Regardless of whether the medium is TV, radio or a podcast, an interview can be a stressful experience, especially if the interviewer is not fully prepared. Although the perfect guest at just the right time can be a career-boosting opportunity, it can also be a disaster waiting to happen that can have severe consequences for your reputation and even the reputation of your employer. With this in mind, in this article, we take a look at a few tips for a more effective, better-prepared media interview.
1. Being prepared
Not all interviews look the same; one minute you’re cranking up Skype or a making a call for a quick three-minute interview, the next you’re on a live TV broadcast with an enormous audience and about to embark on an hour-long interview. Either way, you must be properly prepared.
Make sure you have fully researched the topic being discussed, the people being present and have some thoughts on the message you are trying to convey. Think about the audience, what are they interested in, and what value can you add to their experience? Ensure that your questions are on point and are carefully designed to generate interesting informative answers. Don’t leave opportunities for simple yes/no answers; design your questions to demand a full and meaningful answer.
Don’t forget that current affairs surrounding the topic are likely to come up, so make sure you are up to speed on any contemporary issues that your guest might raise or that may come from audience questions.
Remember all the simple things; who they are, who they work for, the title of their latest book, for example, and so on. Simple errors on factual points tend to stand out, fortunately with a little preparation, they are also the easiest to prevent in the first place. This is why many people choose to work alongside a broadcast PR agency to assist them in the interview acquisition; they will be able to help with a lot of the background information that could be useful in your interview and save you a red face.
2. Professional presentation
A smart appearance is always important, but make sure you are still comfortable; you do not want to be distracted by tight trousers, constantly inclined to fidget or get distracted. Keep an eye on tricky patterns that are likely to mess with TV cameras; always speak to your camera team if you’re not sure about your stripes. It’s generally best to avoid black and white if you’re on camera as this can create the illusion of a pallid complexion and always avoid too much jewellery or ‘bling’ as this is not only distracting for viewers, it can be noisy and play havoc with microphones too.
3. Always display confidence
Confidence is a critical part of your outward presentation regardless of your internal situation. Nerves are a normal and productive part of an interview process, but if you come across as confident, then your audience will find you more believable, trustworthy and authoritative. Control your breathing, deep and easy, and try to keep your speech evenly paced rather than too fast or too slow. Give yourself the space to think about your next question or your response and avoid all that unnecessary ‘umming’ and ‘aahing.’
While it’s important that you control the situation and guide it as naturally as possible with consideration to time limits and perhaps even ensuring that if you have more than one guest, each gets an adequate platform rather than being dominated by a single strong personality, you must try to not continuously interrupt. Finding the right moment to guide a conversation appropriately is part of the art of a professional interviewer. Good luck.
