Guide to appearing in the press as an expert

Create an overview of the story

The best advice for when a journalist calls and wants to interview you is to get an overview of the story.

This means that you are advised to ask what angle you are working with, in what context you will be involved, when the story is brought, and so on.

Make an agreement on statements for review

A journalist is not obliged to send your statements for review, but they almost always want to. As mentioned, they are also interested in the fact that their product is ultimately of high quality and without errors. When you are interviewed, the material you convey may be complicated, and you may even be sent the entire text so that you can qualify the academic basis. Journalists' reluctance to provide statements is often seen with party sources such as politicians.

When you receive a text, it is important to respect the journalist's professionalism and product. You can demand that factually incorrect information or misquotations are corrected, but the wording of the text itself is the journalist's choice, and you should not object to that, as long as it does not give the reader a misleading impression. Often, corrections are made by the journalist only to make the text easier to understand.

If the interview is not for the written press but perhaps for radio or TV, you usually don't get the chance to review your statements - especially in live productions, although it may be possible in larger productions with longer deadlines.

Ask for an interview frame

You can, however, request an interview framework. The media will then send an overview of the overall topics that will be asked along the way. Some want to be sent the specific questions that are asked, but most journalists will be reluctant to do so as it may provide some rehearsed answers and thus an inferior product.

The willingness to collaborate will vary from journalist to journalist, just as it will from researcher to researcher. It is always a good idea to, from the beginning, agree on the process and work out conditions that will work for both parties.

Which role are you playing?

You have complete freedom to speak as you wish. But it is wise to emphasise whether you speak as an SDU professional or a private person.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, several experts experienced being met with criticism from citizens for their statements, which were based on their own research or general evidence. The explanation probably lies in a mixture of several things:

- That many people mistakenly confused the academic arguments with the views based on the close collaboration between politicians and experts.
- That an incredibly bad debate culture has emerged, especially with a harsh tone on social media.

Stick to the facts

Seen in this light, it is strongly suggested sticking exclusively to the academic content of the topic. Stay on your home turf, so to speak, and let the decision-makers talk about how to solve the problems. For example, during the mink scandal, professionals from SSI stated that, based on their knowledge, there was a risk to public health by allowing the minks to live - the statements were not about how the government should act.

Put forward key messages

Before you speak, you should think about what you want to get across in the story. It's a good idea to have 1-3 messages ready that you think are the most important to include and put them forward in a series of key phrases that you can focus on and lean on.

Lower the readability index

If you have done research in or need to comment on a complex subject area, it may be beneficial to use different images and analogies help you explain. In particular, difficult terminology can make it difficult to understand your statements and make you appear very elitist - you risk not getting your knowledge and messages across.

Think about your body language

If you are going to be interviewed for television, you are wise to think about your posture. Don't cross arms making you look like someone under attack and who does not really want to be there - remember, it is your field of expertise that you are passionate about, you now have the opportunity to spread to others!

If the result is not what you agreed to

There are several options for directing objections to a journalist or a media outlet if wrong information is brought or you are quoted incorrectly in an article, TV or radio feature. It may also be that the end result is too sharp-angled and therefore some nuances are missing.

Often this can be solved by contacting the journalist who may have misunderstood what you have said and will quickly rectify it - but in more serious cases, it may be necessary to go to the media editor/management for redress. In the end the error may have to be clearly stated, and is of course also corrected. In critical cases, the article might be taken down.

If there is no agreement at all between you and the media, you can contact the Press Council, which deals with journalistic work and assesses whether the journalist has acted in accordance with the press ethical rules.

In these situations, SDU Communications is also happy to assist with guidance.

Talk to the employee at your faculty

SDU’s faculties all employ communication specialists who have knowledge of how the press works. They can help you with feedback in specific situations – maybe it is even from them that you are tipped off about someone wanting to interview you.

SDU Communications is also ready to help

In the Central Administration, there are also journalists who are happy to practice specific interview situations and provide advice and guidance. If it is a press case of a particularly critical or political nature, you are welcome to contact the Public Relations Officer at SDU Communications after discussing the matter with your immediate manager.

You can find contact information for the relevant colleague on SDUnet: https://sdunet.dk/en/servicesider/kommunikation/presse.

If your research has yielded new knowledge, you also have the opportunity to contact a media outlet and suggest them to bring a story about your subject area or new results.

You should be prepared to help the journalist imagine the story.

Before contacting a media outlet, consider the following:

Which media outlet is right for the story? If it is relevant to young people, there are certain media that are best suited for that audience. It might also be a very technically complicated story that best suits a trade journal.

Please be very specific about what the new and exciting thing is - as well as how your new research will benefit society. Preferably worded in one sentence.

Do you have a case in the form of a 'real' person who can and will give an interview and put a perspective and human face on the story? Often, this is when the story falls flat from the medias' point of view, so you may want to have a solution in mind.

There may be a lot of information that is easy for you to understand, but that requires close reading by a journalist. Therefore, it's a good idea to prepare a short text about the story, which you can offer to send to the journalist after your interview. The text should explain a little more about the new results and of course contact information for relevant parties.

You can get advice about all the preparatory work for a pitch for the press from the journalist/communicator at your faculty - SDU Communications is also happy to assist with advice.

Body language in the media

Body language is a form of wordless and non-verbal communication and consists of a composition of posture, facial expressions, eye movements and gestures. Body language is often interpreted unconsciously.

If your body sends the right signals, you can inspire confidence and respect and make recipients listen. But many focus almost exclusively on the verbal communication and forget that body language is an equally important part of a good interview. If there is no consistency between what you say and the signals your body sends, you will have a hard time convincing people.

Body language on TV

In his 70's experiments, psychologist Albert Mehrabian found that body language and nonverbal communication have the greatest impact on how we perceive others. He is known for the so-called 7-38-55% rule.

• How much do the words you say matter? 7%
• How much does your tone of voice, vocal strength and rhythm matter? 38%
• How much does your body language matter (facial expressions, gestures)? 55%

The 7% probably brings matters to a head, but body language is clearly important when you have to get your message across.

We humans are experts at reading and understanding each other's body language. Ever since we were very young, we have been practicing decoding the signals that other people send: Are they angry, scared, bored, tired, disappointed, or something else entirely? But very few people are aware of what their own body is saying. However, it is a great advantage to know the signals we send with our body, so that we can work purposefully to send the right signals.

Because changing one's bodily habits takes time, it can be helpful to work with your body language. Here are a few things you can work on.

Four steps towards good body language:

1. Good posture

It is important that you are neither slouching nor over-correcting. Both provide bad conditions for your voice and both postures send a bad signal.

When you slouch, you signal indifference, while an over-corrected posture easily makes you seem tense, nervous and distanced.

Good posture is when the individual parts of the skeleton rest on each other and you use as little muscle work as possible to stay upright.

By having good posture, you achieve a bodily readiness where your body is ready to move. It signals energy and dynamism and it gives you a better physical support to put behind your words.

2. Natural gestures

Gesturing is using your arms and hands when you speak. The main rule is that your gestures should support what you are saying. Make sure you use your hands and arms in a calm and firm manner and at a pace that suits what you are saying. Avoid distracting gestures such as touching your hair, adjusting your glasses, touching your ear or clicking your ballpoint pen as much as possible. It shifts the attention from what you are saying to what your hands are doing.

3. Attentive facial expressions

Like gestures, the facial expressions must be natural. Eye contact and smiling are the most important. Make sure to make eye contact with the interviewer. It is a great way to make sure that you are present. At the same time, it maintains attention. Eye contact also allows you to sense if the interviewer understands you or has fallen by the wayside.

In the vast majority of contexts, a smile once in a while also goes a long way - if nothing else, then before you start talking. That way, you seem accommodating.

4. Practice

It takes time to change ingrained habits. It therefore requires that you work regularly and often with your body language. For example, use your mirror in the morning to check that you have good posture. Ask a colleague or good friend to notice if you have distracting habits (such as adjusting your glasses or touching your hair).

You can also watch your interviews afterwards if possible. This allows you to see what you are doing well and what you might need to work on. It is hard, but very educational!