So you’ve been asked to take part in a press interview…
Interviews, be it on radio, TV or with a journalist face to face for a print article, can be very daunting.
Even for those who are very experienced, nerves are normal – you are human after all!! Often it can feel like you have no control and could be entering the lion’s den but with some simple techniques, you can master any interview and even better come across believable and communicate your key messages.
Here are five simple media training techniques that I use to prepare and calm clients for an interview:
1.Remember; You are “the” expert
Remember you might not know the questions, but you definitely know the answer.
A journalist is interviewing you because you know something they don’t, you are the expert so remind yourself of this before any interview.
2.Never say no comment!
No comment is like a red flag to a journalist.
It makes them think you are hiding something if you don’t have anything to say. More importantly it makes your audience think you are hiding something if you are quoted saying “no comment”.
3.Silence is golden
It is best to keep your tone steady and also keep your sentences short.
Don’t feel like you have to fill silence as silence shows confidence and credibility – don’t be afraid to have the confidence to stop talking!
4 Watch your body language
Body language can often show you are nervous.
Everyone has little habits they do subconsciously. This can be a dead giveaway for nerves, so I recommend that you record yourself on camera or get someone else to record you, and try to correct your body language.
5. Breathe!
It might sound silly, but remind yourself to take a moment to breathe to calm yourself down!
Training..
If you would like to find out more techniques for controlling and preparing for press interviews, we provide media training services from our offices in Dublin and Cork.
Our training is very practical and we always prepare thoroughly in advance to ensure that the sessions are relevant to you and your sector and that you are given tips to keep you on message and in control of the interview, even when it could be a pressurised situation.
I lead the media training team at Fuzion and my experience as a former journalist will help to carefully support you and your team in those interview situations, allowing you to achieve best results for you and your organisation.
With our help, you will learn how to speak authentically and memorably, making you a more polished spokesperson, business leader or elected official. You will learn how to plan and prepare your media strategy and once “live” we will show you how to stay on message, how to turn a hostile interview into a positive outcome and how to rise above the white noise of everything else.
Whether on-camera or on radio you will become calmer, confident, engaging, personable and most importantly believable.
As part of our training we will digitally record you in front of a live camera for immediate feedback and help you to skill-up faster than you ever thought possible.
Our media training includes;
- Interview techniques for in-studio, and telephone interviews, familiarisation with the interviewer
- Interviewing methods to stay ahead of all journalistic approaches
- Simulated interviews with hard hitting questions and helping to analyse answer direction
- Introducing an opponent for interview and hone your combat technique
If you are interested in our Media Training services please contact us and we can create a bespoke training solution for your needs.
Ciara
