Keep a handle on your nerves - Think of it as a conversation, not an interview. How would you talk about your event to a friend? - Take a minute to think if asked a tricky question. you’re - Have some water to hand. Talking can be thirsty work. Deal with tricky questions Sometimes, a journalist may ask questions you find difficult to answer. Remember you’re not a Macmillan spokesperson and there are no expectations on you to comment on policies or issues not related to your story. And there are a number of ways of dealing with this situation: - During a pre-recorded interview, you can explain politely that not prepared to you’re answer their question and explain why. - If the question relates to a Macmillan policy, you can refer to your Macmillan contact. - During live interviews it is more difficult but there are useful phrases that you can use to deflect the question and help you return to the main issue: people may think the real issue is ‘Some ...’ can talk about is my own personal experiences which ‘All I ...’ not here to talk about that but from my experiences ‘I’m ...’ Give a good interview - Just be yourself and as confident and friendly as you can be. - Use simple, conversational language. - Be brief and to the point. Your time is limited. But try not to rush or talk faster to get everything in, speaking clearly and concisely. - Avoid getting side-tracked by questions which fit into your key points. If you stay don’t in control you can move the interview back to what you want to say. - Say what you have to say (remembering your three key messages) and then stop – the job of the interviewer to keep the interview moving. it’s - If the interviewer gives wrong information, try to correct it straight away. - If you cannot comment, explain why should not pre-empt the am not (e.g. ‘I report’, ‘I a health professional and cannot comment on that specifically, however….’). - It would be great if you could mention the Cancer as early name, ‘Macmillan Support’, in the interview as you can. Assume the interviewer know anything about you doesn’t or Macmillan.
Keep a handle on your nerves - Think of it as a conversation, not an interview. How would you talk about your event to a friend? - Take a minute to think if you’re asked a tricky question. - Have some water to hand. Talking can be thirsty work. Deal with tricky questions Sometimes, a journalist may ask questions you find difficult to answer. Remember you’re not a Macmillan spokesperson and there are no expectations on you to comment on policies or issues not related to your story. And there are a number of ways of dealing with this situation: - During a pre-recorded interview, you can explain politely that you’re not prepared to answer their question and explain why. - If the question relates to a Macmillan policy, you can refer to your Macmillan contact. - During live interviews it is more difficult but there are useful phrases that you can use to deflect the question and help you return to the main issue: ‘Some people may think the real issue is ...’ ‘All I can talk about is my own personal experiences which ...’ ‘I’m not here to talk about that but from my experiences ...’ Give a good interview - Just be yourself and as confident and friendly as you can be. - Use simple, conversational language. - Be brief and to the point. Your time is limited. But try not to rush or talk faster to get everything in, speaking clearly and concisely. - Avoid getting side-tracked by questions which don’t fit into your key points. If you stay in control you can move the interview back to what you want to say. - Say what you have to say (remembering your three key messages) and then stop – it’s the job of the interviewer to keep the interview moving. - If the interviewer gives wrong information, try to correct it straight away. - If you cannot comment, explain why (e.g. ‘I should not pre-empt the report’, ‘I am not a health professional and cannot comment on that specifically, however….’). - It would be great if you could mention the name, ‘Macmillan Cancer Support’, as early in the interview as you can. Assume the interviewer doesn’t know anything about you or Macmillan.