Media advice

• Make an appointment

  Make an appointment

  • As a rule of thumb, there should be a maximum one hour response time for journalist inquiries to NHH. If you are a researcher and are asked to comment on a current issue, your response time should be shorter.
  • Do not attempt to take it on the fly. Make an appointment.
  • Find out what the issue is, in as much detail as possible. Clarify what the journalist wants from you. Ask about which other sources the journalist will use for the story
  • By when must the journalist have a response? Is it urgent?
  • Contact the Communications Department.
  • Find out who is the best person to respond.
  • "No comment" is a wasted opportunity.

• Preparing for an interview

  Preparing for an interview

  • Prepare two or three main points that you want to get across. Do not hesitate to ask the Communications Department for advice.
  • Discuss the matter with colleagues and the Communications Department.
  • If it is a critical/negatively angled story, you must be aware that further critical questions can emerge in time.

• The interview

  The interview

  The Interview

  • Before the interview begins, remember that you must ask to be allowed to check all direct quotes before the piece is published, otherwise you are not entitled to do so. Ask to be sent direct quotes that the journalist intends to use in the piece.
  • Be aware that everything you say is part of the interview.
  • For researchers in particular: remember to use the simplest language possible. Avoid jargon as much as possible. You are speaking to the readers/listeners/viewers, not your colleagues!
  • In critical / negatively angled stories especially, you must remember that it is not your job to keep the interview going. Answer the questions asked. If it is an issue where the press has a legitimate reason to be critical, acknowledge that but focus on measures to be taken.
  • Remember your main points.

  After the interview

  • Stick to the agreement on the time limit for checking quotes.
  • If you need advice or concrete assistance in checking quotes, contact the Communications Department.
  • You are allowed to correct factual errors.
  • You cannot withdraw the interview or quotes.
  • The editors decide what is to be published.

• Do you want media training?

  Do you want media training?

  The Section for Communications and Marketing organises courses for researchers who would like to develop their communication skills.

  How do I get an op-ed published? What should I do when a journalist calls? How do I use social media for research dissemination?  These are questions the Office of Communications can help with.

  We regularly hold courses for researchers, and also invite external speakers to hold courses.

  Would you / your research group / department / unit like a course? Please contact presse@nhh.no.

• How to write an opinion piece

  How to write an opinion piece

  1. Start with the most interesting part. Capture your reader's attention.

  2. The title and introduction cannot cover multiple points – stick to one.

  3. Be specific rather than general. Use figures and statistics that support your argument

  4. Write for the general public, i.e. laymen, not your colleagues.

  5. Do not try to include everything you know. There isn't room for every nuance and proviso.

  6. Write as you speak i.e. as simply as possible. Avoid foreign loan words.

  7. Use short sentences with few points. Imagine you are explaining your work to your mother, a 15-year-old, etc.

  8. Use anecdotes about people and events, where relevant.

  9. Avoid question marks – your job is to provide the answer.

• Social media

  Social media

  NHH reaches important target groups through the active use of social media. NHH also encourages employees and research groups to use social media in teaching, research and dissemination. However, to succeed you must have a plan!

  DEFINE WHAT YOU WISH TO COMMUNICATE

  Social media can be used for various purposes. Are you acting on your own behalf or on behalf of a group? Is your goal to build reputation, is the profile to be a project tool or are you looking to nurture your network and keep up-to-date academically?

  CHOOSE THE RIGHT CHANNEL

  Within social media, there are many channels with different formats and audiences. Before you create a page or profile, think through which channel will be most effective. How you use social media should be a result of who you wish to reach. Social media is not always the best channel.

  • If you want to write longer texts, a blog may be the best solution. NHH has blogging tools that can be used. Contact: webredaktor@nhh.no
  • Twitter provides the opportunity to reach an audience quickly and broadly with short updates. It may be the right place if you wish to reach the media, society and the business sector.
  • On Facebook, the tone is more informal, and pictures and video are important.
  • LinkedIn is more career-oriented and suitable for nurturing a network. 

  PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL

  There is no clear distinction between personal and professional roles in social media. This is because we are identified with our job. This is especially true for high-profile employees, such as those in management positions or who are regulars in the media as a result of their professional role.

  As an NHH employee, you should therefore always keep in mind that what you communicate in social media can be interpreted to be part of your professional role. This is true even when you have a closed profile, in the channels where this is an option. There is no absolute privacy in social media.

  USE THE COMPETENCIES FOUND AT NHH

  If there is already an NHH profile that reaches your target group, it is likely more effective to use this than to build a separate channel. Contact the Office of Communications before starting a new profile.

  MANAGE USER EXPECTATIONS

  Presence creates expectations. However, as long as you provide clear information to the users, you can to some extent set your own framework for your participation in social media. All social media have a profile or presentation page. Use these to explain the content users can expect, and if necessary the applicable response times.

  FIND THE RIGHT FORM

  In social media the tone is often informal and things happen fast. However, though you should adapt to the channel you have chosen, you decide the format of your updates. Think about whom you represent and the impression you wish to make.

  START SMALL

  You learn while doing, and with a cautious approach you have room to try and fail.