When a reporter asks...

Middle and senior executives are often self-assured about their public speaking skills. They address company meetings, speak before community groups, and host key social events. They are in charge, articulate, and knowledgeable ...

... until a reporter asks a question.

What they then say – and don’t say – can weigh heavily on your company’s fragile public image and impact its market performance. They should be cautious. You must be wary.

A reporter’s call can become the decisive moment for both a company and a career. Because news interviews are neither conversations nor speeches. They are rituals, often governed by secret signals, unwritten rules, and harmfully unpredictable consequences.

By understanding and learning how to manage this increasingly critical form of mass communication, you and your colleagues can stay in charge. You can avoid dangerous traps, turn interviews to your advantage, and enhance your public image.