The greatest speeches of all time - what do they have in common? Is it an astonishing turn of phrase or is it actually just a strong and well thought-out message at their centre?

I was immensely impressed with my newest client on our first journalist briefing last week. Not only had our spokesperson read and considered the briefing document that we had written, he had also contemplated what he wanted his contribution to the feature to be. There was even a metaphor prepared to bring his experiences to life for the journalist. PR gold!

In general, a PR agency does not expect its clients’ press briefings to replicate iambic pentameter or to be filled to bursting with similies and metaphors; all a journalist really wants is to paint a picture for his readers.

As a technology PR spokesperson, you are the expert in the field; the journalist just needs to see how your experiences are relevant to his readership.

You don’t have to be a poet to be a proficient spokesperson, you just need to consider what you’ve got to say, how you’re going to say it and ensure the journalist can tell a story which, preferably, has you at the centre.

Rebecca Wheeler