Insights

Hawthorn’s Board Director, Guto Harri, spent 18 years at the BBC before taking on some of the most demanding roles in communications. He presented a number of flagship programmes, was posted to Rome and New York and became the corporation’s Chief Political Correspondent before joining Boris Johnson as his Spokesman and Director of External Affairs at City Hall. In recent weeks he has featured as a commentator on the BBC, Newsnight, CNN, Sky News and many more. We asked him: what advice would you give a spokesperson about to go on air?

Answering the phone to a studio producer who puts you straight on air isn’t generally a good idea; I love it and the day starts with a glorious surge of adrenalin. But I had 18 years to practice. I often speak to Nick Ferrari on LBC before I’ve greeted my wife. But picking the right time, place and outlet to put yourself out there is otherwise a good starting point for any live, on-air commitment. Some of us are bad at breakfast. Others are jaded by teatime, and Newsnight is well beyond bedtime. Play to your strengths.

Think hard about location
Most media – these days – give you the option of joining from home or going into the studio. Choose the latter if possible. You will look better. The sound will be richer. The Wi-Fi won’t go down. More importantly, you’ll form a bond with the presenter, and stepping onto a properly-lit set will get you appropriately psyched for the occasion. Home is clearly in your comfort zone, but addressing a bigger audience with limited time and a trained interrogator takes more energy, focus and projection than most of us can engineer over a laptop.

Work out why you’re there? Do their requirements coincide with yours? Are you commissioned to attack or defend? Both involve taking some pain. Think of how you can add context, perspective, or nuance and your insights will land better with a broader audience.

Make it memorable
Go light on facts and numbers. Pick one or two that speak volumes and drop the rest. No one’s interested in how hard you work or how much you know. A tasty bone that the audience can chew on is better than a carcass that overwhelms. Tell them something they haven’t heard, and flag it. Make them feel you’re sharing a secret, breaking a confidence, or telling a tale others would keep quiet. Think anecdote, parallel and metaphor whilst gently reminding them of your authority or credibility on the subject.

Surprise the interviewer
I challenge myself to surprise the interviewer, making them gasp or even laugh. Pick playful words, create some frisson, or pass on a killer phrase. A former aide to Boris Johnson told me some months ago he’d happily help him again – if he moved swiftly. He was – however – not interested in going back to “walk him to the gallows”. Five words, lobbed into an otherwise pedestrian answer, clearly tickled Laura Kuensberg and Adam Fleming when I joined them for their Newscast recently.

The masochist in me couldn’t resist an on air confession in another recent hit. When most of the world wanted to disown and condemn any association with drink-fuelled “work meetings” with Boris Johnson, I fessed up to launching “wine o clock” in his Mayoral days at city hall. Mad? Maybe. But not against the rules. And the reason why – I remembered very clearly how hard it was to get him to attend. He really isn’t a party animal. Saying that falls on a lot of deaf ears in the current climate. Painting the picture may just have opened some eyes.

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Name Role

Which brings me to my final point…
No one gets invited back to trot out the same old lines. Say something worth saying – from memory, experience or deep reflection. If an answer can be clipped and posted onto social media you will definitely have ticked their box.