Interview techniques

TV and radio will almost always want to interview at least one person when covering the story and newspapers often will as well when they need more background or are running a longer article.

Before agreeing to an interview and identifying available spokespeople, find out:

• Which newspaper  /radio station / TV programme the interview is for and who the interviewer will be.

• Whether the interview will be live or pre-recorded.

• How long the interview will be (and the anticipated duration of the final piece).

• What time the interview will take place.

• The main points to be covered in the interview and whether anyone else is being interviewed.

Identify the best person for the interview and make sure they are fully briefed on the logistics of the interview and the main points of the story. If it’s a telephone interview then make sure they have a quiet office or an area without too much background noise and a landline to conduct it on. Where there is time, provide the spokesperson with a written briefing identifying the following:

• Details of the programme they will appear on.

• Key facts about Aimhigher and your activities.

• Likely questions, both easy and difficult.

• Two or three key messages that you want to get across.

• Some brief but interesting examples that complement the story.

The following advice may also be useful:

In the studio...

• Arrive in good time.

• Have a glass of water to hand.

• Ignore the microphone / camera – talk directly to the interviewer.

• For radio interviews, avoid rustling paper, clicking biros etc.

• For TV interviews, avoid wearing light-coloured clothes or bold patterns.

During the interview...

• Be yourself.

• Speak clearly and slightly slower than usual.

• Keep your replies simple and avoid jargon.

• Have confidence in your own knowledge.

• Give examples.