The Media Interview

Everyone is talking about the judge who wouldn’t stop talking - the unusual, eccentric, unorthodox style of Judge Larry Seidlin during the televised hearings into the custody of Anna Nicole Smith’s body. At one point, Judge Seidlin paused to assess his performance:

Ohhhh, I did a lot of talking. You know, the more you talk in this business the worse off you are, really. The less you say, the better. I mean, I knew that from the beginning.

Good advice for courtrooms and for media interviews. Don’t let yourself ramble; not only do you get off topic easily, but you can end up saying things you didn’t mean to reveal.

Journalists know that often the best course is to not say anything after the interviewee is done talking, so the interviewee starts saying more, thinking they should be filling the gap. Say what you want to say, and stop.