Bluewood- Top Tips for TV interviews

Bluewood- Top Tips for TV interviews

Even if you have experience in dealing with the media, if you’ve never gone through a TV interview it can be a little daunting but if you get it right it’s a great opportunity for positive coverage. We’ve put together these top tips to help you perfect your preparation and performance in TV interviews.

 

Preparation: 

  • Audience; adapt your messages, evidence and language according to the broadcaster and viewers you are speaking to.
  • Research; find out as much as you can about the format, as well as the interviewer/producer and the questions they want to ask you (your PR team will help with this).
  • Be concise; you can’t know for certain how long a live interview will be, ensure you can condense your story or message down, to communicate it in a limited amount of time.
  • Add colour; use ‘real’ stories, evidence and statistics to illustrate what you say – content that ‘paints a picture’ works very well in broadcast.
  • Practice; the only way to make sure you are ready to communicate your messages is to have a dress rehearsal – get a media trainer or colleague to test your answers to the negative questions that could come up.
  • Don’t rush; if you are going to a studio, try and get there early to get used to the room and collect your thoughts.
  • Make-up; the bright studio lights mean that if you are offered make-up it’s often a good idea to accept it.

 

Delivery: 

  • Distractions; TV studios are busy places, with people rushing around and equipment stacked everywhere – try to ignore the commotion around you.
  • Jargon; use simple language that all viewers will be able to understand – don’t assume the audience will know the acronyms you use day-to-day.
  • Body language; think about your posture and hand movement, ideally, film yourself in advance to make sure you are using an open stance, that won’t distract the viewer – add a smile where appropriate.
  • Eye-contact; keep looking at the interviewer if you are sitting across from them, otherwise, if it’s a down-the-line interview, make sure you focus on the camera lens.
  • Voice; speaking clearly and slowly enough is essential but as TV tends to flatten the voice, you will also need to add extra volume/emphasis to the performance.
  • Pauses; taking a breath can help your point sink-in but it will also give you a moment to gather your thoughts – don’t feel you have to fill the airspace if you’ve successfully delivered your messages.
  • Parroting; be careful about repeating the journalist’s negatives or language you don’t agree with – reword it in a way you are comfortable with.
  • Stick to your agenda; don’t get pulled away from your messages and be firm if you feel you are being pushed to give an answer on a topic you can’t discuss.
  • Recording; assume the camera is always on you and don’t get up to leave until you are given the ‘all clear’ to do so.

To learn more about communication for TV or to book a training course, get in touch with our professional trainers today on 0845 230 2601 or email info@bluewoodtraining.co.uk

Written by Will Edwards – www.bluewoodtraining.com 

 

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