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Yes, welcome to the biz communication show, I’m your host and Bill Lampton, the biz communication guy, often hosting a business communication expert, and we have a conversation, an interview. Today, you are my special guest, whether it’s by video or podcast. So welcome. Our topic today is how you can become the ideal media interview guest. Now, you may think at the outset, well, I’m probably not going to be interviewed by the media. years ago, the likelihood of being a guest on some type of media. That was rather slim, years ago. For those who are aware of it. We had three television networks, they weren’t even on 24 hours, they signed off at midnight. And so to be interviewed by media, then you had to be either a prominent national, our international figure. Today, though, we have changed our definition of media. And so when I’m talking about being interviewed by the media, I’m not talking about necessarily a television network or a radio station, 100,000 watts or more? No, I’m talking about what you and I have come to know as media. Those are not excluded. They’re still media, as our newspapers and magazines. However, media today takes in zoom, it takes in stream yard, it takes in podcast, it takes in a host of other avenues in which people can edit or view each other. So when I’m talking about becoming the ideal interview guest, I’m talking about, you may not be traveling to New York for an interview, you may not have somebody come to your doorstep with microphones. But we’ve got all these other ways that we can be an interview guest. What I’m going to share with you today comes not from textbooks, but it comes from my many years of freelance experience with the media. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity in different cities I’ve lived in, to be never fully employed by but to be a radio host. And in this town, where I’ll live now for three decades, Gainesville, Georgia. I participated co hosted with my colleague and friend Bo Henderson, co hosted a one hour radio show every week. So I’m going to share with you what I know, would make you the ideal guest. Let’s think first of all about what we will do ahead of time ahead of time, your host we will be very happy if you send them and then probably will request it if you send them a brief bio graphical sketch that they can use and introducing you. Now of course, with the internet, they can find out a lot, they can go to your website, they can go to your LinkedIn profile, but they have a lot of other people they’re interviewing that week. So do that. Find them, send them a brief and by brief, I mean, preferably about one good size paragraph. And they, I guess, 75 people that I’ve interviewed on the biz communication show, most of the time, I’ve had to edit what they send to me, because one of my techie guys pointed out to me, Bill for every minute you spend interviewing somebody that that reduces the time that you’re going to interview them. Don’t spend all the time on the introduction. So send a brief biographical sketch, and then another item that will probably be requested is that you Send a current photo.
Now I emphasize the word current. Because I have seen many professional people who don’t update their photos. And what I want to say to them, I can’t with good manners. But what I sometimes want to say to them is, oh, it’s nice to see your high school yearbook picture. Now, I want you to notice in this photo, that the photo that we would submit now is not the same photo we would have submitted 20 years ago, we don’t have to be formally dressed. That’s one of the great changes and professional protocol. As long as you’re neat. As long as you are presentable, then a bit of semi formality is certainly acceptable. And then another point to do before time is to send a bunch of questions that you would like to host to ask you thinking of questions. So this works both ways. For example, when I was hosting the radio show here with Bo Henderson, we would select a guest for the week, we would email to guests a form to fill out and then the form was this request, please give us several questions that you would like to be asked during the show. Now, the reverse of that, of course, is when I’m doing the biz communication show, I will send my guest for the week, I will email them four or five sample questions. Okay, let’s remember that there are sample questions. We’re not going to rigidly just stick to the questions, whoever presented the questions. Why? Because this is not to be a totally Structured Dialogue. For example, during a conversation with you, if I’m your host, then something you said might trigger another topic. And you’re the expert. So I can go ahead and ask you. So ahead of time, that’s something that we want to do. Now, before we go any farther. Please check this.
Do you wish you felt confident about giving speeches? Do you want to deal with difficult people constructively? And what about becoming more persuasive and sales, then keep listening now to Dr. Bill Lampton, he spent 20 years in management, so he knows the communication skills you need for success. I urge you to call the business communication guide today for a no cost. But very valuable 30 minute discussion about your communication challenges. Call now. 678-316-4300. Again, that’s 678-316-4300.
Okay, I’ve said before, this is like televisions so we can have a brief commercial break. We’ve talked about what to do ahead of time. Now let’s talk about the interview itself. One of the first points I want to make, and I as a longtime speech coach, I certainly emphasize this and that is, remember that there is a microphone that you’re speaking into. What this means is that you don’t have to come up with any type of, quote, broadcast voice. Many people come on the air, whether it’s radio, television, or even the internet, thinking that they have to have a bombastic broadcasters voice. Yet, let’s keep in mind that the equipment is very sufficient for magnifying our voices. So just your same conversational level is what you need, as far as that goes. All right, what about when you start the dialogue when you really get it going? What happens then? As you get into the question and answer part, I have two tips on that. First of all, avoid one word answers. When your hosts ask you something to say yes, no. Maybe. Right. What does that do? That stops the discussion. So avoid that Most one word conversation stoppers. On the other hand, remember that there should be an internal time limit that you have on how lengthy your answers are. Your host would appreciate it. If when you’re holding a conversation, you let go of it once in a while. So let’s keep in mind that when you’re asked a question, one minute or two minute answer, that can be sufficient, even though you’re qualified to talk 20 minutes on the topic, but if you do, then it’s no longer a conversation. So talk and sound bites, you know what sound bites are on television. It’s when somebody our radio, it’s when somebody has interviewed and, and they have maybe 30 to 4050 seconds to say something. When television first started, those sound bites might have been four or five minutes. That’s not the case anymore. Brevity is important. And then too, I want you to realize that the best interviews, the best interview guest, and the best shows are planned, yes, but they’re not canned. When you listen to the best communication show regularly, you will hear me echo this phrase many times a canned speech, a canned conversation. turns off listeners instantly, they want something that is authentically live. It’s happening right now. So as much as we plan as much as we know, questions ahead of time, as much as we might think of our answers. Let’s make sure that we’re not canned, totally pre programmed, spontaneity is what makes an interview very, very attractive. Another way to be an appealing guest is when, for example, somebody asked you about your company, instead of giving a lot of statistics and data, tell a compelling story. Your company, your organization, or even if you’re an entrepreneur, you’ve got a story. You’ve got data, you’ve got statistics, yes. But it reminds me once of a book that I reviewed for Amazon, I knew I liked the book, because the title of it was, wake me up when the statistics are over. Go into the interview with a good story in mind, again, one that you keep to three or four or five minutes.
These are some of the most important tips that I could give you certainly as a speech coach, and immediate coach, I could talk with you if you were my client for an hour or two hours. And we could do some practice interviews. But these are some of the highlights. And I think the thought that I want to leave with you is this. Let’s talk about it. Let’s talk about the topic that hits the nail on the head. As far as being a great interview guest talking about it, staying on topic, taking turns talking, sharing ideas. That’s what it’s all about. Let’s talk about it. Remember, it’s not a presentation. This is a conversation. And before we end today, I want to invite you to go to my YouTube channel. You go to the search bar and YouTube and my channel is Bill Lampton PhD, that’s weights listed, go there, and I encourage you to hit that subscribe button, you’ll have access to mini interviews that I’ve hosted, you’ll have access to many instructional videos that have done solo, such as this one. And you’ll have access to all of my future broadcasts of this nature which are all instructional. And then when you’ve done that, please go to my website biz, since I’m the biz communication guy, biz communication guy.com And when you’re there you can check my services for corporations and leaders. And as the commercial midway through this program said, give me a call. My phone number is 678-316-4300 I’ll be delighted to talk with you, not without commitment, obligation or cost for half an hour to explore your communication problems and challenges and learn how I can assist you with them. So, thank you very much for being with me today I’m going to be interested in hearing about when you have your next media interview, how you apply and these tips and strategies I’ve given you and how well they worked for you. Thanks to those again who joined us on video are on the podcast. Be with us again next week for other tips and strategies that will boost your business for now. I’m Bill Lampton, the biz communication guy, all the best, and may you find winning words and ways
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
