Preparation is key to delivering, Barks tells Club

Preparation and assessing performance after the fact are keys for Congressional testimony, communications consultant Ed Barks told a National Press Club Communicators Breakfast Aug. 9.

That involves knowing what issues may arise as some witnesses can present an effective statement but then fall apart on the Q&A, he said. Conducting a simulated hearing is also a must in order to achieve peak performance. Researching committee members ahead of time is warranted – though not necessarily of a partisan nature – to gauge what they might ask, he said.

He said Mark Zuckerberg was probably given a quick lesson between his two rounds of Capitol Hill testimony when on the second day he asserted himself more as Facebook’s chief executive in pledging to get information directly rather than deferring to someone on his team.

Barks offered this advance advice for witnesses: Charge your communications staff with writing the message-driven oral statement to ensure it contains punch and comes in under the time limit. He said it also was important to build relationships with congressional staff throughout the process.