The difference between a confident executive interview and a damaging one is not media training; it is the briefing document the executive read on the way to the studio. This template captures everything a spokesperson needs in eight pages or less.
The messaging house, condensed
A single primary message of fifteen words or fewer. Three pillars supporting it. Three proof points per pillar. A bridging phrase library of five rehearsed transitions back to the primary message from any predictable derailment.
Q&A, including the questions you do not want
The most common briefing failure is preparing the spokesperson for the questions you wish a journalist would ask. The template prompts for at least five hostile questions per topic area, with fully-drafted answers, not bullet points. If the answer cannot be drafted, the spokesperson is not ready.
Format and tone
Two-column layout, large type, plain language. No marketing jargon, no internal acronyms, no aspirational language. Everything in the briefing should be defensible if read aloud verbatim. The spokesperson should be able to flick through it once in a car and feel calmer, not more anxious.
Sign-off and storage
Briefings are signed off by the head of communications, the head of legal, and the spokesperson themselves. They are stored in a single repository with a version number and the date of the interview. Briefings older than ninety days are reviewed before reuse — context shifts faster than messaging houses.
Last updated May 2026 · Filed under Templates