The role of the corporate spokesperson is changing. A strong performance is no longer defined solely by the ability to handle a journalist’s questions or deliver key messages in an interview. As the ways organisations communicate with their audiences have changed, so too have the expectations placed on the people representing them.
This reflects a broader change in Europe’s media landscape. Influence is increasingly distributed across established news organisations, independent publications, specialist newsletters, podcasts, creator-led channels and live events. For businesses, it creates more opportunities to be seen and heard, but it also means spokespeople need to be able to communicate effectively in a wider range of environments.
Media training remains an important foundation, particularly for handling difficult questions, avoiding common interview mistakes and communicating key messages. But being an effective spokesperson today requires a broader set of skills: the ability to hold attention, explain complex ideas clearly, adapt to different audiences and formats, and communicate with personality without sacrificing substance.
Senior leaders and subject-matter experts are now expected to represent their organisations in a much wider range of settings. One day they lead a keynote, the next join a podcast. Airbnb’s CEO, Brian Chesky, for example, has moved between media interviews and podcasts, fireside conversations and direct communications with the company’s host community, each requiring a different relationship with the audience.
The strongest spokespeople are increasingly more than representatives of their organisations. They can become influential voices in their own right, helping to shape industry conversations and giving their company a more credible and human presence.
Being a compelling spokesperson in one setting does not automatically make someone effective in another. A tightly edited television interview, a relaxed podcast and a conference presentation may address similar subjects, but they demand very different performances. TV interviews require brevity, while a podcast often demands a more conversational style and the confidence to explore ideas at greater length.
On stage, a spokesperson must structure a story, hold a room and sustain attention. Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, is a good example of this in practice, shifting from the structured delivery of a Microsoft Build keynote to a more conversational keynote format while keeping the core message consistent.
The challenge is not just memorising the key messages but knowing how to reshape them for the setting without becoming inconsistent or losing authenticity.
Spokespeople need to do more than deliver carefully prepared messages. They need to understand who they are speaking to, what that audience cares about and how to make their argument resonate. That means using stories and examples, and translating complex subjects into accessible language without oversimplifying them. It also requires the confidence to think on their feet, respond naturally to unexpected questions and use tone of voice, pace and body language to reinforce what they are saying.
Effective communication also needs to sound like the person delivering it. Audiences are quick to recognise language that feels overly scripted or weighed down by corporate jargon. The goal is greater clarity and impact without losing the personality and expertise that makes someone credible in the first place.
This is where the scope of media training needs to broaden. Performance media training builds on the discipline of media preparation with practical coaching on how someone speaks, presents and connects with an audience. It considers not only the message itself, but factors such as delivery, presence, storytelling, body language and the demands of different formats.
At Tyto, this means helping spokespeople become more adaptable without making them more scripted. Rather than prescribing what a good spokesperson should sound like, we give individuals the tools to communicate with greater clarity, confidence and credibility in their own voice. The next important interaction may not be a formal media interview. It could be a podcast listened to by prospective customers, a keynote watched by industry peers, a video shared across social channels or a live conversation with employees. Each is an opportunity to shape how an organisation is understood.
For communications leaders, the question is no longer simply whether a spokesperson is ready for their next media interview. It is whether they are ready to represent the organisation wherever an important audience encounters them. Preparing them for that reality means thinking beyond message delivery and towards performance as a whole.
Pauline Delorme is Director at Tyto, based in the UK. In this role, Pauline focuses in developing and maintaining a network of key journalists and influencers across a variety of sectors.