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WORDS HAVE A LITERAL MEANING,
AND A SUBJECTIVE IMPACT
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Thirty five percent of the viewer's
perception of you is governed by the sound content; largely the
texture of what you have to say. An interview should have the
texture of a normal conversation; here are a few suggestions
on how to give it that illusion.
Simple language
First and foremost, use simple language.
Similarly, use quotes, examples, anecdotes, simple friendly statistics,
similes, metaphor, even humour in the right place.
A 'Rotatable hexaform surface mount
compression component' is a horrid, boring, pompous, nerdish
phrase if you're talking about a nut.
Quote - not necessarily attributed
"Well,
we've all heard of the chap who was so appalled by everything
he read about the
bad effects of smoking that he gave up reading."
Example
"Why just
on the way here this morning I saw a car on its side in a ditch.
On a perfectly
straight stretch of road..."
Anecdote
"But the typhoon wasn't
the worst thing. Because our house had been blown away, we
had to sleep out in the open. And the snakes all came looking
for a bit of warmth. I woke up in the middle of the night to
find one sliding into my sleeping bag."
Humanise Statistics
"It doesn't sound
much if you say it like that - a hundred and twenty three metric
tonnes. But if dumped it on a football pitch, it'd make a pile
nearly as high as a twelve story office block."
Simile
"That's
just like me saying to you, 'Give me a hundred dollars and
I'll let you have ninety
back in a year's time'. Not a very good bargain, is it?"
Be Positive
Use positive words, phrases, body
language, rather than negative. Don't respond with a negative
to a negative:
| Q: |
"So you'll be cutting down on
the facilities you used to offer to old people?"
|
| A: |
"No,
we won't be cutting down." |
(Apart from the negative, cutting
is a very emotive word).
Better:
| A: |
"I'm
glad to be able to tell you that most people will be
offered
approximately nine percent more than they have now." |
Attacking Questions
If attacked, you can play sweet innocent
or attack yourself:
| Q: |
"My
viewers would like to know what you're doing risking
people's lives
like that." |
But always attack the issue, not the
interviewer
| A: |
"And
if that were the case I'd want to know the same thing.
But if you
study the facts rather than listen to scaremongers - who
have a political axe to grind - you'd realise that ...
etc." |
(Actually that does have a little
dig at the host).
No 'No comment' please!
| Q: |
"What
was the outcome of the meeting with the unions - will there
be a national strike next week?" |
Not:
| A: |
"I
haven't got anything to say." |
Better:
| A: |
"As
soon as there's a definite decision, you'll be the first
to
know." |
Or:
| A: |
"I
certainly hope everything will carry on as normal, and
that's what
we're concentrating on right now." |
The Main Point
Get your main point in early. Examples,
etc., are best in threes:
| Q: |
"Mr Lim, why are you making
all these people move out of homes where they're quite
happy?"
|
| A: |
"Everyone
these days wants something bigger and better, and public
housing owners are no exception. The renovation will give
them larger flats, better ventilation and, most especially,
a better resale price." |
Beware needling and bullying
| Q: |
"Do
you really expect people to believe that the airport
safety
arrangements are satisfactory after this?" |
Stay with it:
| A: |
"Most
certainly. Our airport has the most up-to-date ... etc." |
Questionable Facts
Watch out for false (or at least questionable)
statements. Don't respond as if the question might contain even
a grain of truth; equally, don't be negative.
| Q: |
"So the judiciary is no longer
independent, just an arm of government?"
|
| A: |
"The
judicial system is, by any standards, completely independent
of
any interference. Our system of twelve good men and true...
etc." |
Misunderstanding?
You might even find that people misinterpret
you:
| Q: |
"So
people aren't going to be any better off than they were
before
all this?" |
You could try a slight pause (almost
as if you don't really believe that he really believes that,
then sum up your main point positively:
| A: |
"Everyone
who pays up in full within seven days - and I hope that's
everyone - will find that he or she will be paying up to
seven per cent less tax than last year. And with the minimum
bank rate at five and a half per cent, that's quite a lot
of money in anybody's terms." |
Misquotes
Don't let him put words in your mouth:
| Q: |
"In
effect, you're saying that your company was wrong to
consider operating
in Burma?" |
Don't repeat the words, even to deny
them:
| A: |
"TGIF
will be building a factory in either Burma or Laos within
the next twelve months. Exactly where depends on many factors;
we're well aware of our duty to the people and the environment." |
Hypothetical questions
| Q: |
"If
you go ahead with this and there's an economic downturn,
your
shareholders could lose millions and the entire workforce
could lose their jobs?" |
Point out that the question is hypothetical.
But stay positive. Even if only gently:
| A: |
"Well,
I'd like to be able to see into the future. And I'm confident
that if I could I'd see the project up and running and
employing another three thousand people before the end
of next year." |
Leading questions
| Q: |
"So
what is going to happen after all this futile to-ing
and fro-ing?" |
Don't allow him to get away with it.
Perhaps a small grin and:
| A: |
"This
to-ing and fro-ing as you put it has already increased
the value of the average flat by twelve per cent. That's
not a bad increase for just a week with only one lift working
in each block." |
Very leading questions
(some call them lose/lose questions)
| Q: |
"When
did you stop beating your wife?" |
Navigate your way round that lot.
If you admit to beating her you've lost; if you claim to have
stopped, you've lost.
| A: |
"My
wife is extremely hale and hearty and well able to take
care
of herself. And the only thing I ever hit is a golf ball." |
Multiple Questions
Multiple questions can be a godsend:
| Q: |
"Just
how much will the COE cost this time next year? Is it true
the government wants to push it up over the hundred thousand
mark? What about all the people who can't afford to renew
their certificates? Will there be more buses and taxis
to take care of their needs?" |
Great! At least four questions, and
you can reply to whichever one gives you the best benefit. Two
if you like:
| A: |
"More
buses - yes. There will definitely be more buses on the
roads next year. And, of course, the level of the COE isn't
decided by the government. It's set entirely by people
like you and me bidding for one." |
Forced choice
| Q: |
"Would you like to see Barings
go under or Leeson get away with it?
|
You can deal with this in all sorts
of ways. You can even answer the question directly and be positive:
| A: |
"I'm
sure Barings will be able to weather the storm with a
firm hand
on the tiller. And Mr Leeson will have to face the music
sooner or later. More important right now is making sure
this sort of thing can never happen again." |
Loaded questions
Watch out for emotive words and phrases
'Hiking prices', 'dumping staff', 'feeble excuse for' etc.:
| Q: |
"Isn't
it true that you've slashed benefits by $145,000 a month?" |
Even if it's true that benefits have
been cut, the impact of the word 'slashed' can be softened:
| A: |
"There have, indeed, been changes
to some of the benefits our staff enjoy - every company
n the computer
business has had to pull in the reins slightly in these
difficult times. And I'm glad to be able to tell you
that OceanGate's salaries are still higher than any comparable
company's."
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That last one added another point:
mention your company or organisation's name as often as seems
reasonable. And always in a positive context.
Ending Time cues
The seven per cent that viewers remember
is quite likely to be the last seven per cent of any discussion.
If the interviewer uses a phrase like 'only a few minutes left',
'one final word', 'to sum up then', really get in there with
a summary of your main point. Do it right, and you've won, hands
down. This only works with studio interviews, by the way - location
interviews are almost certain to be edited and what you might
think is your final point may be lost in the middle, come first,
or even not appear at all!
Politician's breathing
A bit specialised for this site, but
interesting stuff, nevertheless. Useful when you don't want to
let the other chap (interviewer or opposing guest in a discussion)
interrupt. You breath halfway through a sentence, not at the
end:
| A: |
"And that's
my main concern. We have to consider (BREATH) the rights
of the people who have put their reputations on the line
here. We have to let them know what (BREATH) the new regulations
mean to them. We have to be absolutely certain that whatever
(BREATH) the outcome, they have the chance to register
with the board for the upgraded version. You see, I've
always said (BREATH) that it's one thing ... " etc. |
The Pack Shot
If you're representing a company,
brand, church or other organisation remember to mention the name
at least three times. And try to associate the name with good
connotations.
Well that was quite a lot about the
DOs and DON'Ts. It's time for some real content at last. The
next couple of pages take a look at an example interview.
