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Preparing for print and on-camera interviews
Print Interviews
- Involve many steps and people to final article (journalist, editor, section editor, copy editor, etc.)
- Process can seem like broken telephone, so there is always a chance of misunderstanding and misinterpretation
- Best strategy for this interview is PAUSE, ANSWER STOP (PAS), trying to keep answers to UNDER 10 WORDS. This allows the journalist to ask more questions in a shorter period of time and zero in on info they deem to be important.
- CAN use PAUSE, ANSWER WEAVE IN ONE MESSAGE, STOP (PAWS), but should be used VERY judiciously (ie. 95% PAS, 5% PAWS)
- There is less of a chance of being quoted out of context if the journalist controls the interview and clearly understands what you’re speaking about at all times
Taped On-Camera Interviews
- Involves you speaking directly to the media’s audience, so there’s less filter and broken telephone
- Need to be more aware of the interview’s technical needs:
- Restate the question so that the segment is easy to edit.
- Unless otherwise directed look at the reporter, not into the camera
- Choose a backdrop that appropriately reflects your topic and is visually interesting (Toronto Met backdrop, if possible)
- Dress in solid colours, avoiding white and black if possible. Be aware of the microphone and avoid chunky and/or loud jewellery. Bold patterns will skew on camera.
- Provide sound bites when possible:
- Pause, repeat question, answer, weave in a message, stop.
- Answers and messages should be 10 to 20 seconds
Live Interviews
- A live interview is a Q and A between you and a journalist with little or no editing
- Usually these don’t involve very tough questions, it’s more conversational
- If you receive questions in advance, don’t write out your answers or else you could come off sounding stiff or scripted
- In general, answers can be longer if during a live interview, as it’s a conversation between you and the journalist
- A double ender or a live remote is a live interview where the journalist is speaking to you from a remote location via a wearable earpiece. Those interviews usually involve you looking directly into the camera when answering questions. Be aware of a time delay between your responses and the journalist’s questions. Make sure to test the earpiece to ensure you can hear properly before the interview begins