Spokesperson Coaching Tip #13: Picking up on Non-verbal Cues

One of the key spokesperson skills we measure against in SpokesComm’s formal Spokesperson Assessments is the spokesperson’s ability to pick up on non-verbal cues coming from the interviewer, in order to adjust their style, ensure understanding, or otherwise meet their needs.  I’ve seen examples all too often of spokespeople who seemed oblivious to obvious clues of boredom or confusion, or who spouted a constant stream, not allowing the journalist a chance to raise a question or comment.  Sometimes, this is a nervous response, or an attempt to prevent the journalist from asking a challenging question.  It may also simply be an indication of a weakness in interpersonal communication skills.  In either case, it’s essential to improve this skill to help ensure consistent success of media interactions.  Here are a couple of tips to help in coaching for this area:

1. Evaluate in non-media interactions.  Observe the spokesperson in conversation with other people, paying close attention to body language of the listener and the spokesperson’s style.  During your own conversations with the spokesperson, vary your body language and facial expressions from interested to confused to bored, and see if they react.
2. De-brief after every interview.  When monitoring media interviews, observe the journalist’s non-verbal communication and any instances when the spokesperson didn’t seem to pick it up.  Following the interview, discuss your observations, and any resulting fall-out.  For example, did the journalist’s boredom with the topic lead them to try to take the conversation off track?  Did an inability to insert a question into the monologue prevent the interviewer from fully understanding the topic? 
3. Video the interviewer.  This will probably require an internal interviewer, rather than a real media interview, but videotape an interview with the camera pointing at the interviewer.  You can review the tape together with your spokesperson and point out cues that may have been missed, discussing what changes may have been possible in order to improve the interaction.