Interview Prep: Confidence and Dealing with Difficult Questions
Some people feel completely natural sitting down for a conversation with a reporter. These people include Kim Kardashian West, Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez and Leonardo DiCaprio.
You might not have a trailer with your name in a star, but in an on-camera interview situation, you can essentially consider yourself “the talent.” Confidence is a powerful non-verbal cue that helps get your message across but those of us who are not big Hollywood A-listers get nervous and need to rehearse multiple times to appear naturally confident.
As such, there are a few media training tips you can use to build your confidence, make sure the interview makes the best use of your time and serves your organization.
Prepare responses to potentially difficult questions.
Talking points can help build confidence by preparing you with a response for difficult questions. In addition to key messages, a good set of internal talking points should include a list of potential questions and suggested responses.
List all the possible questions that you can think of, even using the negative, aggressive language that may be used, to get you accustomed to the way the questions may be delivered. Write down your responses and rigorously edit and pare those responses down so they are meaningful and memorable, and edited for speaking, not writing.
Reply positively and do not repeat words with negative connotations.
In addition to what is talked about, how it’s talked about can be, to an extent, in your control. Don’t repeat negative language but instead use positive language in your responses and put a positive light on whatever is being discussed. For example, if the interviewer asks about an “unfortunate mishap” refer to that same moment as a “crucial learning experience” for you and your brand in your response.
Guide the conversation back to your key messages and NEVER say “no comment”
Run into a question you don’t have an answer for? Admit you will need to look into it, don’t speculate and turn the conversation to one of the key points you want to get across.
“Oh, that’s interesting. I’ll need to look into it, but something else important for everyone to know is [insert super interesting thing you highlighted as a key message in your talking points here].
“I haven’t heard that before but am looking forward to researching it. Another interesting concept is [key message].
If you know the answer to a question but need a moment to gather your thoughts:
Incorporate the question within the start of your answer.
“My thoughts on digital marketing and social media are…”
“That’s an interesting question and I’ve asked myself and my team this as well.”
If you feel like the interviewer is getting off-topic or moving into an area you’d rather not discuss, simply choose from the following:
“I can’t answer that, but what I do know is [insert key message]”
“That’s incorrect. Let me explain further.”
“Yes, but more importantly [insert key message]”
You can also use key phrases to emphasize points you really want to get across:
“What I really want to leave the audience with is [insert key message]”
“If there’s one thing I want to say, it is [insert key message]”
“What many people don’t realize is [insert key message]”
If the interviewer asks you several questions at once:
“You’ve given me a lot to address. Let me start with [insert key message]”
“Does that answer the first question? Could you please restate the second?”
And if you feel like you’ve stated something incorrectly:
“I’m sorry, I misspoke. Let me rephrase that.”
“One moment. Let me go back and be clear.”
“I want to make sure I’m answering this correctly. Can you please repeat your question?”
Rehearse, record and rehearse again
Speak your responses out loud so you get comfortable and give a natural delivery. Practice in a mirror and then record yourself and listen back over them to help the review process. Review your responses with trusted colleagues, your organization, or even friends or family to get used to delivery and gauge feedback.
Keep your responses short and quotable
One of the best things you can do in a media interview is to be quotable. Be bold. Be simple. Give short, punchy statements that can punctuate a reporter’s story for them. Do not deliver a bunch of long-winded, elaborate explanations.
