It can be a nerve-wracking experience being interviewed, especially on camera.
It’s something you never fully get used to – even experienced politicians and public speakers still feel butterflies before they face the music.
However, if you are well prepared, know your key messages and have had some practice, interviews can be a fantastic way to get your point across and have your say.
Here, Adam Howlett, Media Relations Lead at Prominent PR, looks into when you should do an interview, how to best tackle them and how we can help you prepare.
Before we get into the details on how to do an interview, we must first ask why are we doing it?
Interviews, especially on TV, radio or recorded live, have their risks so each must be approached on merit.
Discussions must take place on what you want to achieve with the interview, what are the possible drawbacks – essentially, is it worth it?
Each interview should be judged on a case-by-case basis. Is this a chance to raise the profile of your organisation, is this an opportunity to show your expertise or a chance to set the record straight? What are the risks and can they be mitigated?
Once a decision has been made on whether the interview suits your goals – preparation begins.
Preparing your messaging is vital – you need to think about what you are going to say and how it will be taken by the audience.
One tip is to create a list of four or five key messages you would like to get across, and then try and weave these into your answers.
However, as we have all seen in the run up to the general election, simply repeating your talking points and avoiding answering questions can be a big turn-off to those watching.
Answering the interviewer’s questions while getting your message across is a skill, but with practice, it is a useful tool in your PR toolbox.
Even when facing the most hardnosed journalist, there are some people who appear to be naturals when facing tough questions. This is rarely a natural skill – it takes practice.
You can see this looking back at top-flight politicians when they just started out in their career – they look nervous and worried of what they may get caught out saying.
A year later, with some media training under their belt, they are comfortable and calm on camera.
Getting in front of a camera and answering questions is the best way to learn how to do it.
With interviews, half the battle is feeling comfortable having a camera pointed at you.
You know about the issue or topic at hand – you wouldn’t have been asked for an interview if not – it’s now just a case of keeping calm and speaking with authority.
At Prominent PR, we can help you master the live interview, creating a real-life experience – setting up our cameras and giving you a grilling by one of our former journalists.
Prominent will train you in how to identify the best messaging, how to get this message across to an audience, and how to avoid the tricky ‘gotcha’ questions you may encounter.
More than that, we will put you under realistic interview conditions – a video camera on a tripod, a microphone, a trained journalist quizzing you. We will ask the questions you fear facing, so if you happen to get asked them in the future, you’ll be well-prepared.
Remember, practice makes perfect.
Through our practical, bespoke, hands-on training, you’ll feel like you’ve been doing it for years when the camera is on you for real.
For more on our interview and media training services, see here. To book a session, please email hello@prominentpr.co.uk or give us a call on 01473 276126.
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