10 tips for giving quotable, notable interviews: Part One
10 tips for giving quotable, notable interviews: Part One By Robyn Sachs, President & CEO of RMR & Associates, Inc. The three worst words of wisdom for being interviewed are: “Just wing it.” Sure, you know your topic inside and out and could give off-the-cuff answers. But doing that often leads to that sinking feeling when you see your words in print and marvel, “Did I really say that?” When you give a presentation, you make notes and prepare slides to guide you through it, making sure you don’t get off track and forget important points. When you are being interviewed, however, the reporter is in control of the interview’s direction. Here’s how to steer the interview where you want it to go and bring it back to the points you want to get across. These are my first five tips. Part Two will cover the remaining five. Tip 1: Choose your top two or three messages. No more. An interview is your chance to get your message out, but it’s easy to get sidetracked when answering question after question, being interrupted or sitting under bright lights while being recorded. Ask yourself in advance: What are the three main points [...]