General PR Tip #3: A few people should speak, most shouldn't.

Speaking to the press is not an All-Access event.

Within the company, there should be a designed PR/media person to keep track of and coordinate press contacts. Senior officials within the company typically *DO* speak to the press, but guidelines should be established, before, during, and after the speaking.

(Unfortunately, a select number of C-level people start talking and, without knowing where they are going, end up steering the conversation into a ditch, either for them or the company).

After the short-list of people who are "designated spokespeople" are selected, everyone else in the company needs to be educated as to A) Who the central media coordinator is; typically the in-house PR person and B) To keep their mouths SHUT.  Put the WRITTEN POLICY in the employee handbook and post it in a couple of places so new employees are educated on it as they come in and old employees are reminded that they should focus on their job.

I know it sounds harsh, but some people just don't know when to shut up and will start blabbing and blabbing about the most important thing to them -- not necessarily the most important "message" the company is trying to convey. You can wave red flags at them, hop on one foot, and they will still keep on talking even though all they may do is answer phones and move boxes off the loading dock.

Sales people should NOT talk to the press under any circumstances, be it a trade show or mixer or whatever. Sales people are paid to SELL things, and typically one of two things happens when a sales person meets a reporter

1) They think this is just another sales opportunity, and start saying lots of things about competitors you'd prefer weren't attributed to your company, or

2) Recognize that there's no chance for commission and just leave the reporter hanging, blown off (along with the opportunity to get some ink).

Neither result is desirable. Sales people should be educated and re-educated that media contacts get sent to the designed PR/marketing contact.

Speaking with the media

For those designated few that are allowed to speak to the media, they should know the media rules of engagement. When meeting with a reporter, they should clearly understand the media rules of engagement and clearly abide by the rules of engagement.

What are the media rules of engagement? Well, there's no formal set per say, but there could be three types of information that can occur when meeting with the press.

1) "On the record" - Everything that comes out of your mouth is quotable and printable and your name and title are attached to it.  This should be assumed as the default mode for all interviews unless you clearly state otherwise.

2) "Not for attribution" - What comes out of your mouth is printable, but your name and title aren't attached to it. It may be generically attached as a "spokesperson" for the company or more generically as "an industry spokesperson" (who didn't want to be named along with his company).

3) "On background" - You're just giving the bigger picture, but neither your name or your company's name is to be associated with what you're telling.

Many people get themselves in trouble by saying things on the record and either A) Not realizing they are on the record or more likely B) Not thinking about what's coming out of their mouth at the time.

Formal/informal media training can help anyone speaking with the press and is worth an hour or two of time; more if you are going to have someone in front of a camera.  Media training helps you to focus "on message" with three key points, develop zippy "sound bites" and is a good dry-run if you have someone that is particularly podium/camera shy. For those that aren't camera/media shy, there's always "Hey, we have to go to the next appointment..."

Another Very Good idea is to have the in-house PR/media person riding "shotgun" in an interview, taking notes on what was said, clarifying the rules of engagement (i.e. "Did you really want that on the record, boss?"), and managing time if there are multiple media appointments to be made during the day. Audio recording an interview isn't a bad idea, but it can be perceived as intimidating.

Summary

A select few speak to the media.

Everyone needs to understand the policies (and potentially penalties) for speaking to the media out of turn.

Before speaking with the media, know (and review) the rules of engagement before, during, and after an interview.

Assume you're "On the Record" unless otherwise clearly stated by both parties (interviewer, and media person)