1. The Art of the Interview
Preparation! Preparation! Preparation!
Has anyone ever given an interview to a member of the media? What was it like? What did you learn from the experience? Generate responses.
An interview with the media may come about in different ways. It may be a result of a newsrelease; it may be set up by your organization; or the media may hear about your work and ask to interview you or someone from your organization.
The interviewee must always remain in control of the interview situation which means preparation is everything.

2. Choose Your Spokesperson(s)
Knows your key message(s)
Recognized as a leader/expert
Comfortable with journalists
Can commit enough time
Either you or someone from your organization will need to deliver your message to the media via an interview. Whomever is chosen to interview with the media is known as your spokesperson. The spokesperson should:
Know your key message(s)
Be recognized as a leader/expert: which means it’s likely that it would be the director, but not always
Be comfortable with journalists: does not get uncomfortable if the journalists gets aggressive
Can commit enough time: Must be available if a reporter wants to do an interview right away or at an unexpected time
In addition, you might want to consider who has a clear, confident speaking voice.

3. Prepare the Journalist
Fact sheet or brief on issue
Short bio on spokesperson
Related (background) publications
General information on institution (brochure)
Photo(s)
Before the interview, your organization should prepare a press kit and send it to the journalist. The press kit will help the reporter prepare for the interview and is a way for them to understand your organization, message, or event before they speak to someone about it. The press kit includes:
A cover letter that states who the expert or organization is, including the name and title for a person, or a brief description of the organization. When writing for an individual, summarize the person’s unique qualifications as an expert.
newsrelease
Fact sheets or background info on the topic that will be discussed
A question and answer sheet that explains your issue well
Copies of other newspaper articles that explain your issue well
Charts, visuals, photographs
Background biography on your organization’s expert on the topic
A page that explains your organization and what it does
Business card of spokesperson

4. Prepare Your Spokesperson
Learn as much as you can about:
The journalist
Newspaper/Radio/TV station
The audience
Anticipate questions (ask in advance)
Practice responses
Once you know which television station, newspaper, or radio program will be interviewing you, get to know that organization, and more specifically your interviewer, by reading, watching, and listening to them. If you observe how they interview others, you will pick up on their style of interviewing and be better prepared.
It’s perfectly fair to ask them ahead of time what questions they’re going to ask during the interview. They’ll usually give you a list of questions you can prepare for – though not always. And this doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll (1) ask all the questions on their list or (2) won’t ask any other questions.
Even if the journalists provides questions, anticipate what additional questions might be asked. This is particularly important if your topic can be interpreted in a controversial way – remember, the journalist is looking for something newsworthy and that includes controversy. Anticipate the types of questions that might be asked, draft succinct, clear responses that are rooted in fact, and then practice.

5. Prepare Your Message
Develop 1-3 message statements that are short, simple, and positive
Develop comments on the messages (background, statistics)
Develop transitions to the messages
Come prepared! Prepare your main messages before you interview so you are able to communicate them clearly. When developing your messages, ask yourself:
Are they news?
Are they about people?
Are they positive?
Are they important for policy?
Are they short and simple?
Prepare yourself to back up your messages with relevant background information including statistics or other data that supports your messages, and practice transitioning from an interviewers question back to the key messages you want to communicate. An example would be: “That’s a really good question. Our organization doesn’t deal with that question directly, but we did come up with some information on…that relates to your concerns.”

6. Never Forget Your Objective
State your message(s) early: You may get sidetracked
State your message(s) concisely: The 6- second sound bite
State your message(s) several times
During the interview, state your message early in case you get sidetracked and time runs out in the end of the interview. The journalist may take you off course so its very important to stick to your message as much as possible.
It is important that you can communicate your key message in 6 seconds or less – that’s basically a one-sentence message. Many times, after an interview, a journalist will return to their organization to edit the interview. They may chop up the interview into little bits and the final product is a very short story. If your message is long, it will get cut and not be included in the story which defeats the whole purpose of the interview.
Remember to repeat your message several times so that it will be included in the final interview that is disseminated to the public.

7. Assume It’s “On-the-Record”
On-the-record interviews
Off the record discussions
Never say anything you don’t want to read in print, see on the television, or hear on the radio!
“On the record” means that whatever you say, it has the possibility of being reported to the general public.
Off the record discussions are general discussions with a journalists that takes place not during a formal interview. The interviewee is made to believe that nothing said during this discussion will be reported by the journalist but that doesn’t always happen.
Assume it’s “on the record”: Never say anything you don’t want to read in print, see on the television, or hear on the radio!

8. Make the Right Impression
Make eye contact
Use the interviewer’s name
Rephrase the question
Stay positive: Don’t get flustered or angry
Tell a story or personal anecdote
KISS (Keep It SHORT and SIMPLE)
A good interviewee uses these techniques to make a good impression:
Make eye contact with the camera or the interviewer
Use the interviewer’s name
Rephrase the question if you don’t understand or if it helps you gain more clarity on the question
Stay positive: Don’t get flustered or angry
Tell a story or personal anecdote
Keep it SHORT and SIMPLE. Don’t go on and on. The public gets bored easily.
Take your time (remember to breathe!) and don’t let the questions upset you. If someone asks a question straight from outer space, buy yourself some time while you think of a response: “That a very interesting question. As I understand it, you are asking… [restate their question in your own words].”
And last…ask a journalist to do a feature story on your issue or new information.

9. What If I Don’t Know/Can’t Say?
Keep calm
Say you don’t know/can’t comment
Find out and get back to the reporter later (but quickly!)
Move back to your key message(s)
Never tell a lie
You are not expected to know the answers to every question. It is ok if you don’t know what to say or can’t say something.
The main thing to remember is to stay calm. Tell the interviewer you don’t know or can’t comment on that question but you will find out and get back to the reporter later. Make sure you get back to the reporter with an answer within 24 hours of the interview.
Remember to go back to your main messages and first and foremost, don’t pretend to know the answer and tell a lie.

10. For Radio Interviews
Check your key messages to make sure that you cover everything
Make your comments short and to-the-point
Keep your voice lively and varied
For radio interviews, make sure you know your main messages well and are prepared to repeat them a few times during the interview. Keep your comments short and to the point and keep our voice lively and varied since the audience can’t see you but can only hear you.

11. For Television Interviews
Dress simply but neatly
Sit comfortably but straight
Don’t freeze, but don’t fidget
Look cheerful and alert
Always assume that you are on camera
Look professional by dressing simply and neatly – busy patterns don’t read well on camera. Sit comfortably but straight and don’t fidget… but don’t look like a statue either. Look alert, cheerful, and confident, and always assume you are on camera.

12. Learn, Follow Up, Move On Keep a record Improve your performance
What did they print/broadcast?
What can we learn from the experience?
Improve your performance
And, above all, keep at it!
A good practice is to keep a record of any type of media coverage you receive. Not only can you use this in future press kits but it’s a good way to know which journalists you have worked with and which ones you have not. It also provides an opportunity to learn from experience and continue to improve your interviewing skills.

13. Key Points to Remember Preparation is everything!
Choose your spokesperson wisely
Observe and prepare the journalist
Prepare the spokesperson
6-second sound bite
Follow up!
Preparation is everything. You must enter the interview confident and know what your main messages are and what you will say about them.
The spokesperson should:
Know your key message(s)
Be recognized as a leader/expert on the issue or in the field
Be comfortable with journalists and can keep calm under pressure
Can commit enough time: Must be available if a reporter wants to do an interview right away or at an unexpected time
Your organization will need to prepare a press kit and send it to the journalist. The Spokesperson should familiarize themselves with the journalist before the interview by observing their work.
Prepare for your interview by remembering your key messages and preparing to deliver them several times and under 6 seconds (6 second sound bite)
Keep a record of any type of media coverage you receive for a future press kit and to learn and observe where you can improve.