In the second part of our The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly review of 2022 media interviews, we look back on a sporting example of The Bad with Catherine Eastham.
When we think of bad media interviews, we typically assume that the interviewee has come unstuck at the hands of some challenging journalist’s questions. However, sometimes a bad media moment can be totally of the spokesperson’s own making. FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s media press conference on the eve of the Qatar 2022 Football World Cup was a perfect example, in how to get your messaging wrong.
In the build up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Qatar and FIFA had faced considerable scrutiny, particularly on labour conditions and LGBT rights. Infantino decided to start the press conference with what he thought was an inspirational and impactful statement: "Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arabic. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel (like) a migrant worker.”
Bemusement on the faces of the watching journalists grew as he claimed to understand discrimination because of his red hair and freckles as a child.
Infantino’s speech demonstrated the importance of properly planning your message and stress testing it. When you have the rare opportunity of delivering a prepared speech to media you should interrogate beforehand how every sentence could be construed. Speeches should be rehearsed in front of a trusted audience and phrases, pace and tone adjusted to ensure that you maximise the opportunity to get your message across.
Finally, even with the best of intentions, middle-aged white men earning millions of dollars a year should think carefully before trying to identify themselves with oppressed minorities…
If you want to find out more about delivering impactful media statements, please get in touch: Catherine.eastham@fourcommunications.com, Lizzie.costelloe@fourcommunications.com or Jonathan.atkins@fourcommunications.com
When we think of bad media interviews, we typically assume that the interviewee has come unstuck at the hands of some challenging journalist’s questions. However, sometimes a bad media moment can be totally of the spokesperson’s own making. FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s media press conference on the eve of the Qatar 2022 Football World Cup was a perfect example, in how to get your messaging wrong.
In the build up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Qatar and FIFA had faced considerable scrutiny, particularly on labour conditions and LGBT rights. Infantino decided to start the press conference with what he thought was an inspirational and impactful statement: "Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arabic. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel (like) a migrant worker.”
Bemusement on the faces of the watching journalists grew as he claimed to understand discrimination because of his red hair and freckles as a child.
Infantino’s speech demonstrated the importance of properly planning your message and stress testing it. When you have the rare opportunity of delivering a prepared speech to media you should interrogate beforehand how every sentence could be construed. Speeches should be rehearsed in front of a trusted audience and phrases, pace and tone adjusted to ensure that you maximise the opportunity to get your message across.
Finally, even with the best of intentions, middle-aged white men earning millions of dollars a year should think carefully before trying to identify themselves with oppressed minorities…
If you want to find out more about delivering impactful media statements, please get in touch: Catherine.eastham@fourcommunications.com, Lizzie.costelloe@fourcommunications.com or Jonathan.atkins@fourcommunications.com