When You’re in the Spotlight, Trust Is Everything

By Jana McGuire, Senior Account Director

One of the most rewarding parts of my job is media and spokesperson training – helping clients feel confident when they step into the spotlight.

Whether prepping for a panel discussion, keynote presentation, local newspaper feature or a national media interview, we’ve worked with a variety of spokespeople to help them navigate each situation with ease.

The most memorable was one-on-one coaching with Dr. Liz Wagstrom, a veterinarian and long-time voice for the U.S. pork industry. Twice, CBS’s 60 Minutes came calling to interview Liz about important industry issues. Twice, she came to Look East to make sure she was ready for the hot seat. It doesn’t get more high stakes than 60 Minutes. 

We worked with Liz to fully understand prevailing attitudes, anticipate questions (especially the contentious ones), develop key messages and conduct mock interviews – over and over and over again – in front of the camera and lights. Each time we provided constructive feedback, and refined messaging and delivery until Liz felt fully prepared.

She was kind enough to share her feedback with us.

“The media training was invaluable for not only high-stakes interviewswith potentially unfriendly outlets but was also very helpful with day-to-day interactionswith farm media, lawmakers, regulators and our stakeholders. The intense sessions made the training realistic and helped provide a comfort level that I could handle the toughest interviews.”

Can I Trust You?

At Look East we are strategic advisors in food and agriculture – helping clients earn trust in their people, processes, products and brands. That’s how we approach our media and spokesperson training, too.   

All our spokesperson and media trainings cover the elements foundational to success: defining your audience to tailor the message, delivery best practices and approaches to navigating the hard questions.

But the true differentiator at Look East is focusing on shared values communication.

When you’re in the spotlight, the audience isn’t just listening to what you say, they’re deciding whether or not they can trust you. 

The Values Differentiator

When preparing for a public appearance of any kind, we too often focus on sharing facts – the science, data, research. But Look East’s peer-reviewed and published trust model shows that communicating shared values is 3-to-5 times more important to earning trust than simply sharing information.  

Values are the deeper drivers behind what we do: responsibility, safety, honesty, reliability. They represent the greater good. In other words, the “why” behind the work.

If someone trusts that you care about the same things they do, like safe food, responsible farming, environmental stewardship, they are more likely to consider the facts.

I’m not saying facts don’t matter; they do. But without trust, your audience may never even consider the information you’re sharing.

That’s why engaging to earn trust makes the difference and it’s what sets our training apart.  

A Values Message

One of the most powerful exercises we do in training is developing values-based messages and learning to confidently deliver them. It’s harder than it sounds. We’re not used to talking about our values and we’re especially not used to leading with them.

But once people learn to do it, the shift is noticeable. Messages feel more grounded and authentic.

It’s the difference between, “As a farmer, I don’t douse my fields with pesticides. That would be a waste of time and money,” and “Protecting the environment on our farm is a priority for me and my family. That’s why we take great care to make sure pesticides are applied responsibly and only when and where needed.”   

The most effective approach is simple: lead with values (the “why”) then support them with proof points (“the facts”).

Bonus tip! When possible, bring those values to life through stories. Research shows that stories are far more memorable than facts alone and stories demonstrate your values in action.

A scientist can simply talk about the benefits of gene-edited plants helping to produce more food or can begin with a story about how a mission trip to a third-world country inspired her to help find solutions to hunger – and that gene editing is one of the most important tools she’s seen in her lifetime.

That’s powerful.

Embrace the Opportunity

Being in the spotlight can feel uncomfortable. A great presentation or media interview requires lots of preparation and practice. But I encourage you to consider them important opportunities – that not everyone gets – to share your important messages.

Imagine if no one had stepped up to speak on behalf of the pork industry in the 60 Minutes stories. The public would have heard, “The pork industry refused our interview requests.” Ouch.

If you’re not speaking on behalf of your organization or industry, someone else will – and they may not get it right.

Be ready to step into the spotlight with confidence and values messages that move you from simply delivering information to truly connecting with your audience using a proven approach to earn trust. 

I encourage you to download our “Lights, Camera – Nail It!” guide, which details best practices and how to lead with values. And if you’re interested in our unique media or spokesperson training, let’s chat! We’re happy to customize a session for you and your team.