Uhoh, Radio Interview Tonight.
Uhoh, Radio Interview Tonight.
Author
Discussion

tinman0

Original Poster:

18,231 posts

271 months

Monday 27th February 2006
quotequote all
Quick question - I have to be interviewed on a radio station in Florida tonight (so i'll be awake at 230am UK time).

I have NEVER been interviewed before - does anyone have any tips? This is a serious question as well - not a wind up. I am going to be petrified.

randlemarcus

13,646 posts

262 months

Monday 27th February 2006
quotequote all
Just be clear about what you want to say. Write down in BIG letters on a pad the points you want to get across about the rally, and try and speak clearly.

Good luck

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

286 months

Monday 27th February 2006
quotequote all
One needs a glass of water handy in case one's gob dries out.....

anonymous-user

85 months

Monday 27th February 2006
quotequote all
randlemarcus said:
Just be clear about what you want to say. Write down in BIG letters on a pad the points you want to get across about the rally, and try and speak clearly.

Good luck


Agreed. Does not matter what the question is....try to always answer with whatever you are rying to get accross. You will have only a few mins so use them wisely!!

tinman0

Original Poster:

18,231 posts

271 months

Tuesday 28th February 2006
quotequote all
mybrainhurts said:
One needs a glass of water handy in case one's gob dries out.....


you were so right about that!

chim_knee

12,689 posts

288 months

Tuesday 28th February 2006
quotequote all
tinman0 said:
mybrainhurts said:
One needs a glass of water handy in case one's gob dries out.....


you were so right about that!
Vaseline on your lips and front teeth.

Of no real use to you but the thought turns me on.


Not really, it'll stop mispronouncing words becase your mouth's dry.

nervous

24,050 posts

261 months

Tuesday 28th February 2006
quotequote all
whatever you do, under no circumstances whatsoever, be yourself. that way spells disaster.

nervous

24,050 posts

261 months

Tuesday 28th February 2006
quotequote all
ok, seriously, dont sit in silence until minutes before the interview. keep talking to everyone around you. the more natural talking feels the more natural youll be. you really neednt worry, if they didnt think you could do it they wouldnt have asked you.

tinman0

Original Poster:

18,231 posts

271 months

Tuesday 28th February 2006
quotequote all
well, i've got another interview to do on Friday, but thankfully that ones not live so should be a little less pressure, and there will definitely be more people around at 3pm when i do the next one rather than 130am last night.

alexkp

16,484 posts

275 months

Tuesday 28th February 2006
quotequote all
I've done lots of radio interviews over the years, and even presented some shows.

The main trick is to slow yourself down, rather like public speaking. MOst people tend to speed up and gabble when they are on air or speaking publically.

Smile at the interviewer, it will make you relax. Do not interupt or "mmm" while the interviewer is talking if you can help it.

Take a deep breath before you start, exhale slowly and treat it as a conversation between two people. Tell yourself no-one is listening anyway!

chim_knee

12,689 posts

288 months

Tuesday 28th February 2006
quotequote all
tinman0 said:
well, i've got another interview to do on Friday, but thankfully that ones not live so should be a little less pressure, and there will definitely be more people around at 3pm when i do the next one rather than 130am last night.

Oops - mis-read the original post. So you had it last night? How did it go?!

nervous

24,050 posts

261 months

Tuesday 28th February 2006
quotequote all
ah,yes. perfect. me too. so quick were we to make vaseline gags that we totally missed the point. that is so the story of my life.

Jaglover

46,845 posts

266 months

Tuesday 28th February 2006
quotequote all
nervous said:
ah,yes. perfect. me too. so quick were we to make vaseline gags that we totally missed the point. that is so the story of my life.


chim_knee

12,689 posts

288 months

Tuesday 28th February 2006
quotequote all
Jaglover said:
nervous said:
ah,yes. perfect. me too. so quick were we to make vaseline gags that we totally missed the point. that is so the story of my life.


tinman0

Original Poster:

18,231 posts

271 months

Tuesday 28th February 2006
quotequote all
chim_knee said:
tinman0 said:
well, i've got another interview to do on Friday, but thankfully that ones not live so should be a little less pressure, and there will definitely be more people around at 3pm when i do the next one rather than 130am last night.

Oops - mis-read the original post. So you had it last night? How did it go?!


It went really well. As it was a Florida radio station, my accent stood out somewhat. The DJ was a female shock jock which is kinda stressful as I'm a kinda repressed english guy. Near the end she did ask me to talk dirty with my English accent and i kinda went red and said "I'll have to prepare some material for next time" (which is the only thing i could think of ).

Anyway, I've been invited onto the show in May when I'm out in Florida again when the event that I'm promoting is over. Whether they were just being kind I don't know - but I might follow it up anyway.

She did ask right at the end - "are you naked yet" - to which I mustered the reply "I will be in a couple of minutes "

Parrot of Doom

23,075 posts

265 months

Tuesday 28th February 2006
quotequote all
I used to film training sessions for councils, police forces, etc - anybody who was likely to be interviewed on television for something or other, usually something quite newsworthy.

There are a few basic tips which cross over to radio:

1) You must first ask the interviewer what questions they are going to ask, before the interview commences - do not accept the interview without this information. You must be prepared.

2) If you don't know the answer, then don't make things up. Just say "I don't have that information with me, but I can find out for you at a later date"

3) If the interviewer interrupts your answer, pause and allow him/her to finish. Then calmly finish your previous answer, before asking him/her to repeat the question. Do not allow yourself to be derailed.

4) The interviewer will often throw in a completely random question - bear this in mind.

5) Don't be argumentative - you'll play into their hands as they will always have the last word. Just take a deep breath, and bear in mind point (3)

6) If there are technical issues at your end - ie poor sound quality from the studio, noise, bad line etc, then do not proceed with the interview until they are rectified.


If it was for telly I could add a few things about where to pause for thought, hairstyles, makeup etc, but thats a bit pointless for radio

Oh and:

7) Nothing is off the record. You must assume that everything is being recorded at all times

I know of a story where someone was being interviewed for tv, but the camera was resting on the cameraman's lap pointing somewhere else, and the red light (tally) was turned off. The interviewee thought what he/she was saying wasn't being recorded, but it was, and there was a fair amount of trouble created.

>> Edited by Parrot of Doom on Tuesday 28th February 12:57

paulie-mafia

3,321 posts

254 months

Tuesday 28th February 2006
quotequote all
I've done a few in my time and I also advise clients on broadcast interviews that they participate in. A good idea is to put together a bullet pointed crib sheet along the following lines, to give you a nudge when you dry up or questions get a little difficult...

What do you want to get across? (no more than 3 key points);
How can you support these points - any stats, anecdotes etc
Prepared responses to tricky questions you may get asked (play devils advocate with yourself - where could your story fall down, where could the interviewer throw you a curve ball).

In terms of style, try to keep it conversational and chatty. If you need to think, then a brief pause before answering is better than going "errrrrrm" and try and avoid repeating the usual gap-filling responses such as "you know" every 20 seconds!

Above all else, use every opportunity to drop in a namecheck for your brand and a web URL!

P

RobM77

35,349 posts

265 months

Tuesday 28th February 2006
quotequote all
I'd also have a think about what things they might ask you and think about clear and concise ways to explain them. I'm a trainer, and I have a whole raft of set ways that I like to explain certain things - this enables me to explain things concisely without going round in circles!