TV INTERVIEW: 5 LESSONS FOR YOU

As a TV journalist, I have brought hundreds of different people and professions in front of the camera for interviews. From random citizens on Jelačić Square, to industrial experts, military officers, doctors, athletes, professors, protesters, lawyers, convicts, to the highest state officials or elite businessmen. The term "talks a lot, says a little" often associates us with politicians. Especially the loud and self-righteous variety, devoid of content in their expressions, but dependent on media attention.

Business people are usually good conversationalists. Direct and interesting. Some are even excellent.

But in the forest of business conferences, I once came across a high-ranking businessman who absolutely loved the camera and the spotlight, but didn't feel the need to answer the questions asked and provide the audience with content value in return. Here's the story of the most boring TV interview of my journalistic career, and five lessons you can learn from it if you're planning to appear in the media.

Boring interview

This terribly boring interview was granted to me by the foreign president of an international business association in Croatia. He was eager to appear on television and offered to do it through a local representative. Given his business title and the lucrative (financial) industry in which the association operates, I thought it would be an interesting conversation: with relevant data, expert insights, and the occasional interesting stance or conclusion.

How wrong I was! This gentleman from northern Europe, in his late 50s and in a fine suit, turned out to be an extremely poor conversationalist: he was stingy with specific information and did not want to show even a hint of personal opinion on current global trends in the financial industry. After I asked a question, he would (instead of answering) turn the conversation to protocol and unimportant details about the organization he represented. Everything he said sounded monotonous and bureaucratic. Something similar to those instructions you hear on the loudspeaker on an airplane before takeoff.

The questions were very benign. I didn't expect any "exclusives" from a man of his profile, but I was surprised by the attempt at verbal evasion in almost every sentence: For example, I asked him: "given global indicators, do you think X is currently a better asset class than Y for investors in the financial market?". He completely ignored the question and replied: "our association operates in XY countries, we have XYZ members", blablabla... I would have repeated the question, and he replied that he "can't go into details".

Interview, journalistic battle

Those ten minutes of the interview turned into a journalistic battle for at least one interesting answer. I managed to get a few concrete sentences out of it, but when I reviewed the recording, I considered giving up on broadcasting it. Because if such an interview was boring to me, how would the audience, who usually watches television with half-hearted concentration, react to it?

Why did this interviewee even offer himself to my TV company if he had nothing substantial to say? I asked his Croatian representative about it. They justified it by legal restrictions on the topics he is allowed to talk about, but here's what it was really about:

Evidently, media appearances pleased the man's ego. He also believed that his job title justified his practice of talking a lot and saying nothing significant. The impersonal impression in the eyes of the audience did not bother him.

If you're general, vague, and don't show an opinion on anything, you won't hold it against anyone. That's how he thought and walked through the television minutes, not realizing that he was leaving journalists with practically useless interviews and damaging his own image. In the end, I still aired it, but - it was a big lesson for me.

There are a few lessons you can take from this story as you prepare for your next interview. As a TV interviewee, you should keep these five things in mind to ensure that the interview benefits the audience, you, and the reporter.

1. UNDERSTANDING THE PURPOSE OF THE INTERVIEW

The fundamental purpose of a TV interview is to inform viewers and the public about current topics or events of public interest. Public interest means that the answer to a particular question interests a large number of people, or that the topic directly affects the lives of the audience to some extent (inflation, tax or social policies, fuel prices, interest rates). Satisfying public interest is the mission of every journalist.

2. CLEAR ANSWERS

Your answers to journalistic questions should be clear, precise, concise and fact-based. You must provide value to your audience. Especially when it comes to controversial topics. By avoiding questions or providing vague answers - you can lose the audience's trust, because it creates the impression that you are hiding something. Answer the question, and then explain the answer. Try to be concise. If you don't know the answer, it's okay to admit it. Always try to explain complex parts of the topic with a concrete, real-life example.

3. FACTS, BUT ALSO ATTITUDE

A journalist doesn’t just want to hear from you the facts, they want to hear your perspective on a particular current issue, policy, broader industry trend, or global event. A journalist is there to present the facts, but they also expect you to interpret them, put them in context, and draw an interesting conclusion. This requires you to be informed, but also direct. If someone has judged that YOU are important enough for the audience to hear what YOU think about something, make an effort to show it. Viewers will appreciate that you have a perspective, whether you agree with that perspective or not.

4. MUTUAL BENEFIT

As an interviewee , a TV appearance allows you to do something else: to increase your visibility and build your image or professional reputation. It also allows you to “push” opinions, ideas or messages that are particularly important to you onto the airwaves. But you will only achieve this by understanding the public interest as the fundamental purpose of the interview. Avoiding answers and dragging out the conversation is a shot in the foot.

5. (NON)VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Your voice and body language directly affect your persuasiveness in a TV interview. Speak clearly. Don't sound monotone. You want to appear warm and moderately energetic. If the topic allows, a smile is always welcome. Stage fright can sometimes "eat" people up on air, to the point where they end up looking like Dustin Hoffman in Rainman on screen. So, practice your answers to the most obvious questions before you go on stage. Be authentic, be yourself, but remember that you're on TV for the audience, not to get even with anyone. Forget the frown. Dress appropriately for the occasion and the impression you want to make.

Comprehensive preparation for a TV interview includes a number of other things that I practice in detail with my training participants, but start small. Apply these tips to your next interview, leave a professional impression, and be sure that every TV company will invite you back for an interview. Unlike the gentleman who was the subject of this text.

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