Passing on from Diana Marrero, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

I recently attended a boot camp at the National Press Club to help
prepare print journalists for television interviews. The boot camp was
led by two longtime Washington, D.C.-area television journalists
Andrea McCarren and Alisa Parenti. I thought I would share some of the
things I learned with other regional reporters. Hope they are useful.

Tips for being on television

How to look your best:

Wear an outfit you feel good in.

White and black are not good on the screen. Go for primary colors like
red and blue instead. Gray looks good too.

Avoid patterns like pin stripes and polka dots that will “buzz” on
camera. Solids are best.

Go for a polished look with a blazer or jacket. Button the top button
of your jacket so it’s not flopping around.

Don’t forget about footwear. Your feet might show in certain settings
and you don’t want mismatched socks on TV.

Don’t slouch but don’t look too stiff.

If you talk with your hands, go ahead and use them. Just try to act as
you normally would.

Ask the producer or your contact where you should plan to look during
the interview. Should you look at the camera, at the interviewer, at
the audience if it’s a live studio audience. If you are being
interviewed remotely, it’s fine to look directly at the camera.

If you have a pen or other object in your hand, don’t twirl it.

Don’t swivel in your chair or fidget.

Be mindful of other nervous ticks you might develop.

Don’t forget to smile.

Don’t back away or lean out from the camera, don’t lean into or hunch
over a mike.

Women:

MAC brand powder foundation holds up the best under harsh lights. Wear
foundation, under-eye concealer, blush, lipstick, eye shadow and
mascara. You may not go out like that in public but you’ll look good
for TV. Go to a makeup counter and ask for advice on makeup for a
television appearance. Practice your look with a home video camera
before you go on television.

Don’t wear dangly earrings or distracting jewelry.

V-necks are most flattering.

Be mindful of skirt lengths. You might want to consider tights or
pantyhose if your legs will show.

Avoid distracting hairdos.

Men:

Don’t be afraid of a little make up, use foundation or powder to tamp
down the shine.

Sit on the tail of your jacket to keep a clean line on your shoulder.

Use a tie clip to make sure your tie is not crooked.

* The idea behind all of these tips is to avoid distractions that can
keep people from paying attention to what you are saying.

What to say and how to say it:

Have 2-3 talking points and practice different ways to say them. Float
some lines with your friends to see how they come across.

If you need to, write a couple talking points, facts or numbers on
your hand or a piece of paper.

Come up with a telling detail or anecdote. Use people to clarify your
points. Your message will be more memorable that way.

Think of the “who cares” factor. Be short and to the point. What’s the
main thing people should know?

Think about news you can use. Offer tips or a Web site. Mention your
story or book.

It’s ok to offer suggested questions to a producer or tell them you’d
be prepared to talk about 3-4 specific areas. Producers are generally
really busy and would be grateful for the suggestions.

Ask a producer how long the interview will last and prepare for that.

Try to answer questions during a live taping in 20 seconds or less.
You can use up to 2 minutes if it is a taped interview or less newsy
format.

If you don’t know the answer to a question, go back to your talking
points or answer the spirit of the question if not the precise
question itself. Examples: That’s an interesting question, but the
heart of the matter is… The real question is… I don’t know about that,
but what’s really important here… I can’t answer that but what people
should know is…

If you are asked for your opinion, you can always use the opinions of
others. Examples: Well the argument you hear from business leaders is
this… but others say this. What I’m hearing from my sources is… The
defense’s position is that… I spoke with a homeowner today who thinks
this… Public opinion on this is that …

If you are asked a question you have already answered, you can say:
Just to recap. Just to clarify.

If an interviewer has wrong information, don’t be rude about
correcting them. You can say something like: Well actually, the event
is on Friday, but organizers are really looking forward to it… To
clarify, the victim has died.

Ask the host to repeat the question if you need to buy time to think
about how to respond.

Show energy in your voice and mannerism. Be passionate and animated to
bring the audience in. Be authoritative. Punch up certain words. Don’t
allow your voice to trail off at the end of a sentence.

Avoid too many numbers, long answers and jargon. Speak in a
conversational tone. Explain the subject clearly as though you are
talking to someone who knows nothing about it.

Avoid these phrases or ticks: You know; um; gonna; like.

Don’t use the reporter or anchor’s name. They tend not to like it and
it sounds a bit hokey.

Watch or listen for cues to wrap up what you are saying. Know that
when a reporter starts to look at you funny, touches your arm or steps
closer to you, you are being “wrapped.”

At the end of an interview, it’s better to give a nod to acknowledge
the host or reporter than to have an awkward goodbye that cuts off at
the end because you went on for to long.

How to pitch yourself as an expert TV commentator:

Figure out who the producers of different local television shows are.
There are a number of different local news talk shows that are always
looking to fill their air time with expert commentators. Do your
homework about them. Mention you saw their piece on salmonella or teen
drinking so you show that you respect their work.

Send producers a short, to the point pitch with a newsy hook. Make
sure the subject line of your e-mail grabs their attention. Example:
Tax expert available for deadline story tomorrow.

Holidays are great times to get on TV because newsrooms have skeletal
staffs and they will be desperate to fill their time slots.

Don’t overpromise. Be honest about what you can talk about and your
time constraints. Try not to say no to an interview so you are asked
again. You want to make sure you are on their go-to list of people who
can deliver at a moment’s notice.

Practice, Practice, Practice:

Do local radio shows or web casts or television in small markets or
shows with small audiences so you can work your way up to feeling
comfortable when you land on CNN.

Replay your interview and figure out what you need to do to get
better. Watch the clip without sound. Hear the clip without video.

Other tips:

Drink some water before a television interview to prevent dry mouth.

Offer photos, video, Web sites or other material to the television
producer. They could use it during the interview to break up the
monotony of a talking head.

If you are going to do a lot of TV, you may want to consider an
internal feeback with a molded earpiece that you can bring with you
and won’t fall out of your ear. A feedback lets you hear cues for when
the interview is about to start and when to wrap up your interview.