For every successful CEO there are amazing opportunities to establish your personal brand, and part of establishing your personal brand is communicating it to the media. Therefore, it’s important to be prepared for all types of media interviews, no matter the medium.
Each medium – such as radio, TV and print – has specific requirements you should understand before the interview. Being equipped for all these requirements can help you excel in the interview and improve your overall personal brand.
Radio
The main feature of radio is that it is a personal medium. Radio gives the illusion of a one-to-one relationship, which means that you should adopt an appropriate style when you go on radio programs.
You should adopt a friendly approach in interviews on programs such as talkback. In radio you are talking to or with people, not at them. There is a more informal atmosphere: relax and have fun with it.
The radio message is a fleeting moment of sound. It is not the medium for complex explanations or lists of facts and statistics. The listeners have to be able to grasp your point at one pass of the information, as there is no visual reinforcement and no hard copy to check back for verifications.
Television
Television is demanding in the sense that the audience see you as well as hear you. Your body language, dress, background and movement all contribute to communication with the audience.
To appear credible on television, you must sound and look credible. Sit rather than stand, as you need controlled movement and remember to use slow, controlled gestures. Review your appearance before the interview, ensuring your attire, hair, and facial expression come across as professional.
The power of television is its visual impact; you must be brief, to the point and get the key message across in a limited time. Allow yourself time to pause and think about the question. Use silence instead of filler words such as ‘um’ while thinking.
Print interviews have similar requirements to online media in terms of news value and brevity. The apparent relaxed nature of print interviews should not lull you into a false sense of security. Ensure you get your key messages in early, be careful of rambling and place tonal emphasis on key messages.
A trick for print interviews over the phone is to stand up while doing the interview – it will give you a lot more confidence. If you understand the difference between interviews for these different platforms, you will be able to present yourself and your brand in a credible and authentic way.
