Bridging master class from Tesco rising star

By Jeremy Adams

Many of our media coaching clients wonder how they can make their organisations look good in a media firestorm. We saw a great example of just that from Tesco spokeswoman Treeva Fenwick on the BBC News on Tuesday evening. See the interview here



Tesco and other UK companies have faced criticism for taking advantage of apparent free labour via a British government-sponsored work experience scheme. Under political pressure, Tesco decided to exit the scheme but rather than stay below the parapet and avoid accounting for itself, Tesco's Fenwick faced the cameras.

First she defended and explained Tesco's position, including its intention to pay directly for young people on work experience. But, vitally, she very swiftly bridged to a succinct and very positive core message: "We are trying to break the vicious cycle, our CEO started out stacking shelves - Tesco is the ultimate meritocracy."

What Fenwick did well was the exact three-stage bridging technique we encourage in media training sessions:

• Address the issue at hand
• Bridge away
• Communicate your core message

Maybe it helps that Fenwick is a former BBC foreign correspondent - she has become a regular TV face of the company since joining Tesco in 2010. But former journalists don't always make great spokespeople themselves. It takes a lot of discipline and above all, preparation.

jadams@ecdinsight.com