Three Elements That Make A Great Broadcast Interview
If, a (still) picture is worth a thousand words, then video is worth many more. In the business to business (B2B) world, this truism underscores the power of broadcast interviews. They deliver the story and the message with impact across a range of stakeholders and communities. Organisations strengthen their thought leadership through great broadcast interviews. Conversely, nervy or awkward interviews can disrupt and damage reputations.
In this piece we have distilled three key elements that make for a great broadcast interview:
Let me explain. If the content is not compelling or relevant to the audience – listening or watching – the jury of public opinion will make an immediate judgement and sentence the spokesperson to waste bin of the periphery and inconsequential. Content that is compelling is based on a platform of the following three principles:
Clarity: Your story must be clear, concise, and easy for the audience to absorb. Jargon or technical terms may make you feel important but they turn the listener off or at best confuse them. Jargon is only understood by a very narrow group of people. (Tip: the more complex the subject matter, the simpler the language should be.)
Relevance: Content that is relevant adds value by educating, offering actionable insights or presenting a perspective that is distinct and valuable. Conversely, any information that does not address the audience is just noise and best confined to the archives – not for public use!
Storytelling: We learned to tell stories from a young age. It is what differentiates good narratives from average ones. Presenting information in a narrative format makes it more engaging and a memorable journey for the listener. Anecdotes, relatable examples, and simple language connects with the audience. It also makes you the narrator more compelling.
Great storytelling like all memorable moments make an impactful impression. It inspires the audience to act, react and remember.
Confidence: A good spokesperson should draw from his/her expert knowledge1 of the subject matter, industry or market situation. An interview without context and appreciation of the relevance to market situation, will backfire. To be a thought leader2 and trusted advisor3, the spokesperson needs to be rooted in data which fuels confidence and ultimately engender trust.
Enthusiasm: Delivering the story or message with passion (while remaining professional) about the topic makes the interview more captivating and the audience more likely to be persuaded by the spokesperson.
Catchiness: Work with your public relations consultant to identify sound bites, turns of phrase and taglines that capture what you want to say in a succinct manner that makes it easier for your audience to recall your key messages.
Conciseness: Avoid rambling, going off tangent or filling in silent spaces with unnecessary information.
Body language: Plays a critical role, especially for television. An open and welcoming posture, while maintaining eye contact with the interviewer projects confidence and reliability while appropriate hand gestures (i.e. no over-enthusiastic waving of hands) help to substantiate your points as needed.
Preparation: When preparing for broadcast media interview, we ask the interviewer to research the topic and formulate insightful questions, while the interviewee is prepared with key messages and talking points that address the topic, and anticipate potential questions.
Active listening: We train our spokespeople to pay close attention to the interviewer’s responses and follow through with relevant data points to questions.
Conversation: A good interview feels like a natural conversation, not a question-and-answer session. Working with the interviewer to ensure the on-air camaraderie and comfort takes practice and patience.
At Priority Consultants, we believe strongly in preparation, and we work with our client organisations on the messages, training and rehearsing with the spokespeople to work out all outcomes in advance to ensure that they are able to maintain composure and deliver a powerful performance on message, regardless of any circumstances. This includes specialised media training – preparing spokespeople with the rules of media engagement to take interviews confidently and deliver outstanding messages.
Being prepared means partnering with our clients and media friends to ensure a win-win outcome for both and ultimately the consumer.
After successfully pitching and managing hundreds of business broadcast interviews over 40 years for clients across a range of industries, we are well aware of the power of the medium. Broadcast media – be it television or radio – is an extremely powerful channel to help build your brand and get your messages across to a wide audience.
If you would like to harness this power to get your message across and drive your sales, let us know when we can have a conversation.
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