Joanne the Coach

TV Interviews - What to do When You Feel Nervous

It's been a while since we had an extract from The Beginner's Guide to TV Interviews, so here's another one to add to your collection.

It's all about what to do when you're experiencing pre-show nerves.

What to do if You Feel Nervous About Your TV Interview

Congratulate yourself – you’re a human being with feelings after all.  It is absolutely 100% normal to feel a nervous surge of adrenaline before you do a TV interview.  Even TV presenters who have appeared on screen every day for years and years still regularly get the jangles.

One of the things that used to amaze me when I was working in TV was seeing some of the most famous faces in the land chain-smoking and practically throwing up with nerves before doing a simple TV appearance to plug their latest venture. 

Actors are especially prone to interview nerves, which can be surprising because you’d think that they’re trained to perform.  But whilst that’s true, remember that they’re trained to speak other people’s words and can often feel on shaky ground when they’re asked to appear as themselves, with no script. 

An actor once told me that daytime talk shows are particularly nerve-wracking for his profession, because that’s what they all watch when they’re ‘resting’ between jobs.  He knew all his mates were likely to be scrutinising his performance when he was on This Morning. 

Personally, I think it’s kind of comforting to know that even big names get the collywobbles.  Think about that the next time you watch someone being interviewed on TV – 5 minutes beforehand they were probably a gibbering wreck in the green room

The kinds of things I’ve seen people use to conquer their TV nerves include:
• Alcohol – not as in getting blind drunk, though some do indulge in a discreet tot of brandy from a hip flask.  Probably not a good idea for the morning shows though.
• Cigarettes
• Bach Rescue Remedy
• Nail biting
• Caffeine
• Arguing with partners/agents/production crew
• Deep breathing
• Repeated visits to the toilet
• Illegal Drugs
• Walking up and down in the corridor repeatedly
• Rehearsing what they want to say

In truth, none of these responses is the definitive one, and I’m certainly not recommending that you take up booze and fags simply to make the passage into TV stardom a little easier.  But one of the most useful things you can do to prepare yourself for TV interviews is to take some time now to know yourself and how you best deal with nerves. 

One great book that will help you with this is Susan Jeffers’ classic Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway – I recommend reading this book if nerves are the only thing stopping you from going for TV success.  And even if you never read it, the title alone is a great mantra to carry with you.

Remember that your nerves will always be more apparent to you than anyone else.  They will see a gliding swan, no matter how madly the legs are kicking underneath.

(c) Joanne Mallon 2008

This article is extracted from The Beginner's Guide To TV Interviews.  The full ebook can be ordered via this page.

Media Training: How To Look Good On TV

Here's a top notch post from the TV Insider about how to look good on TV.  A big head is important, apparently (literally, not figuratively, that is.  We're talking yer actual bonce, not your capacity for arrogance).

And once you've got your noggin dimensions right, you'll be wanting to dress appropriately.  Here's what The Beginner's Guide to TV Interviews has to say about what to wear when appearing on TV.

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YOU LOOKING AT ME?
Your first TV appearance is a terrifically exciting event, and you’ll probably spend aeons carefully honing what you want to say. You’ll also probably spend quite some time preparing what to wear. This isn’t just facile preening.  It’s a vital part of the process because TV is primarily a visual medium - how you look is an important part of the package.

So, to save you some time, here are the rules:

• Don’t wear all black. You’ll look as though you’re disappearing into a hole.  This often throws women into a panic, as we love the slimming properties of black, especially when TV can make you look slightly heavier than you are in real life.  Black trousers or skirt will normally be fine as a filmed interview will generally concentrate on your top half, so do go for a colour on top if you can.

• Don’t wear all white. It makes TV lights bounce back and you’ll look as though you just descended from the heavens on a cloud.

• Don’t wear anything with a very small pattern such as pin-stripes, tweed or polka dots. Again, it has a strange effect on TV lights known as strobing.  Men should avoid pinstripe shirts – bring a change of clothes if you’re not sure.

• No visible logos of companies or brands (watch out for this particularly on sportswear) as this may be regarded as advertising.  You may be asked to change if a logo is too obvious.

• Avoid buying a new outfit the day before and acting as if you’re going to a job interview. If you feel too stiff and formal in your clothes this will affect how you express yourself.

• If you can’t decide what to wear, bring a change of clothes – plenty of people do and it can be a good idea if your original choice turns out to be unsuitable.

• Ask if there are any colours you should avoid wearing.  This can happen if they clash with the set, or if an effect called ChromaKey is to be used – this is the effect which is used as the basis of some special effects, where a particular colour is replaced by pictures.  The usual colours affected by this are green and blue (this is why it’s commonly known as blue or green screen effects).  So if you were in a studio where this effect was being used and you happened to be wearing a blue tie, you could look as if you had a big hole in the middle of your body, which will probably not enhance your corporate image.

• Look congruent with how you want to come across – if your message is sober and serious, dress appropriately. Likewise, if your message is fun and frivolous you can probably leave the navy suit at home.  Some TV professionals reckon that wearing pastel colours can make you look younger, but you may not necessarily want to look younger, especially if you’re appearing in an expert role.

It’s worthwhile bearing these guidelines in mind any time you meet a member of the media, even if it’s non-visual interview such as radio or print. How you look will still have an impact on how you are perceived, so make sure you give the impression you intend to on all levels.

And in case you were wondering, it is true that television can make you look as if you’re a few pounds heavier than you are in real life.  It’s all to do with the fact that a TV picture is made up of a series of horizontal lines, and other technical reasons I won’t bore you with.

Suffice to say, when you meet people who regularly appear on TV, they often look much smaller and slimmer than you might expect – this is because many TV presenters (especially female ones) decide to keep as skinny as possible in order to look regular size on the box. 

Now, how you regard this is up to you.  I’m not telling you this so you can all rush out and join Weight Watchers.  It’s just something else about the process to be aware of and take into consideration.  You really don’t have to look a particular way or be a particular weight to appear on TV, but it will help your over-all performance if you are happy and confident in your own skin, whatever size that may be.

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(c) Joanne Mallon 2008 - Extracted from The Beginner's Guide to TV Interviews.  Full book available here.

Media Training - Becoming an Expert Interviewee

What comes next when you do an interview with a journalist?  How will you know if and when the feature is published?  And what does it mean if your contribution doesn't make the final edition?

It is extremely rare, though very welcome, to be told when an interview you've given appears in print.  So in the main, you'll have to watch out for your publicity yourself.  And never ask the journalist to supply you with a copy of the finished piece.  You'll have to do that as well, with the help of your local friendly newsagent and some shiny coins.

Some journalists approach many experts for interview simultaneously, assuming that a certain percentage won't reply or will be unsuitable. I get a lot of requests like that on a Friday afternoon, when people are panicking. So if your comments aren't used it could just be that somebody similar was also approached and replied before you. Either way, again don't expect to be told. You'll know if something good apears because you'll get increased website traffic and hopefully some new clients on the phone.

Don't spend too much time on answers to email interview questions, because at most only a few sentences will be used. In the past I used to spend ages crafting fulsome answers, only to find chunks of them turning up in the copy, uncredited.  Ain't doing that no more.

Always think about whether you can use the material created by an interview in a number of different ways - maybe as the basis of other features or material for your website. If you re-use the material then giving interviews becomes a great use of your time.  You might call it multi-tasking at its best (though in my case it's simply the result of being both terribly busy and terribly lazy).