What Are Reporters Really Watching? Strategies for Nonverbal Success - Article

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The following article appeared in the May 2007 issue of "Public Relations Tactics"

What Are Reporters Really Watching?
Strategies for Nonverbal Success

by Ed Barks

“It’s not what you say that counts, it’s what you don’t say.”

Vintage TV game show aficionados will recall that tag line used by host Tom Kennedy at the end of every broadcast of “You Don’t Say.” It remains good advice for those of us who deal with the media.

We all soak up nonverbal signals as we go through our days. From the boss to a new client to your significant other, we are constantly reading and sending body language cues.

Who Is Reading You?
Reporters, as a group, are skilled at processing nonverbal signals. Experienced journalists not only listen to the words you and your spokespeople say, but they also judge every gesture and vocal glitch, measuring them against those words.

Allow me to place matters in context. This discussion does not mean to imply that your message is unimportant—far from it. A well-crafted, well-organized message is vital to your organization’s success in the public arena. Strong nonverbal execution, however, reinforces that magnetic message and helps you and your organization attain your media objective—whether it be a healthier bottom line, a better defined brand, achievement of public policy objectives, or an increase in members.

Here is how I frame the picture for my media training clients: These nonverbal traits are not important by themselves. Who cares if you can furrow your brow on command or modulate the pitch of your voice to the nth decibel?

Improvement Strategies
I use a straightforward, intuitive system that divides nonverbal signals into two simple categories when working with clients:

Video Tools: The way you look.
Audio Tools: The way you sound.

Here are some methods that can help strengthen body language habits, both from the video and audio perspectives:

Focus on your vocal pitch, volume, and rate of speech.
Demonstrate some emotion to show you care.
Put some action into your interviews.
Forge a bond by using solid eye contact.
Work with props that fit your topic.

Play back in your mind an interview that made you cringe because the subject squirmed in his seat, talked in a monotone, and avoided any modicum of eye contact. The person may have been the world’s foremost expert, but the message he sent came down to, “I don’t care. Why should you?”

Now visualize an interview in which the expert broadcast his or her message with clarity. The speaker was likely animated, had engaging vocal inflection and expressed strong emotion about the topic. The expert connected after working diligently to create a nonverbal tie.

Congruence Counts
Nonverbal proficiency alone is not sufficient. Congruence also matters. If a rapid rate of speech is coupled with soothing gestures, for instance, the reporter will sense confusing signals. Not only will this reduce your persuasiveness, it may lead him or her to ask tougher questions in an effort to resolve the puzzlement.

Leverage your vocal pitch and widen your eyes when you claim to be excited about a new product or initiative. Conversely, if reacting to a crisis, preserve a calm tone and cut back on any excitement-inducing gestures.

Speech disruptions also matter. If you cloud your speech with “ums,” “ers” or overly long pauses, a suspicious reporter might think that you are not a straight shooter. Other speech disruption patterns—such as changing a sentence mid-thought, incomplete sentences, dropped words, unnecessary repetitions and stammering—signal angst or uneasiness.

While we all manifest these speech habits now and again, if they become part of your routine, they may call your credibility into question.

How to Assess Feedback
How can you gauge your nonverbal performance when working with the press? The first step involves self-monitoring. Unless your interview is on camera, videotaping is difficult in most situations. But most PR pros and reporters think nothing of audiotaping interviews. Use that tape to assess your performance.

The next step involves soliciting feedback from trusted colleagues. Ask another communicator from your organization to sit in on your interview or to listen to your end of the telephone conversation and critique your nonverbal performance.

The third step dictates that you call in an experienced media trainer skilled in such matters. Make sure to ask for proof that the trainer you consider holds expertise in nonverbal communications.

When working with reporters, the savvy PR pro remembers that old adage, “It’s not what you say that counts, it’s what you don’t say.”

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Ed Barks is a media trainer and author of The Truth About Public Speaking: The Three Keys to Great Presentations (www.TruthAboutPublicSpeaking.com). Details: www.barkscomm.com.

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