An interview by a print journalist, like a broadcast interview, is a conversation with an aim. However, whereas in a broadcast interview the audience are listeners or viewers who ‘eavesdrop’, in a print interview they are readers. In other words, the journalist is more of a filter in a print interview: you are relying entirely on what he or she writes. You can’t hope to convince readers if you haven’t convinced the journalist, and so the aim of this conversation is to do just that – to convince the journalist.
You and the journalist are both there to do a job. His/hers is to get information; yours is to give it. The journalist wants you to perform as much as you do. The only difference is that your agenda may differ from his/hers. You need to use the subject of the questions to make the points you want to make.
The trick is to steer the interview down a middle path, so that the journalist’s questions are answered and your own objectives are achieved. If you don’t manage this, only one of you is likely to leave happy – maybe neither of you!
Luke Roberts, Founder Spokesperson Media Training
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 at 10:00 am and is filed under Media Interviews, Media Training, Print Interviews.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
How do you do this successfully Luke? I find that journalists often just want to get from me the “quote” that fits the angle for their story. Convincing them of my message can be a very difficult task. Any advice for how to steer the middle ground?
I find myself being much more careful with a print journalist, because as you say Luke, I have to rely on them to interpret my message and I have limited opportunity to correct them once it is out there in print. But how do I go about “convincing” the journalist without looking too pushy? I am forever holding back because I don’t want to appear to be overtly controlling the interview, but sometimes I think this prevents me from saying all I want to convey. How do I know when I have reached the happy middle ground?
Hi Mark. The key point is to go into the interview with a clear and postive idea of what you want to say on the subject.
Ask yourself what are the most important points I wish to communicate? Whilst in general you need to acknowledge a journalist’s line of questioning, you should always return to the points you think are most important to make. If you do this, with well considered points throughout the interview, then you a more likely to convince a journalist.
Thanks for writing this article Luke. I’ve been interviewed a few times, and still feel like I need lots of help to make sure my points get across! What sorts of things can I be doing to “convince” the journalist of my message? I don’t have the best confidence on the phone, so my hesitation and meek voice probably count against me. Are there any strategies I can employ to mitigate this?
Hi Alicia, thanks for your comments. It sounds like you could do a number of things, beyond taking some formal media training!
Firstly being self- aware, which you obviously are, of the need to improve how you communicate down the phone is the first step. It’s a matter of having the confidence in your points, being prepared to be challenged by the journalist, and not letting that bother you.
I would suggest that once you know the subject upon which you will be interviewed, that you find a colleague you can rehearse with and record what you are saying. Play it back and ask yourself how could I say that with more conviction and in a clear and confident way?
Just by undertaking that process you will improve how you come across. And it may sound hard but try and relax a bit and in so doing your performance will generally improve.
Luke Roberts
Pretty insightful post. Never thought that it was this simple after all. I had spent a good deal of my time looking for someone to explain this subject clearly and you’re the only one that ever did that. Kudos to you! Keep it up