Contributor | Kate Snyder
Kate Snyder, Principal Strategist & Founder of Piper & Gold Public Relations.
Kate Snyder focuses her head and heart on creating communication that makes our world better for everyone. She is dedicated to uplifting women in business, she’s a passionate advocate for the arts, and she makes it her mission to ensure those blocked from the microphone have a partner helping them clear the way to be heard.
Kate is a savvy PR practitioner and veteran strategist who inspires and empowers her clients to connect with their audiences and customers in new, dynamic ways.
She writes and speaks about working with government, nonprofits and businesses to be more conscious of their messages, build valuable relationships, and always – ALWAYS – focus on how their efforts connect to their strategic goals and purpose.
Kate has built an award-winning business committed to doing big work in a small community, and her extensive PR expertise and passion will motivate you to do the same. She believes in the power of stories to help her clients move their audiences to action. Yes, even government agencies can tell stories. And they should.
Kate is tapped to speak at conferences around the country on the importance of strategy in social media, building community relations programs and delivering media relations with a customer service attitude. Kate takes community service seriously, lending her time, talent and treasure to the Impression 5 Science Center and Wharton Center for the Performing Arts, among others.
Kate earned a master’s degree in integrated marketing and communications and a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary humanities. (Her mom is freakishly proud of the latter even though no one really understands what it is.) She pays it forward by teaching public relations at several institutions.
Kate is a proud Disneyphile, an unabashed musical theater geek and professional caller-of-bullshit. She’s at her best under a deadline or in front of a crowd – two things that make mere mortals quake.
She’s a resident of #lovelansing, where she shares her home with her lumberjack husband and their precocious, stylish child.