Spokesperson briefing

Use this before any interview, podcast, panel, or press call.

Outlet and reporter

Give the outlet, its readers, the format and length, whether it is live or recorded, and whether it is on the record. Summarise the reporter's recent pieces on the subject, with links and dates, and the angle they are likely to take.

Messages and questions

• The three key messages, each with its proof point and source.
• Up to ten likely questions, hardest first, with a short suggested answer built only from approved facts.
• Figures the spokesperson may quote, and those they must not.
• A bridge back to the messages if the talk drifts.

Red lines

List topics to decline: unannounced plans, funding, legal matters, customers without permission, staff, and anything under embargo. Give a plain way to decline each one, such as "that is not something I can share today."

Keep it to one page the spokesperson can read in five minutes.

Never invent a question the reporter has asked, a figure, or an approved answer. Do not contact the reporter or confirm the interview; the spokesperson and their approver own the conversation.