I have had a lot of email response to my Sunrise appearance (thank you for such positive feedback) and a surprising number of you asked how I can appear so relaxed on an interview that is being filmed live, with an audience of somewhere between 400,000 and 500,000 people.
So I thought I might share some of my tips with you and even if you don’t do media interviews now, you never know what is around the corner. The advice I share here is equally as applicable to any situation where you get nervous when communicating to others.
MY PREPARATION
1. I get all the details about the television show or radio show that I am being interviewed for. In particular I find out about the audience so I know how I need to act to connect and engaged with them. For example is it a serious environment or is it more relaxed?
2. I ask for a list of questions and as much information as I can about the subject. Is it the theme for the show/edition? Who else is being interviewed?
3. How long have I got? This is very important for TV – because you always have less time than you think. If you waffle on for too long, you might only get to answer one question and the interview becomes pretty ordinary.
4. Write my responses. I always do this and I make sure I have all of the bullet pojnts that reflect the key messages that I want to cover. I spend quite a bit of time getting this right and making sure it flows.
5. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse – and time it. Again this is very relevant to television and radio when time is always tight. If you have been told that your TV interview is 5 minutes, don’t think you can waffle on for 10 minutes. You interview will be cut short and in reality not be that good.
6. Rehearse again. Yep, the more you rehearse the better. Get a friend to ask you the questions. For the following interview I rehearsed this at least 20 times and still things ran a little askew as I found it hard to hear the hosts due to the traffic in the background.
ON THE DAY
1. Make sure you have plenty of time. There is nothing more unsettling than a mad dash to the studio. It is much better to arrive at the studio or the interview early and relaxed, rather than in a panic.
2. Rehearse again on the day. Be clear on the key messages, even if the interviewer jumps around a bit you need to be able to answer them.
3. Forget about the thousand of people watching. I always get into the head space that I am simply having a chat with a couple of friends who want to know more about what I have to say.
4. Work with the crew. They are there to help. If you are not sure ask them, but make their job easier. This way you will develop a reputation for being easy to interview and you will be invited back.
5. If you lose track, forget something or just go blank, just laugh and go with it. A big smile will get you out of most tricky situations.
Most importantly of all, just enjoy it. It is a wonderful opportunity for anyone to get their name out there and their business out there. But if you do a great job, you engage the interviewers and the audience and you look relaxed, you will have a much better chance of being invited back.
You can go to my BLOG and see the Sunrise Interview:
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