By Jennifer Miller, Rockford Gray Managing Partner
Media attention either sought after or foisted upon an organization, can put an executive in front of a reporter for an interview. How difficult can this be? You just sit down or get on the phone with a reporter and you talk. You know the subject backwards and forwards. This should be easy, maybe even fun. You are well prepared. You are feeling very confident. What could go wrong?
Well, you could make the mistake executives are most likely to make when speaking to a reporter: treating the interview as a conversation.
The interview will certainly feel like a conversation. The reporter asks some questions, you give some answers. You warm to the topic, get over you initial nervousness and you soon are waxing poetic. And probably saying too much.
The reporter doesn’t consider an interview a conversation. Reporters view the interview as a means to an end. They want to ask questions to get quotes, or in the case of television, soundbites, to populate their stories. The fact is reporters generally have a lot of information before they ever do an interview. In most cases, the information you may add is at best secondary to the reporter’s first objective: get a good quote that will give their story some personality.
So, if you deliver long-winded answers, you’re not delivering the concise quotes the reporter wants. Your interests are best served by being prepared to deliver succinct quotes that deliver a good message and are so well stated the reporter wants to put them the story. That’s the essence of being quotable.
The next time you are reading either the print or online version of a newspaper, count the quotes. Count the number of words in each quote. Not much there, right? A reporter is skilled at economically telling a story. They believe they can explain better and faster than you can what the story is all about. They favor their words over your words. A reporter wants your quote, but they want it brief and to the point.
That is the #1 Reason that an interview is not a conversation. In a conversation you might say everything that comes to mind about a given topic. You share ideas, experiences and information. There’s give and take. It is typically an undisciplined communication.
And that suggests another reason you should not consider an interview a conversation. If you say too much, chances are you will say something you will regret. You have to apply a discipline to what you say that you would not normally apply to a social or even business conversation.
So, Reason #2 an interview is not a conversation: discipline is crucial. An undisciplined approach to an interview is what leads to the classic and shabby excuse, “I was quoted out of context.” If you don’t say it, the reporter can’t use it. Have a message. Stay on message.
Reason #3 and the most important reason that an interview is not a conversation; it is okay to repeat yourself. Over and over again. If you have a set of messages that are good quotable quotes, find every opportunity to repeat them in the interview. Don’t waste your time trying to say it in a different way. Just repeat your message. You’d never do that in a conversation, but you’re not having a conversation. It’s an interview with a reporter who wants a great quote and you want to ensure your message is delivered.
Success in an interview is not achieved casually. Making sure you tell the story you want to tell and deliver the quotes that will make it into print or into a soundbite requires a discipline and focus that you don’t ordinarily bring to a conversation with business associates, family or friends. Every word counts. Preparation is key. You must have a set of messages that will make succinct and compelling quotes and you must have the discipline to use them.
An interview with a reporter is unlike any other form of human interaction. It is the most unnatural, contrived communication you will ever have with another human being. Remember, the reporter doesn’t want to have a conversation, and neither should you, even if they say “let’s just have a conversation.”
About the author: Jennifer Miller is a seasoned media trainer and public speaking coach with over 15 years of journalism experience, including seven at CBS News. Known for her disarming style and tough questions, she reported on major events like the Olympics, 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina. Her firsthand understanding of how reporters think makes her an exceptional crisis management counselor. At Rockford Gray, she coaches clients on media, presentation, and crisis response. Jennifer holds a master’s in Organizational Leadership from the University of Denver and a journalism degree from the University of Minnesota. She is certified in crisis communication and DEI in the Workplace and is a sought-after speaker.