TV and radio interviews

Broadcast interviews offer a valuable opportunity for disabled people’s voices to be heard directly on TV or radio.

Radio and TV interviews can range from a 30-second sound bite or a five-minute slot to a radio phone-in. Interviews can either be live, where you are speaking directly on air or pre-recorded, where an interview is recorded in advance.

Whatever the scenario here are a few tips:

Do’s

• Find out the kind of questions you are likely to be asked so you are prepared.
• Keep it simple. Broadcast interviews are very short so you won’t have much time to get your message across. It’s best to have two to three key points prepared and stick to these throughout the interview. It might be useful to think of this as your ‘elevator speech’ where you are in a lift and only have a few minutes to explain something to someone before you reach the top!
• Don’t be afraid to repeat your key messages or phrase them in a slightly different way to reinforce the message.
• Remember you are the expert. The likelihood is you will know much more about the topic than the presenter.
• Use personal stories and anecdotes to illustrate your point, where appropriate.
• Anticipate any difficult questions and have answers prepared for these.
• Finally, relax! Think of the interview as a conversation with one person who is interested but not particularly knowledgeable about your field.

Don’ts

• Don’t use acronyms and jargon.
• Avoid any long silences or pregnant pauses in your interview answers – this creates ‘dead air’ for broadcasters, especially for radio interviews.
• For TV interviews, avoid clothing or jewellery that might distract from your message.