Live Vs Recorded

One of the things people worry about when dealing with the media is doing live interviews – radio or TV. When asked, 90 per cent of delegates will say they prefer to do recorded interviews feeling they will have more control of what actually goes out.

It is an interesting point but actually the opposite is true. When you are doing a live interview, what you say is what the audience will hear at that time. None of that can be edited while on air. It is nerve-wracking of course to think that you are broadcasting to millions of people (sorry don’t mean to make it worse). However when the journalist challenges you there is the opportunity to come back with an answer which is unedited of course.

That doesn’t mean you won’t have to cope with interruptions or those questions which appear to come from nowhere. You may also have to deal with another guest who has an opposite point of view. But at least what you say is what the audience get. There are plenty of visualisation techniques which can help you pre-interview. Also do a run through with your comms team or someone like us beforehand so you can practise what you want to say, have a run through of difficult questions and ensure your message is clear and concise.

However there is a proviso with doing live interviews and it isn’t the obvious i.e. don’t say anything in front of a microphone which you don’t want broadcast. The proviso is that these live interviews will be recorded for use later on. That is when the edit will take place. So you may have done a two minute piece for a breakfast show but the journalist will be looking to take out soundbites, clips of your interview which can be used for following news bulletins.

This is good news as your interview gets longevity. If you are quoted on the 0900, 1000 and again at 1300 you get more bangs for your buck. The secret is to prepare beforehand that clip/soundbite – normally between 15 – 20 seconds depending on the radio/TV station. So the clip you would like them to take out is the one they choose.

This comes back to saying something memorable which makes your point rather than something dull but worthy.  Strategic initiatives and partnership working will not make an interesting soundbite. Helping people build better lives for themselves will. And actually journalists do have a good sense of which bit to take out . That is because they know what works for their audience. What would you, if listening at home, want to hear from any spokesperson?  If you keep that in mind then it won’t matter whether your interview is live or recorded because it will get your message across.