8 simple strategies you can use to survive a tough interview - Michael's essay
Friends, do you break into a cold sweat when you hear Gillian Findlay or Bob McKeown of The Fifth Estate is on the line? Do you get sharp, nagging abdominal pains when Peter Mansbridge comes to interview you? If so, fear not. Help is at hand. Now for a limited time, we are offering, completely free of charge, the Enright Energizing Emergency Media Companion. Yes, you heard me correctly, absolutely free of charge. I'm making this one-time offer now because so many of you have been asking: "What should I do in an interview? I need help".
This time-tested and proven media kit will help you survive any interview encounter with media personalities across the spectrum. It's perfect for reading in the privacy of your own home. By following these straightfoward suggestions you will absolutely breeze through the roughest interrogation by Carol Off. Here are just a few of the services on offer. In meticulous detail, with time-tested results, you will learn how to respond in any media interview.
Hosts love to be called by their first names. Especially if you are an important person like a Cabinet minister or a bank executive under indictment for fraud.
For example, always start off by calling the host by his or her first name and do it in a smiley voice, asking the host person how he or she is: "Hello Bethany, how are you today?" Hosts love to be called by their first names. Especially if you are an important person like a Cabinet minister or a bank executive under indictment for fraud. This is important. So write down the host's name on a piece of paper before the interview. It's Peter, not Percy, Mansbridge.
Next, when the host thanks you for appearing on his or her program, always respond: "Well thanks for having me." Always remember to praise the host on the quality of his or her questioning. For example: "You know Garth, that's a very important question you've just asked." Or "I think you've just put your finger on the most important issue."
We will provide you with the language. If you are asked a question you really don't want to answer - and you will be - check out our chapter on "Weapons of Distraction."
Figuring Out Figures. This can be a toughie. Often the host will start bandying numbers about till you don't know if you're coming or going. If the host starts throwing numbers at you - "Why is the deficit $200-million?" - you have to dodge and shift. You can pretend to be a bit perturbed: "Well I don't know where you got your numbers, Colin, but they're nothing like what I've got in front of me right now." If that doesn't work, play dumber in a friendly sort of way. "By golly you've got me there, Ludmilla, let me check with my budget person and get back to you. $200-million you say."
The trickiest interviewer is the one who won't let go of a question, asking it over and over again. Let's say you've tried evasion - "Chapter Four". You've tried distraction and still the host keeps asking the same question. This is the time to demonstrate that you will not be intimidated by some smart-ass host/interviewer. This is the time to let 'em have it: "I really don't think you've been listening to me, Franz. I've answered your question at least three times. Could we please move on?''
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