Seven Successful Secrets

Seven Secrets of Successful TV and Radio Interviews ...

1. Be memorable. It's not always a question of what you say, but how you say it. One memorable phrase may fire a journalist's imagination and the best 'off the cuff' remarks have often been thought about well in advance. An interview some years ago about what was to become the 1st successful descent of the world's deepest ravine, Low's Gully in Borneo, described it as 'The Everest of Descents' and 'The Place of the Dead' where local people believed the spirits of their dead ancestors dwelt. Every media outlet picked up the phrases and guaranteed acres of media coverage.
2. Be Interesting and Tell a Good Story. Inform and educate but, above all, entertain by being a great story-teller. Many broadcast interviews seem to be just going through the motions - predictable answers to predictable questions. Say something new and inspiring.....and say it enthusiastically. Avoid the abstract and give good examples to back up your points.
3. Prepare well. Marshall your facts to tell your story briefly, concisely and informatively. It's always better to leave your audience wanting more than sending them to sleep or diving for the 'off' button.
4. Use Plain English. Avoid jargon, tech-talk or scientific language. If you can't explain your story in plain English, a journalist may lose interest. A hospital administrator said in a recent interview: 'We were forced into a closure scenario as the ward's bed occupancy situation was only 23.7%.' What they were trying to say was: 'We had to close the ward as only about a quarter of the beds were occupied.'
5. Get your message across. Don't just accept the journalist's 'angle'. The interview is a prime opportunity to say what you want to say about your organisation. It takes practice. In a short interview you won't have time for more than one key point - but you can say it in several different ways so the viewer or listener gets the message.
6. Nothing is ever 'off the record'. No discussion with a journalist is ever 'off the record' before an interview or during a recorded one. Every microphone and camera is 'live' or switched on. Remember when Prime Minister John Major called his Cabinet 'Bastards'? It was an off-the-cuff remark after a recorded Panorama interview at No 10. Poor John thought the camera and microphone had been switched off......but, curiously, the cameraman had 'forgotten' to press the 'off' button. No one now remembers what the Panorama interview was all about but the PM's comment has become a piece of broadcasting history.
7. Tell the truth. Telling a porky or two in an interview may make your story better or get you off the hook in a tight moment.....but the truth will out! Ask Jeffrey Archer, Sven or a host of other politicians and celebrities.
   

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