How to deal with different types of media interviews

Each medium – radio, TV and print – have specific requirements you should understand before the interview.

Radio The main feature of radio is that it is a personal medium. Radio gives the illusion of a one-to-one relationship, which means that you should adopt an appropriate style when you go on radio programs.

You should adopt a friendly approach in interviews on programs such as talkback. In radio you are talking to or with people, not at them.

The radio message is a fleeting moment of sound. It is not the medium for complex explanations or lists of facts and statistics. The listeners have to be able to grasp your point at one pass of the information, as there is no visual reinforcement and no hard copy to check back for verifications.

Television Television is demanding in the sense that the audience see you as well as hear you. Your body language, dress, background and movement all contribute to communication with the audience.

To appear credible on television, you must sound and look credible. Sit rather than stand, as you need controlled movement and remember to use slow, controlled gestures. Review your appearance before the interview, ensuring your dress, hair and facial expression come across credible.

The power of television is its visual impact; you must be brief, to the point and get the key message across in a limited time. Allow yourself time to think, look away and think about the question (look down to the floor not to the ceiling). Use silence instead of filler words such as ‘um’ while thinking.

Print Press interviews have similar requirements as electronic media in terms of news value and brevity.

The apparent relaxed nature of press interviews should not lull you into a false sense of security. Ensure you get your key messages in early, be careful of rambling and place tonal emphasis on key messages. A trick for press interviews over the phone is to stand up while doing the interview - it will give you a lot more confidence.



To learn more about this author, visit Catriona Pollard's Website.

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