There may have been a time when executives routinely read these pre-interview tomes, and there are still circumstances when they’re valuable, but I think that most briefing books in their current form are a waste of time and money.

More relevant briefings

Briefing books perform an important function. They provide subject matter experts with the information they need to prepare for an interview. Very often, however, they’re stuffed full of irrelevant material because… well, just because. Briefing books have to provide lots of information because that’s the way it’s always been done, right? Wrong. They’re only helpful if your executive or client reads them.

Here are a few things you can do to provide more concise and relevant briefing documents.

Send it early. Sending you’re an executive an eight page briefing book thirty minutes before the interview is a good way to ensure that they won’t read it. Whenever possible, provide briefing materials at least 24 hours in advance.

Change the name. Your busy executive doesn’t have time to read a book, so don’t call it a book if you expect them to read it. Just call it a briefing.

Put it in the body of an e-mail. There’s no harm in attaching documents with supplementary information, but put the most important information right in the e-mail where your executive will see it. You can put the information in the meeting invitation as well, but I’d bet that most people look in their calendar to find out when and where they have an interview, but not what it’s about. Learn where your executives look for information and put it there. If you don’t know, ask. They’ll appreciate it.

Keep the essentials. A good briefing book lists the date and time of the interview (remember the time zone*), the reporter’s name and outlet and where the interview will take place. List your contact information too. You know this already. That part isn’t broken.

Provide relevant background. Your executive don’t care that the reporter graduated from the University of Illinois in 1993 or that the outlet was founded in 1971. Stop copying and pasting that crap from Vocus or Cision. Nobody cares. Focus on answering questions provide useful background information. What is the focus of the outlet? Who is the audience? Is it a key publication in our target market? Does the reporter know anything about us or our industry? Does the outlet or the reporter have a history with our company?

Include sample questions. Sometimes reporters will tell you some of the questions they plan to ask. If they do, include them. If they don’t, you should still have a general idea of what the reporter wants to know, so provide a summary of the story’s direction and purpose.

Remember your key message. Your executive should never do an interview without having a clear idea of what they want to see in print. That means having a key message and a few points in support of the message. Don’t provide a dozen messages and expect a perfect quote in the story. It won’t happen. Focus on a few main points. Anticipate tough questions, then outline the best answers for each of them and how to bridge to your message points.

Offer supporting data. Make a quick list of facts and figures relevant to the topic. If there are relevant financial, product, market or customer numbers, include them.

Skip the sample articles. They’re not helpful. Well, not always. If there are recent articles by the reporter or in the outlet that pertain to the company or the topic, include them. But if they haven’t written anything relevant, don’t fake it. You’re wasting everyone’s time and demonstrating that you don’t respect your executive’s time. Can’t give up the sample articles? Provide them as an attachment. That signals that they’re not essential reading.

That’s it. Provide the most important information as concisely as possible in the format your executive or client is most likely to read. Whenever possible, schedule time before the interview to go over it with them and plan the interview. You’ll both go into the interview with greater peace of mind.

1. * Bonus tip: Plan meetings across time zones using TimeandDate.com.

As public relations professionals, we’re in a bind. We can choose not to “swim with the snakes,” but as their spokespersons and advocates, we must stand up and speak for them — at least if we want to remain employed.

Bill goes on to point out that Governor Blagojevich’s spokeswoman, Kelley Quinn, knew that she’d find herself in that position sooner or later when she took the job.

Maybe so. But I’d bet that most PR professionals never expect to have to deal with a major reputation crisis. I’d also bet that most PR people don’t have a clue what’s actually going on in the executive suite, and when hell breaks loose, they’re often as surprised as anyone else.

Chances are, if you’re speaking on behalf of a company, you’ll eventually find yourself taking a beating for someone else’s mess. I’ve been in that kind of bind, though thankfully with a much lower profile. It’s never fun.

There have been times when I’ve asked myself whether or not I can be the spokesperson for an unpopular issue while maintaining my personal and professional integrity. I’ve asked myself if it’s worth a paycheck, worth putting food on the family table and keeping a roof over our heads. The answer hasn’t always been yes.

I don’t envy anyone in that position. As the job market dries up, however, it’s not always a question you have the luxury to ask. Not until you hit rock bottom.

If you find yourself that question, you have my sincere sympathy and respect.