Media interviewing - four principles to understand

published 2004

Here are four key principles you need to understand if you plan to be interviewed by media.

Each form of the media is different and requires a different response.

Print, radio and television news each view news differently when it comes to packaging it for their audiences. If you are being interviewed you need to understand the differences and respond accordingly.

Print is the serious media (usually). A story in print may typically have 3-4 times as many words as other media. Print media usually want information, quotes and opinions from you to provide the basis of their story. The interview is usually the longest, most structured and involves the least ‘performance’ from you compared to other media types. Usually you can attempt to develop rational arguments in an interview with print media.

Radio is about simplicity. A story may be fewer than 100 words. It is usually based around one simple quote or sound bite. It will usually require you to simply answer a couple of questions over the phone. Normally it’s the shortest of all media engagements. But to get your point across you have to be succinct and clear. With radio it is largely about you making one succinct statement that conveys your message.

Television is about providing perceptions (usually). Because the visual aspect is so important it’s often about putting you in a context that supports the thrust of the story. It’s a performance - you have to look right, act right and speak right. Often the setting up can take longer than the interview. With television, how you look and present comes first and what you say comes second. And don’t worry too much about the facts.

These comments relate principally to news programs. Features, documentaries and longer media interview situations can be quite different.

How you deliver messages to the media is the opposite to how you do it in business.

In business you develop your arguments one by one to gradually build your case and finally reach a conclusion that your audience will agree with. In business the facts are as important as the conclusion - your audience often won’t take you seriously unless you have ‘built your case’.

It’s the opposite working with media. The primary interest is in your conclusion - often the facts that support it won’t even be used. They want to report your position, opinion or stance. They don’t have the space or time to report on why. And often they couldn’t care less about why you hold that view - it’s simply not news.

So in media you always begin your answer with your message or conclusion or the point you want to make. Then support it with facts or proof - but appreciate it that these may not get into the final story.

It’s vital to master the bridging technique.

The mostly widely used - and most critical - technique for handling media interviews, especially on radio and television, is ‘the bridging technique’.

It sounds easy, but it takes practice and guidance to be able to successfully implement. And if you are too quick to implement it you will come across as not wanting to address the question or topic at hand.

What is 'bridging'? Responding to a negative question from a reporter by answering in a way that allows you to present a positive message and/or the message you want to give.

Example:

Interviewer - "Mr X, isn’t it serious that you are selling products with a 25% fat content to kids under 12 years of age"?

Respondent - " I’m not sure that our product is really a key issue. What is more important is that parents understand the importance of a balanced diet containing a mix of foods.

The key to bridging is to acknowledge the answer but to also find a way to ‘bridge’ to the message you want to give.

Politicians are the most blatant users of the bridging technique - watch your next television news bulletin or current affairs program to see how good some of them are at it. In many cases they fail to even address the question.

Brevity is important - talk in ‘sound bites’ or give quotable quotes.

The average television news item is less than 90 seconds.

The studio presenter can take 10-20 seconds. Usually around 60 seconds (or two-thirds) is devoted to the reporter’s voice-over or speaking to the camera face-to-face to ‘tell’ the story.

That leaves only 10-20 seconds for ‘grabs’ from the ‘talent’. Often there is more than one person being interviewed so that leaves precious little time for each one to give their point of view. (Some media trainers use the 7-second rule).

That means some two or three minutes of interviewing on-camera might be edited to around 10 seconds. They will take what is thought to be the best bit and leave the rest on the cutting room floor.

Look at your next TV news bulletin and see how long the typical quote is.

Radio is similar, while the print journalist is always looking through his notes for those few words that sum up your position and will perhaps make a lead-in to the story, or even a headline.

An remember, if you’re going to interviewed by journalists from different media, make sure that the same ‘sound bite’ is used in all cases. This helps achieve consistency across all resulting coverage.

So brevity is the key. Those who like to talk can do well in a sales or boardroom. But often they are not good with the media.