{"id":179,"date":"2011-05-15T01:53:00","date_gmt":"2011-05-15T01:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anne.myupcomingsite.com\/interviewing-tips-worth-remembering\/"},"modified":"2013-08-05T20:39:14","modified_gmt":"2013-08-05T20:39:14","slug":"interviewing-tips-worth-remembering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anne.myupcomingsite.com\/?p=179","title":{"rendered":"Interviewing Tips Worth Remembering"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

I do a lot of interviewing these days – as a journalist and writer. Not long ago I was on the other side of the table supporting executives in interviews with key trade and business press. PR people often have an uphill battle working with\u00a0executives who have trouble staying on message or even having a coherent message!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
David Frost.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0published a series of booklets in 2007 chronicling some of the greatest\u00a0interviews of the 20th century<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Topping their list was David Frost’s conversations\u00a0with Richard Nixon<\/a>,\u00a0as well as\u00a0Marilyn Monroe’s last interview and Princess Diana’s confessions to Martin Bashir.<\/p>\n

These figures would have benefitted from some media prep before they sat on the hot seat.<\/p>\n

Here are some tried-and-true tips\u00a0to better prepare your spokespeople\u00a0for a media interview — where they can be\u00a0credible and\u00a0quotable, yet\u00a0know how to\u00a0navigate through\u00a0tough questions while staying on\u00a0message.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Listen to the question and collect your thoughts before responding. (You don\u2019t have to fill the silence).<\/p>\n

\u2022 Be brief \u2013 less is more.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Focus on three main points or ideas, and present these important points first.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Steer the conversation toward those points if the interviewer detours you. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2022 You don\u2019t have to answer every question. Bridge it back to what you want to talk about<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “Yes, and what’s also important is …”<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “No, but let me explain…”<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0“Maybe, but it’s important to understand that …” <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2022 If you only have time to make one key point, which is often the case, what would it be? That is your anchor.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Get to your anchor quickly without beating around the bush. <\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Repeat this key message during the conversation if possible. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2022 Use flagging.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “The real issue here is…”<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0“If you only remember one thing, remember this…” <\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “I want to remind your readers\/listeners\/audience that…” <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2022 Decide in advance what you are not going to say and stick to your decision.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Do not assume that anything you say is “off the record.” <\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If you don’t want to read about it in print or hear it on the air, don’t say it. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2022 Punctuate a point with a story or an example.
\n\u2022 Cite positive trends.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Avoid negative statements. Turn the thought to a positive observation, trend or concept.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Pace your discussion points. Give the reporter or their audience time to digest complex points.<\/p>\n

\u2022 When participating in a media interview, it helps to restate the question in your response to give the interviewer a complete quotable sentence.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Sound bites should be brief and punchy (eight to ten seconds). They should be attention-getting and memorable: use anecdotes, analogies and personal experiences.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Be confident, energetic, and sincere. Relax, and have fun.<\/p>\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I do a lot of interviewing these days – as a journalist and writer. Not long ago I was on the other side of the table supporting executives in interviews<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[601,598,600,599],"class_list":["post-179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-corporate-communication","tag-bridging","tag-interviewing-tips","tag-media-coaching","tag-staying-on-message"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anne.myupcomingsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anne.myupcomingsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anne.myupcomingsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anne.myupcomingsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anne.myupcomingsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=179"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/anne.myupcomingsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":763,"href":"https:\/\/anne.myupcomingsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179\/revisions\/763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anne.myupcomingsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anne.myupcomingsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anne.myupcomingsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}