Your Public Best - Lillian Brown [112]
Some people have difficulty reading prompter copy convincingly. I once worked with a prominent judge who was doing a series of video-taped lectures. Even when he used transcripts of his own speeches, he could not make them appear to be natural; the process of having to “read” the copy verbatim eliminated the spontaneity of his own natural, informal speaking style. As we discussed this problem, I found out that when he gave a speech, he didn’t read a typed speech, but instead spoke using only a few notes. We finally solved the problem of reading from the prompter by putting his own brief notes on the prompter, and merely giving him time cues via hand signals to maintain the time constraints.
Now that we have covered some of the more technical aspects of the TV studio so that you will be familiar with it before you go onto the set, we will go back to the actual interview process.
Being Interviewed
The Interviewer. Try to learn something about the person who will interview you. Hopefully, he or she will be well informed, intelligent, and will ask relevant questions. A good interviewer will be sensitive to the pertinent information in your message. He or she will move logically from one point to the next and give you an opportunity to say what needs to be said. The interviewer’s body language will indicate that he or she is interested.
Even though he or she has prepared a list of questions in advance, the good interviewer will be sensitive to your answers and will follow up on them.
However, it is possible to be interviewed by a person who is uninterested in what you have to say. He or she may not have read your book or done the homework necessary for an understanding of you and your message. The interviewer may be a stellar personality with a big ego and a quirky style of conducting interviews.
On a comedy show, he or she may try to get a laugh out of the situation, whether or not it is appropriate or in good taste. He may be thinking of what the audience might find funny or fascinating.
An interviewer may have a research file on you that contains derogatory information with which he hopes to embarrass you. Or he may be paying more attention to the time cues than to the content of your answers.
If you find yourself in such a negative interview situation, try to control the situation as much as you can by bridging from the questions to the important point you need to make, presenting the information you want the audience to remember.
Interview Tips. The first time you mention your corporation or organization, give its full name. After that, you can use the initials.
Call your interviewer by name when appropriate.
Concentrate on the key points you will want your viewers to remember. Repeat those points, when appropriate, for emphasis.
If you are a newsmaker, and you are aware of some “news-in-the-making” that may occur tomorrow or soon thereafter and your interviewer may not know about it, he or she will appreciate your mentioning it before you start the actual interview, giving him or her the opportunity to ask you about it. He or she will also be happy about this since you may be breaking some news before the rest of the press hears about it.
Listen carefully to the phrasing of the questions, turning them to your own advantage. Use them as an opportunity to say what you think should be said.
When you do not know the answer to a question, say so.
Strive to say something memorable.
Do not dispute details of an erroneous statement at great length. Simply give the correct facts.
Don’t mumble, use too many “ahs” or “wells,” fiddle with your notes or a piece of jewelry, cross and recross your legs, stroke your beard, constantly adjust your tie, or otherwise come across as ill-at-ease.
Other General On-Camera Tips. Television needs constant action to be interesting, and the director will constantly cut from one camera to another without your being aware of it. There might be quick reaction shots that catch you unawares. The