Interview Survival Tips

Interview survival tips

1. Be prepared. In addition to reviewing previous articles written by the reporter, request background information such as:

. What’s the focus of your story? . Who else have you interviewed? . What kind of information will you need from me? . How much time do you want for the interview? . What’s your deadline?

2. Prepare two or three key messages you want to get across during the interview. These messages will form the basis of nearly all your answers. Structure your responses with your key messages up front. And don’t worry about sounding repetitious. Remember that the reporter will probably include only a handful of your comments in the story. Make sure each one counts.

3. Practice your answers to tough questions. This helps you get comfortable with your key messages and helps you keep your cool if you’re asked a challenging question during the interview.

4. Be concise. State your point and, if appropriate, use an example to support it. But keep your responses brief unless the reporter asks you to elaborate.

5. Don’t fear silence. If you get a question you aren’t prepared for, don’t start talking until you think through what you want to say. Equally important, when you’re finished answering a question, it’s OK to sit in silence while the reporter composes the next question.

6. If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so. If you can, offer to do some research and follow up with the necessary information.

7. If you can’t—or choose not to— answer a question, tell the reporter why, e.g., “As a private company, we don’t share information about our profitability externally.” Provide some related details that may address the reporter’s question without revealing proprietary information. Don’t say, “No comment” as it tends to make reporters suspicious.

8. Presume that everything is “on the record.” Never say anything you wouldn’t want to read or hear later. Remember: reporters are not your friends; even if they seem friendly, keep the relationship professional.

9. Be as natural and as relaxed as you can in the interview. This is important whether you’re doing a phone or in-person interview.

10. Finally, always keep your audience in mind. It’s not the reporter. He or she is only a conduit to your real audience—the readers or viewers—who include your customers, shareholders, employees, etc. Keep them in mind as you prepare for and conduct the interview. More tips

 Don’t repeat negatives  Don’t nod "yes" or saying "uh-huh" to indicate you understand the question  Never say "no comment"  Don’t speak from personal opinion  Don’t lose your temper  Don’t speculate

Different media interview styles:

 Jokes: don’t let your guard down or compete. The reporter is not your buddy.  You don’t have to fill the silence: Let the reporter ask the question, don’t jump in.  Rapid-fire questions: don’t try to answer all the questions, choose the question you want to answer  Constant interruptions: politely continue your statement succinctly  Paraphrasing your words: avoid being misquoted or taken out of context by restating a summary point in your own words  Negative or hostile language: do not react angrily or repeat negative language; remain calm and bridge to your message point  Watch for leading questions: “wouldn’t you say that …. is the case here?”  Repetition of the question: your answer should stay the same

Use transitional bridges:

 “Before you get off that subject, let me add…”  “That’s not my area of expertise, but your readers may be interested in knowing…”  “Another thing to keep in mind is…”  “Now that we’ve covered -----, I’d like to discuss another important point…”  While ----- is certainly important, don’t forget that ----“  “Let me put that into perspective…”

Phrases to insert a pause:

 “That’s a very good question…”  “You’ve obviously done your homework…”  “I’m glad you brought that up…”  “Before answering your questions, I’d like to provide some background on …”  “In order to understand the situation, I think we need to go back and examine…”

Keep in mind:

 Assume the camera and the microphone are always on  You are talking to the reporter’s audience, not the reporter  The reporter is looking for the single sound bite