The Media Interview

One of the myths of media and presentation coaching is the notion that how you say something is far more important than what you’re saying. The idea got its primary boost from the studies of Arthur Mehrabian back in the 1970’s. Only problem is, that wasn’t exactly what he was saying. Jim Bergman and Sue Johnston discuss The Mehrabian Myth in a recent edition of their entertaining podcast Media Relations Matters.

I’m going to be looking at Mehrabian’s conclusions in more depth down the road. The main point I would want to make is that his studies concerned the communication of likes and dislikes, of emotional states, and within that context, he concluded that body language, vocal qualities, etc. were more important to that communication, WHEN there was a disconnect between what you’re saying and how you’re saying it.

The example I always like to use in my seminars is this: You offer me some pie, I take a bite, and my face looks like I’ve eaten a lemon, while I say to you “I love this pie”… that’s disconnect, and my face tells you how I really feel!

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.

Reading through a post by Mr. Obie Joe about his disappointment upon hearing a favourite online journalist speaking live, I was reminded of one of my favourite scenes from the movie Singing in the Rain, when silent screen star Lina Lamont opens her mouth to do her first talkie. Yikes, does she sound like THAT?

A similar revolution is happening in the world of the internet and in mainstream broadcast media to some extent. Everybody is getting their 15 minutes on camera or on mike - sometimes a lot more, sadly - and maybe they should have stayed in print or been completely anonymous.

Who cares if you’re coming across poorly on some video blog? Well, if you’re just after YouTube fame, maybe it doesn’t matter, but if you’re interested in credibility, think about preparing yourself for ANY media opportunity. As we love to point out on this blog: what goes on the net, stays on the net.

UPDATE: Here’s what happens when someone tries to make the transition to video unsuccessfully - you get blogbasted!

What do New York Subway drivers have in common with spokespeople? They should both be clear speakers…

Whether it’s an accent, speech impediment, soft-spokenness - whatever - if your job requires clear communication with the public, then part of your job requirement is clear speech. You have to wonder sometimes why a particular person was chosen or hired to speak to the media on behalf of an organization, company, or country. I don’t care how much they know about the topic; if they can’t clearly communicate it, then the message isn’t being delivered.

Of course this applies to anyone doing a media interview - if you’re a small business owner or an author or an artist, you are the “company spokesperson” and you need to make sure you’re able to be understood. Hiring out the job isn’t an option, so get help with your speech.

Every day, school teachers and university professors have to present hours of material to audiences of students and yet do they receive any training on the art of good vocal presentation? UK teacher Sue Seifert and actor Brian Blessed, in this BBC Breakfast interview, think they should. Sadly, Blessed offers little insight, but Seifert articulates some helpful pointers.

Went to see She Stoops to Conquer at the theatre last night and the lead actor’s delivery suffered from a form of “white line fever” - h e k e p t t h e s a m e p a c e f o r e v e r y l i n e. Notice how hard it is to pick up the meaning when there aren’t breaks and variations in pace? It’s a sure way to lose your audience in an interview too - particularly for radio or podcasts.

As part of your interview preparation, be sure to record yourself and listen back - do you have enough variation in your voice, not simply to keep your audience interested, but to properly convey your meaning?