Much like perfect is the enemy of good, a comma is the enemy of a good media interview. When a reporter asks you a question, answer it. Period. DO NOT start talking again just to fill up the space. If you have a hard time remembering that, try and think of your interview as a telegram:

In a telegram, the writer types a sentence and then adds the word “STOP” after it to signal the end of that particular idea. In other words, they end each thought with a hard stop. A period. Not a comma.

Have you noticed how your press person/handler looks like she is nervously squinting into the sun every time you speak with the media? She knows that your inherent desire to talk non-stop during an interview is the most common way to stick your foot in your mouth, have that error emblazoned in cold, black print and pixels, and end up as blog/TV fodder. Read More…

Image by mafleen via Flickr

Reading this makes me sad, but David Cay Johnston’s play-by-play on the attitude and work approach of the Obama press shop-o-newbies (answering the phone, anyway) should be required reading for every aspiring public relations pro.

I’ve read Johnston’s words three times now and each time, something different makes me cry a little stands out. Here’s a quick sample:

Its 3 p.m. and the phone in the White House press secretary’s office is ringing. It rings and rings and rings. Eventually, a recorded voice asks callers to leave a message, followed by a second voice saying the voicemail box is full. Read More…