Are you giving your audience a good firm hand shake?
The first few seconds of a media interview, like a job interview, are important for creating the right impression. I was reminded of that while reading this post about body language in a job interview by Erik Folgate:
You can show great self-confidence to the interviewer(s) in the first 10 seconds of the interview. Make strong eye contact and give a firm hand shake. It doesn’t matter if you are a girl or a guy, you need to have a firm hand shake. Don’t shake their arm off and hurt their hand, but just give a positive, firm shake for a two mississippi count. Look them in the eye while you shake and give a pleasant smile. Don’t grin like an idiot and don’t give a blank stare. This is so crucial, I can’t stress the importance of the first 10 seconds of an interview.
Radio and TV interviews have their equivalents to ’strong eye contact and a firm hand shake’ - through your voice, through the clarity of your first few thoughts, and much more. And don’t forget an equally strong ending.