A story on low morale among federal workers on NPR’s Morning Editionthis morning contained one of those memorable quotes of the type that we at CommCore work with our clients to create.
Darryl Munsey is head of the union bargaining unit for employees of the National Archives and Records Administration. That’s the agency that a 2012 survey by the Office of Personnel Management found to have the lowest morale in the entire federal government.
The NPR story focused on how dispirited federal workers feel about the low esteem in which they are held by the public and by Congress. It wrapped up with the following quote by Munsey on his futile efforts to stand up for his members against attacks from all corners: “[I]t’s like trying to fight an octopus in a cave, underground, that has just squirted you with ink.”
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Of all the spokespeople from several agencies quoted in the piece, that’s the one that stuck out, and for good reason:
· It was visual
· It was pertinent to the situation
· It projected the spokesperson’s feelings viscerally
Reporters and bloggers will notice a good quote that illustrates their story, or supports and illustrates technical data, the moment they hear it. In their head that’s already the sound-bite that becomes a bumper, or a tease, on a news broadcast; a boxed call-out in a newspaper article; or a viral social media sensation.
And being ready to deliver them naturally and effectively when the opportunity arises requires preparation and training.