THE ONE QUESTION NEVER TO ASK JOURNALISTS...

You can never do enough prep before a media interview – but there’s one thing you should never say to the reporter.

Here’s part two of how to get your head together before you go on air:

• Get to know your interviewer. If you’re in a studio – you may be ignored right up until the moment of broadcast. It is normal for a reporter or presenter to keep their distance – particularly with controversial subjects.

• If you’re doing the interview on the phone – you may spend ages waiting to be connected to the live presenter – or you may be put through straightaway so be prepared and listen for your cue.

• If you can, small talk beforehand is vital – be chatty and friendly – this will set the tone for the conversation.

• Ask lots of questions about the output – make sure you know what they’re looking for. Is it a 10 second sound bit, is it a longer feature, is it live or as-live, are they using the whole interview, where will it be broadcast, will it be used on social media? The more you know, the more focused you can be about your answers.

• Manage the journalist’s expectations – what won’t you be able to tell them about? What aren’t you prepared to talk about? Make it clear beforehand with the reporter or the producer. Set your own boundaries.

• Try and be as friendly as possible to the person interviewing you – it will help them feel positive about you and they’ll find it much harder to trap you if they think you are being a fair, reasonable and open person.

• Take control of your situation and environment. Don’t be a passive interviewee who says yes and speaks when spoken to. If you know a good location for the interview to take place, suggest it. If you would prefer to stand up or be doing something, then say so.

• And here it is – what NOT to ask a journalist:– what are you going to ask me? They will NEVER tell you and if you ask them, they may tell you something but then deliberately ask you something else. They don’t want you to sound too prepared. And they want to have the element of surprise. It also looks a bit desperate; as though you don’t know your stuff. Ask this question and they will know immediately you’re nervous about the interview and lacking in confidence.

• The best question to ask is:– What are you looking for from me?

Next time: What you can do to calm your nerves before and during the interview.

BEEN BOOKED FOR A TV OR RADIO INTERVIEW? HERE’S HOW TO PREPARE...

Ok – so you’ve said yes to a media interview. Feeling anxious? Regretting it already? Don’t panic. Your first task is to focus on your content – what you’re going to say. This blog post will give you some ideas of where you start.

Begin with the programme and the audience.

Find out from the person who has booked you:

What kind of programme is it, what time of day is it on and what’s the aim of the programme? Is it a news programme – where you’ll be on for a shorter time or a discussion/phone-in programme where you’ll have longer on–air? This information will help find the right tone and select the most relevant content. Ask yourself – what can I leave out that is not relevant to this programme?

Ask about the audience – who is likely to be watching or listening? Is there a key demographic? What do they need to hear from you? What are their interests? Get a clear idea of who you are talking to – think about how you might for example, talk to a BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat audience and then a BBC R4 Today programme audience. You might select different facts and even use a different vocabulary. We all talk to different groups of people in different ways   – so instead of defaulting to your ‘professional’ way of speaking with people ask yourself how you would really speak to those listeners if you met them down the pub?

Next think about how you are being used on this programme. A good question to ask your booker is – what do you need from me? Find out whether you are wanted for one response – a news ‘clip’. Or are you taking part in a longer Q& A? Will anyone else be in the studio with you – or in a remote location/on the phone?

Don’t forget in this age of tweets and texts – the presenter may well be engaging the audience on a social media platform and you might have to respond to viewer questions that come in as you’re going out live.

Next, think about your objective. What do you actually want to get out of this interview and how does it fit in with what your interviewer/programme wants? If there’s already a mismatch, it’s going to be trickier.

So; decide what is the most important message you want the audience to take away. Write it down and identify some key words that make it come alive – make sure you know why it’s important to get this message across i.e. The reason the audience needs to know this is because……..

Don’t memorise a press release – you’ll end up battling with your memory rather than having a conversation. Steer clear of too many facts and figures – they’re too hard to remember. If one figure stands out – then just remember/write down that one.

Finally, remind yourself of how you’d like to come across – i.e. ‘lively’, ‘passionate’ ‘credible’ etc. Then, practice some sentences out loud – not in your head – with some of the conversational language and informal phrases that you’ll need, perhaps some personal anecdotes or stories. In other words – don’t come out with the official language of meetings, boardrooms & press releases.

Next time – more prep work you can do to make what you want to say, even better!

HOW TO RAISE YOUR PROFILE WITH TV & RADIO INTERVIEWS

Would you like to get yourself on TV & Radio as an expert but don’t know where to start? Here are some guidelines to help you take the plunge and be booked for an interview!

• Make sure people know you are up for media interviews. Tell your team/boss that you’re prepared to be a spokesperson. Contact your organisation’s press office if you have one. At the same time, you can do a bit of legwork yourself by calling your local radio & TV stations and telling them who you are and your area of expertise.

• Get yourself out doing things that will get you noticed. Give yourself as much publicity as you can online by tweeting, blogging, vlogging, commenting. Speak at events that might get mentioned in newspapers, newsletter or publications. Find your local media association -most large cities have something. Get to their networking events so you meet the media people, programme makers & journalists where you live. They’re far more likely to book you if they’ve met you.

• Make friends with the news correspondents that specialise in your area of expertise. Are you are surgeon? Then find out who the local and national health correspondents are across all media outlets and get in touch.

• Keep an eye on the news – locally and nationally. If you spot a story coming up that touches on your area of expertise – don’t wait for them to come to you. Give the newsroom a ring and offer yourself. Ask to speak to the News Editor or news planner. They’ll be grateful they won’t have to spend half a day tracking someone down!

• Be prepared to say yes whenever someone asks you. Media organisations do expect you to drop everything to be interviewed NOW. You’re much more likely to get on if you can be available and flexible. And even if it’s not quite the gig you were hoping for, it will be good experience.

• Remember journalists want the best out of you. As an expert, you’re rarely there to be challenged or to defend something. Your role is to help the viewers understand something more clearly, put events into context and make a complex subject relatable and engaging.

• And finally – you’re always more likely to know more than the person asking you the questions so don’t worry about needing to know everything. Just be clear about what are you are and are NOT prepared to talk about.

Coming next time –been booked for an interview? I’ll give you a rundown on how to prepare to be your best before you go on-air.

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR HANDS ON-AIR – PART 2

OK, last time I gave you five things you could do with your hands while on air or recording a piece to camera – here are five more.

Using notes

Especially relevant for news and live broadcasting – often journalists and presenters want to have a ‘crutch’ of their script or bullet points. I know some well-known TV faces who use notes as a prop and nothing else. There’s nothing written down – it’s just to look credible. The notes work as a useful anchor for your hands as long as you don’t wave them about. I suggest keeping them in one hand with the arm tucked in. Or in one hand with that arm dropped down by your side. Leaving your other arm free to gesticulate and express. Be mindful they don’t become a barrier between the viewer and you.

Hip action

A good one for out on location, this. And particularly for men. It’s a very ‘outdoorsy’ pose; usually both hands resting casually on hips, elbows out to the side. This anchors the hands – and is especially effective if the shot is quite tight. So, your hands are out of view but you still get some movement and interest in your shoulders. In my experience, if both your hands are anchored, you will naturally work harder to express through your voice and face.

Pockets

It’s really worth thinking about what you’re wearing when you shoot and making sure it has pockets. Putting both or one hand in either back or front pockets can be useful to anchor your hands and can again add interest to the way you stand. It makes you look at ease but doesn’t necessarily have to be for informal PTCs – I think it works as well in news and docs. I find presenters love this and although they worry it’ll make them look too casual, they like the effect on-screen.

The clasp

Be careful not to clasp them in front of your groin. That just looks dodgy. Although there’s a risk a clasp could look too ‘closed’ – it’s a useful solution if you’re a determined hand waver. Bringing them together and keeping them at just-above-waist level is less distracting then having them apart waving around. I prefer the fingers together, palms turned upwards look to the prayer-like approach.

Connect with guests

If you’re co-presenting or talking to guests, use your hands to connect with them. I don’t mean do a Le Bron James and put your arm round them, like he did with Kate Middleton. It could be a gesture towards them or a light touch on the arm. Something inclusive and warm.

So there you go – plenty of options for those hands that just love waving themselves about. Above all – give your hands a purpose. Choreograph them to add meaning to what you’re saying.

WHAT DO YOU WITH YOUR HANDS ON-AIR – PART 1

Hands. So useful and unobtrusive in the real world, they can suddenly take on monstrous proportions as soon as they’re put in front of a camera. Using your hands effectively on-air is one of the hardest things to get right. Use them too much and it’s distracting. Use them too little and you can end up looking too stiff. So here are a few tips.

Find a natural way to interact with your viewer

It’s not terribly natural to just stand there, square on to camera and talk – that’s not how we interact with people. No wonder your hands think ‘what should I do here?’ – so they overcompensate. The trick is to film your PTCs to make them feel like a natural interaction with a friend. Always begin with the question – what do I want the viewer to get out of this sequence? That should help you decide how to choreograph the PTC rather than go for the default mid shot.

Don’t overthink your hands

Try not to think about your hands at all. Just do whatever comes naturally. Think instead about what you’re saying, the tone and emotion behind the words and use your face and eyes to get that across rather than relying on your hands for expression.

Use them to demonstrate

Another strategy is to work out if you can use your hands to demonstrate something that’s relevant to what you’re saying. Can you point something out? Is there one key word or phrase you want to stand out? Are you talking about a story with a contrast, or comparison or two sides that you can reinforce with hand movement? Are you asking a question that needs a shrug and open hand gesture? Is something enormous/high (raise your hands up) or is it small/minute (pinch your hands together)? You get my point.

Use a prop

Holding a prop is the best way to occupy your hands. What can you touch that’s around you? Is there something you can pick up or show me? Can you use your own body as a prop? Give your hands a purpose.

The Lean

If you’re on location, try leaning against a wall, a gate, leaning forward over a desk or chair or sideways against a door frame (but think first, is it relevant to my story or programme?). Somehow, when another part of our body is called into action to do something (i.e. to lean) our hands will more naturally fall into place.

Those are my first five tips. Handy, huh? More coming in my next post.

CAN SHY PEOPLE BECOME TV PRESENTERS?

A lot of people think if you want to make it as a TV presenter, you need to have a larger-than-life personality and excess energy. So what if you want to be on TV but describe yourself as ‘shy’ or an introvert. Is there still a place for you? Will you have what it takes?

It’s not just you

You’d be surprised at the number of people – including high profile TV faces – who tell me they’re incredibly shy ‘in real life’. Shyness in broadcasters is more prevalent than you think – in fact most people are convinced everyone else is more confident than they are – as if confidence is somehow randomly handed out at birth and they got less than everyone else. In fact, I think most people would call themselves shy in certain situations. Those who’ve convinced everyone else otherwise have just learned some techniques to overcome it.

You don’t need to be a show-off

I’ve seen many reporters and presenters over the years who’ve struggled with the idea of performing on screen because their instinct is to take a backseat – to make themselves part of the background rather than push themselves forward. Whatever the reason for their shyness – whether it’s an innate character trait and/or a result of parental & scholastic influence – it can be much harder for them to master the skills needed to be on TV. But that’s the point; they can still master the skills. Yes, they’ve got to battle a whole lifetime of messages they’ve received about ‘how to be’. They may even have had years resenting the class clown or playground show off – and now they think they’ve got to become that person to make an impact on screen. And to them it feels like acting and therefore not very authentic.

Don’t think of it as acting

I reckon that we are all ‘acting’ throughout our lives – we step into different versions of ourselves depending on who we are with and what situation we are in. I bet you’ve noticed your voice changes for starters. I prefer to call it – being adaptable. So try to think about adapting your behaviour rather than changing your personality or pretending to be someone else. Even if you describe yourself as an introvert – I bet there are times when you feel more alive and confident. So, imagine ‘you’ on a good day – you look great, you feel great – perhaps you’re at a party with really good friends. That’s the feeling you need to capture and be able to access on screen.

Feel alive!

Rather than thinking about how shy you are – you should try to be thinking how alive you feel. Because as a viewer I need to see life in your eyes, face and body and I need to hear how engaged you are in your voice. When I work with ‘shyer’ presenters to encourage this on screen – at first it can feel so uncomfortable for them. It goes against everything they’ve been trying to do for years – fade in to the background, not stand out, don’t make a fuss…etc. etc. It feels over the top. But once they watch themselves back, they can see the difference between switched-off, ‘shy’ and retiring them and switched-on, ‘alive’ and interested them. And then it’s just a case of getting used to how that feels and practicing again and again until that kind of expression feels more normal.

So the answer is yes, if you think you’re shy you CAN make it on television. Maybe you’ve just got to practice a little more than others. But don’t let that stop you.

THE QUESTION I GET ASKED THE MOST IS...

What do I do with my hands when I’m on air? If I had a pound……and all that.

It’s a good question though because we know – largely because they tell us – that viewers hate it when reporters & presenters wave their arms around. Or use them to STRESS EVERY SYL-LA-BLE. Those guilty of the above can watch Charlie Brooker’s How to Report the News parody and cringe.

I’ll give you some tips on what to do with your hands in my next blog, but before that I’ll shed some light onto why I think people on the telly default to over-emphatic hand movements. It’s because they’re trying to be energetic, engaging and expressive. They use those movements to buoy them up and create a sense of urgency or importance. Emphasising every word with your hands leads to a really weird intonation in your voice that’s very far away from conversational cadence. And so it looks really unnatural, is distracting and is also exhausting to watch.

Expression and energy need to come from other places. I often make presenters do a piece to camera holding their hands behind their back so they can’t use them. This forces them to use other things in their physical tool box – their voice and their eyes for example. Some people really struggle with this exercise because they’ve been relying too heavily on their hands to life their performance. Those arms and hands just want to keep popping out to STRESS ANOTHER WORD.

So the trick is to use them sparingly, bring them out when you really want to make a statement. Bring them out when they can do something more meaningful than just add emphasis.

That means you have to think a bit harder about what you’re saying so you can work out when those hands might actually help you make something clearer or more engaging for the viewer.

Can they make a shape or movement that’s relevant to the story or location? Are you showing how big something is, or how tiny or how far something stretches, or how something is split in half? Are you hand movements going to be small because you’re in a small space or are they going to be large because you’re in a big space?

You have to take control of your arms and hands and learn to re-use them. At the start this will be slightly strange because you’ll be overthinking it and be painfully aware of every hand movement. But watch yourself back, learn what works and your brain will pick it up quickly and eventually you’ll reset your default. No doubt, the viewers will thank you.

THE BUZZ OF FRESH TV TALENT

It’s always invigorating to meet fresh, undiscovered talent and be there at the start of their TV journey. But it’s fairly mind-blowing to meet 24 people like that – and all in the same room on the same day.

That’s what it felt like on the BBCs first ever BAME Expert Voices Day in London.

24 experts in everything from food law to gay rights to plasma science came together for a full-on training day in ‘being on TV’. It was part of a BBC and industry-wide push to get better representation on-air. I was their presenter coach and they each had a session on delivering a piece to camera. For some of them, it was the first time they’d ever ‘talked’ to a camera.

And I was really impressed with how good they were for beginners. I honestly think some of them were better than people I’ve coached who’ve been in the business for years. It just reminds you that there’s a wealth of fresh talent out there that could easily replace a few tired, old faces.

Throughout the day, I kept thinking – OK, well she’s got to be on telly. And he should be too. And what about her? I could have filled the TV schedules. The challenge though, is not just training them but finding them the right programmes and nurturing them along the way. As well as managing their expectations and being honest about how tough, unforgiving and often fickle the TV industry is.

My job on the day was to give them a few tricks of the trade for performing in front of the camera. To send them away feeling confident; feeling like they could be in on-air without having a panic attack. And to say yes, next time a producer asks them for an interview. But actually I think what happened was a bit more fundamental.

I reckon people inside the world of TV – and perhaps particularly within the BBC – forget how daunting and exclusive it can feel on the ‘outside’. How unapproachable and ‘not for me’ it appears. How it can seem as though everyone else is on some big TV secret.

I got a real feeling that some of those experts walked away at the end of the day feeling like they’d been ‘let in’ to this secret world and that despite their TV inexperience, they belonged there. No, actually, more than that. They were NEEDED by the TV world. And to realise that you are valued & needed – and on top of all that, you’re actually pretty damn good on camera, that’s pretty feel-good stuff. That’s a buzz. For them. As well as for me.

Here’s one of the experts, Emma Dabiri on camera.