You have probably seen people on television when having an interview and you wondered how good they were at answering questions from reporters. They didn`t just show up and had successful interview, they had help from professionals and a lot of practice.

These are tips and techniques that you can use to look just as good as the people who speak to the media for a living, just follow this couple of steps and giving and interview will be just a routine for you.

Break the Ice

You may be nervous, but so might be the person who is interviewing you. After all, you’re the star! Begin things with a big enthusiastic smile and take a moment to praise a recent article they wrote or an interview that you have seen, send a sincere compliment or ask for their opinion on something. That will help you to have bonding conversation before an actual interview.

Stay on track

It`s very important to focus on the question that you have been asked during the interview and there’s no need to say more. It`s really easy to say too much during the interview but the damage after that it`s not going to be easy to fix.

Statements

Be careful not to start every answer with words like “Yes”, “No” and “Absolutely”. Work on excluding those words and start your answer with a clear response to the question. It makes your answer stronger and the media appreciates you making a full statement. Rather than saying “Yes that’s correct, we believe this is the most important….” try saying “We believe this is the most important….” Being less conversational can make your statement much stronger.

Punctuality

Make sure that you are on time for the interview. Keep in mind that you need to prepare hair and makeup and also being there on time will give you time to prepare final notes for the interview.

Rambling

Reporters often wait before asking their next question to encourage you to keep talking. Speak concisely then stop talking and wait for the next question. Use silence to think about your answer.

Repeated or Restated

This is very important if you feel that the question that you were asked was unclear or you were surprised by that question. You may need couple of seconds to formulate your answer if you were surprised by the question. You can try your sentence like this “Can we please go over your second question again. I want to point out that…”

Eye contact

Focus on either the interviewer or the camera, but not both. Do not look back and forth and continually shift your eyes from side to side. If you need to use your hands while talking please synchronize them with your speech.

Most importantly, always maintain focus and appear confident and calm.

Be a Human

Keep in mind that the interview is huge opportunity for your business and also keep in mind that the interviewer is also a human. Liven things up by adding some color to your interview with real life anecdotes, share your personal experience using the anecdotes, that way people who are watching the interview will have image of you like a warm but also successful entrepreneur.

Final Thought

Many reporters will end interviews by asking you if they have covered everything or if there is anything else you would like to share with them. This the opportunity to reinforce key points or share something extra, this is a chance to end the conversation with the main topic or idea you really want the reporter to remember. Grab this opportunity and finalize the interview with the topic that you think that has not been covered but you think that it`s important.

Wrap up

At the end of the interview leave time for more questions, recap any commitments to get the reporter additional information and tell them when they can expect you to get back to them. Make sure they include your contact information for follow up questions.