Talking live on air is a daunting experience for many, but there are some techniques you can use to overcome the nerves so you can feel confident to do a radio interview today.
Listen to the radio
The best way to understand how radio works, is to listen to the radio! Radio is a unique form of media that focuses on your voice, so how you choose to convey your message through language and tone is important. In a radio interview, no one can see you, and while this may calm your nerves, it can make communicating messages harder than you think.
Talking points
Make a list of talking points and key messages to help you stay on topic when chatting to the interviewer. This will also help you to create effective interview grabs.
Don’t over do it
Key messages are important, but avoid sounding like you are making an advertisement or are robotic. Radio is a form of entertainment and therefore it needs to be conversational. To best deliver your key messages, subtly weave your call-to-action into the conversation.
Top Tips
Our public relations and journalism experts at Adoni Media have had plenty of radio interview experience and our Communications Director Clare Christensen and Western Australian Communications Manager Sarah Best both started their careers as radio journalists. Here is some of their advice.
- Create a list of talking points that you would like to cover in the interview
- Focus on your key messages
- Research the program and media outlet before your interview
- Practise saying your key messages out loud, and rehearse responses to possible interview questions.
As for the actual interview:
- Be confident and take control of the interview
- Using body language will help release tension and will positively impact your speaking voice (even though the audience won’t see you)
- Keep referring to your key messages
- Be conversational and feel free to use the announcer’s name.
Any form of media interview will improve with practice. Learn from each experience, and listen back to recordings to see which areas you can improve on. Also, keep in contact with the interviewer or their producer – it‘s important to create a network of media professionals that you can call on in the future.
If you’re still feeling unsure about your next radio interview, Adoni Media provides media training for all forms of media interviews.
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