Interview Techniques »
By admin on Feb 11, 2009 in Media Preparation | 0 Comments
- Remember that journalists don’t have a lot of time to extract a story – so, you need to be able to make your key points succinctly.
- Journalists always want to know the “who”, “what”, “when”, “where” and “why” about any situation. So, write brief bullet points about yourself and your story that answer these questions. You should make no more than one side of an A4 page of notes – one for yourself and one for your book.
- Then list down the five most important points you want to make.
- Practice saying those points in no more than 30 seconds – speaking clearly and conversationally. If you can’t fit those five points into a 30 second sound bite, then reduce them to the three top points you must absolutely make. Practice saying these clearly and conversationally in 30 seconds.
- Don’t try to squeeze your points into the 30 seconds by speaking rapidly. You will only sound like a demented rabbit, lose your authority and the journalist’s interest. Speak conversationally.
- Don’t memorise your key points. Rehearse and practice different ways of saying the same points.
- Working within the 30 seconds will help you to focus your mind and train your mouth. If you are able to say the most important things in that short time, you will be better able to amplify, elaborate and even introduce new information without losing your focus or throwing in red herrings.
- Thirty seconds is actually a long time “on air”. Therefore, it is possible to get across a lot of information. Yet, before you know it, the 30 seconds will soon be up! So, practice, focus, practice, focus, practice…
- Know your book well. In most cases, the journalist will not have read your book so you will need to talk about it and bring out the main things you want to say about it. Then again, you never know – the journalist might just have read it and could catch you out. Once you’ve had your book launch you are likely to be thinking about the next thing on your plans and start forgetting detail – so remember to flick through it before each interview.
- NEVER give away your ending or what happens to your characters. You want people to buy your book to read.
- Always try to provide local context. For example, if you have visited, lived or worked in the area or region of the radio station that is interviewing you, say so.
- If you are passionate about a subject, by all means speak passionately. But, don’t get emotional when you speak – you will lose control and authority and be difficult to understand.
- If you don’t understand something the interviewer is asking, ask for clarification.
- It is important to sound relaxed and interested during an interview, especially on radio. Relax and gain focus by:
- Practicing the 30 second rule
- Taking a sip of water before the interview – and have a glass close by to take sips when you need.
- Making sure you are in a place that is reasonably quiet and where you won’t be interrupted. This is really important if you are using a mobile, and equally important if being interviewed face to face for a newspaper or magazine.
- Tidying and freshening up before any interview – whether for radio or for press, and even if you are just being interviewed over the telephone. Wash your hands, change your shirt, brush your hair, or put on some lippy – whatever suits. This will put you in the right zone and help you maintain your focus and authority on your subject.
- Try to get the following line in: “My book – insert name – is in bookshops now or can be bought online at www.aampersanda.com”
- Have fun!
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