112 How to Sell Yourself
Print interviews
A print interview may be the most comfortable for you be-
cause the environment seems relaxed. It will almost always be
conducted sitting down. After all, the interviewer will be taking
notes.
Radio interviews will usually be conducted at the station’s stu-
dio or over the phone.
Each involves two people: the interviewer and the interviewee.
It can be “live” (aired at the time you’re speaking) or taped—and
possibly edited—to be aired later.
Whether it’s print or live, if you have advance knowledge that
it’s going to happen, I urge you to have a small tape recorder
running for your own personal record of what you said.
Television interviews
Television offers almost limitless options concerning site. If a
camera, a microphone, and a reporter can get there, the interview
can happen. The most common situations are:
- In a studio.
- On the street.
- In or outside your office.
- At an event.
- At the scene of a breaking story.
It’s not as casual as it seems.
Most of us are more comfortable on our own turf: our home
or office, but let me remind you that once you factor in all the
equipment and personnel that go into a video interview, there’s
no such thing as “home turf” for you. You’re just not used to
cameras, lights, recorders, cables, and a bunch of people speaking
a foreign language—in this case, “videoese.” You have no idea
how disruptive it can be because the at-home interview looks so
intimate and unobtrusive to the viewer.
It’s not uncommon for the crew to leave behind a mountain of
food and beverage containers; to have rearranged furniture never
make it back into place; and to find cigarette butts everywhere
but in ashtrays.