Tips for Staying Out of Harm s Way

Tips for Staying Out of Harm’s Way

Okay. You know how to bridge, and you know you’ve got to hoist a flag to let interviewers know what’s important. You have an agenda, and you’re focused on making the conversation yours.

But you’re not done. During the interview, you need to make sure you stay out of harm’s way, both in what you say and how you say it. How do you get into trouble? Let us count the ways …

Don’t Answer Mechanically

An interview is not a deposition. It is your forum for getting your key messages across. On the other hand, don’t let yourself get distracted for the sake of being entertaining. To that end, always think your answers through. For your first few interviews, grab a friend or coworker who knows something about your business or big idea and let her interview you. Take note of the answers you gave that you weren’t happy with, and take the time to make them better by bridging back to your message. During the actual interview, feel free to rephrase or clarify your initial statement. Always go to the mat to correct an inaccurate statement. If a reporter interrupts you, listen patiently to the interjected question, acknowledge that you will answer it, and then resume making your original point. This is your time. And, as Fran Lebowitz once aptly explained, “The opposite of talking is waiting.” This is especially so in interviews.

Make Your Delivery Anecdotal and Conversational

Use stories and analogies to emphasize or clarify your statements. On the other hand, be careful of humor. While it can be useful, it can also backfire. We have found that too much comedy is a bane to the existence of any serious reporter and can get a less serious reporter totally off track. So unless you are, in fact, the next Henny Youngman, lay off the funny stuff. Until later, after the piece is prepared, finished, and out the door.

Don’t Stray into the “No Comment” Minefield

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: If you don’t want to answer a question, do not say, “No comment.” That is just bogus. You have a comment—you just don’t want to share it with the person in front of you. Instead of “No comment,” answer the durn question as best as you can and move on, or explain why you cannot answer. Be polite. Avoid diverting the focus of the interview from your key messages! Ever.

Don’t Assume Audience Knowledge of Your Industry

Don’t use industry jargon or words and names unique to your professional community, because even if the reporter understands them, your audience may not. (Chances are the reporter knows half of what you’re saying. Trust us.) Jargon is awful to many people’s ears. That is one reason why you must immediately rid yourself of it. Sounding like a trade magazine is deadly for any interview. Use plain English.

Don’t Answer Hypothetical Questions

You’re there to talk about the real world. Reporters usually ask hypothetical questions to get your reaction to a sticky situation. Answering hypothetical questions—whether it’s your boss, your spouse, or the media who’s doing the asking—will always come back to haunt you. If you must answer, respond by putting the question into context with an actual event or experience.

Use Positive Words as Often as Possible

The power of the positive is especially important. A positive response is especially preferable when the alternative is a double negative. In other words, say “good” rather than “not bad.” How’s business? “Excellent! We just signed a deal.”

More to the point, positive words can’t be taken out of context and misquoted as easily. For instance, Nixon swore, “I’m not a crook!” We, of course, all knew he was as soon as he said it. Clinton didn’t have sexual relations with that woman, either … right?

Remember that perception often is reality in the media game. Therefore, always use “I” instead of “you.” Deep breath: Practice in front of a mirror. “You” sounds like a pointed finger. Your friends may have told you that. Many members of your audience will take away only the flavor of your key messages; you don’t want the taste that lingers to be negative. And using the word “you” can sound accusatory—or schoolmarmish. You want to be easygoing.

Don’t Let a Reporter Put Words in Your Mouth

Don’t repeat any negative or erroneous language that a reporter may use. What you say can and will be used against you outside a court of law. In all seriousness, anything you say will be attributed to you if you do not clarify your meaning for the reporter. Also, listen intently to what a reporter recites back to you. Is it what you said, or what he thinks you said? What’s said and how it’s interpreted are usually two different things. Make sure the reporter understands your answer before it’s written down in tomorrow’s paper, in black and scary print.

Urgent: Nothing Is off the Record

Haven’t we said that already? We’ll say it again! Casually agreeing to speak off the record is reckless and foolhardy. Above all, remember that whatever conditions you set, you have absolutely no control over the information once you decide to speak up.

In journalism, there is a bizarre animal called “talking for background.” We have no idea who invented this—we’d like to meet and chastise that person—because the only time we counsel people to talk on background is if they really expect to be quoted. It’s not that reporters are unethical. It’s more that there is no written, or even implied, contract between the reporter and the interviewee. It’s nonbinding. You’d be nuts to think otherwise.