A couple of bloopers…
This one is for all the wonderful people we train who worry about making mistakes when presenting or being interviewed.
It happens to all of us!
Media training bloopers!
Be brave
Be brave…
Putting myself out there on LinkedIn does not come naturally.
I’d 100% prefer to be behind the camera.
But I also understand that sometimes you have to get outside your comfort zone.
It’s thanks to Jess Mangold who prods me, our services and clients to always be better and braver.
This photo sums up my fear and her support beautifully.
And she is probably the bravest person I know.
What I learned from Anne Robinson…
I worked with Annie Robinson from the late 90s, initially as a researcher at BBC Watchdog.
What you see with Annie, is what you get in real life. She is tough and a class act. She knows what she wants and what she doesn’t want and it’s that approach which brought her success, originally on Fleet Street (at the time a heavily male dominated world) and latterly on BBC TV.
She’s well known for her sharp wit on The Weakest Link, turning every contestant to jelly but that was nothing compared to her legendary performances on BBC Watchdog.
In every interview, she manifested the ‘killer opening question’, and I learned so much from those on camera grillings. Particularly since I sat in the chair opposite her during programme dress rehearsals, assuming the role of the company spokesperson.
During live transmission, I watched as nervous leaders tried, and often failed, to hold the corporate line.
So now I media train people to assume the unexpected from the moment they walk into the studio, or even before – remember the series The Thick of It and Nicola Murray’s faux pas as she left the national newspaper interview?!
It’s true that interview styles and approaches have changed but I wouldn’t be doing my job with clients if I didn’t channel a little of my inner Anne Robinson.
What are your favourite interview moments?
I hate doing video…
- I hate listening to my own voice.
- I hate having to watch it back.
And I know lots of people feel exactly the same way.
Given that I train others how to speak on camera I’ve forced myself to take my own medicine and now – I’m actually starting to enjoy it, a little!
Here’s what I’ve learnt and what you need to know…
Get comfortable with your sound bites
When it comes to media training, we often see our clients fighting to convert wordy corporate messages into convincing sound bites.
So how do you get comfortable with what you’re saying?
Practice with the corporate message, a bit, and then abandon it and practice saying it like you’re talking to a friend.
Remember why you’re doing the interview – to promote, rebut or disrupt – keep a laser focus on your why, through every twist and turn of the interview.
Finally don’t be afraid to repeat yourself. Not like a parrot, but by using examples to explain your points in different ways.
Golden Rules for Interviews
There have been some high-profile car crash interviews recently.
Make sure you’re not next.
Here are my 3 Golden Rules for Interviews that every spokesperson needs.
Dissecting a successful interview – the media trainer’s diet
Listening to and watching interviews is my lockdown fix. News bulletins, current affairs and podcasts – I am compelled to tune in. And as a media trainer, I tell myself this is a healthy, if unconventional daily diet.
The definition of a successful interview depends on whether you are reporting the story or ‘in the chair’. Every journalist has an agenda and as I always explain in media training, interviewees too, need a plan to make themselves heard. And tuning into 3 recent interviews, I heard three people, in very different circumstances, making a success of their air time.
Continue reading “Dissecting a successful interview – the media trainer’s diet”
Pattiserie Valerie – Serves up a showstopper interview
Less than a week after revelations about the financial future of Patisserie Valerie made headlines, executive chairman Luke Johnson gave an interview to the same newspaper where he regularly contributed a business column.
The move navigated some tricky reputational waters and a creeping narrative about British retail and high street horror stories. Continue reading “Pattiserie Valerie – Serves up a showstopper interview”