For many of us, the most shocking revelation to come out of CERN’s Higgs boson announcement today was quite unrelated to the science itself. Rather, we were blown away by the fact that a team made up of some of the most undoubtedly brilliant people in the world believe that Comic Sans is an appropriate font for such a historic occasion.–Sam Byford, The Verge
From “What we have really learned from the coverage of Higgs boson” by Emma Knight for Editors Weblog.
I finally got around to listening to Radiolab’s episode about guts. The second segment, “Gut Feelings,” was particularly interesting given all the talk going around about stress and psychological resilience. Apparently, bacteria in the gut can help mice cope with conditions that normally send these rodents into life-threatening despair. Could it be that instead of sucking it up when things get tough, we should be sucking back yogurt?
I work in the marketing department of a university press. When a media producer asks to interview one of our authors, we rejoice even though the author may cower. Most of our authors are more comfortable poring over archives than pouring their guts out for the cameras and microphones. Well, scholar, there’s no need to disembowel yourself for the media.
As a researcher, practitioner and/or educator, you’ve been preparing for the expert interview for years. Let this be a source of confidence as you get ready to share some of the fruits of your efforts with the rest of us.
After producing dozens of promotional interviews and analyzing our authors’ performances on public radio, podcast, cable, and broadcast television, I’ve come up with a list of interview tips tailored to scholarly concerns.
1. Do Your Homework.
Write a two-sentence statement about the central argument or subject of your book or research and practice saying it out loud. Really keep it down to two essential sentences. Okay. Three. Next, jot down three to five key talking points that support your main idea. Say these statements out loud, then revise them for clarity.
You may have done this exercise for other purposes, but this time make sure to aim for an audience of intelligent people outside of your field. If you have problems keeping your statements brief and clear, set some parameters. Use a timer. Learn what can you say about your work in less than five minutes, three minutes, 30 seconds, 10 seconds.
Professional journalists probably won’t give you a complete list of questions before an interview. Yet, you can prepare by learning as much as you can about the reporter or producer’s style. Feel free to ask him questions about the process. Will the program be edited? Is it a call-in show? How long will the interview really take? Is the program a satire? Watching or listening to earlier episodes of the program will give you a good idea of what to expect. Pay attention to how much time the host gives the guest to answer each question. It’s probably less time than you think.
Rehearse your talking points with a supportive, non-judgmental friend or colleague. Record yourself and play it back. Cringe, improve, repeat.
2. Start By Answering the Questions.
Answer the interviewer’s question before offering context. One historian I’ve worked with very deliberately rephrases the question at the beginning of her answers. This trick helps you focus on answering the question right off the bat. It makes it easier for the producer to edit the audio/video without presenting your statements out of context. Once you’ve nailed the question with a brief, stand-alone answer, then you can provide further analysis and background information.
Even if the question seems to reveal poor command of the facts, do speak to it first before correcting the interviewer in a friendly manner.
3. Tell Stories and Illustrate.
Tell a story, not a time line. “This happened, and then this happened, and then this happened…” does not a “driveway moment” make. Chronology can be important, but avoid reciting lists of dates, organizational names, details of internecine squabbles, etc. Even if, truth be told, there is no hero in your history or no tidy narrative emerges from your research, actual events are most compelling when you speak about individuals or organizations, even animals, as protagonists.
Select exemplary facts to illustrate a bigger concept. Torrents of data are difficult enough for people to process on a spreadsheet, so don’t try to cram them through a microphone. Focus instead on sharing knowledge. A fascinating statistic piques the audience’s interest, and hopefully lead them to your books or articles for a complete picture. If your data dump overwhelms them and turns them off, chances are they will not come back to your writing for details.
4. Use Analogies.
Reverend Lovejoy: That is a false analogy!
Lisa Simpson: No, it’s not. It’s apt. Apt!—The Simpsons
Poor Lisa. When you use an analogy, someone can always quibble with it. If you want to introduce a general audience to something highly theoretical or technical, you may have no choice but to use an analogy. Start with the familiar before delving into the esoteric. Let the quibblers quibble.
5. We Can Handle the Truth.
Please tell us laypeople the truth, even in the form of story or analogy. Please tell us if things are complicated, even if you don’t have time to go into all the details. If you are concerned that something you say will be hyped and misconstrued, let the reporter know. Let the audience know.
If you’re on a call-in show and a caller asks an inflammatory question or shares an emotionally troubling story, stay cool. It’s fine to let the host respond first.
Sometimes the best answer to a media question is no. No doesn’t have to kill the conversation. “No” can be a starting point. “No” can easily turn into “actually.”
“I don’t know” is a bit trickier. A common gripe is that researchers always say, “More research is needed.” Say you don’t know, then steer the conversation back to what you do know.
“It’s too soon to tell, but what we know now is…”
“It’s interesting to speculate, but for now we’re focusing on…”
“We can’t know for certain, but the important thing to remember is…”
“I’ve seen this pattern before and it’s a good predictor of…”
6. Interrupt Yourself and Move On.
For various technical and social reasons, the interviewer can’t tell you to shut up if you’ve said too much or you go off on a tangent. Don’t force her to cut you off. After you’ve answered a question, remain silent for a moment. The pause might seem awkward, but don’t worry. Your brief silence gives the interviewer the opportunity to ask a follow-up question.
If the interviewer says that it’s time to move on, resist the urge to add one more thing or say, “Just let me finish my point.” Unless you are a skilled pundit, this move won’t work in your favor.
7. Make Friends with Open Ended Questions.
Open-ended questions allow you to advance your agenda if you’re prepared. Remember the talking points from tip 1? Practice saying them in response to different questions such as:
Why did you write this book?
What did you discover that surprised you most?
What do you hope to accomplish with your research?
Who will benefit from your research?
What should the public remember about _______?
8. Act as if people can see you, even if they can’t.
If you’re doing a phone interview or you’re in a recording studio, sit up straight. Maintain an open, confident body posture. Smiling seems crazy when you’re on the phone, but this salesperson’s trick does improve the tone of your voice. Make frequent eye contact with the interviewer so you’ll be ready to catch visual cues. This may feel uncomfortable, but remember that he can’t just say, “shut up now.”
9. Wear a You Costume for the Camera.
Dress in your comfortable, professional best. Avoid wearing sparkly things, noisy things, things with busy patterns, bright whites or blacks. These garments can interfere with video and audio recording. I recommend wearing button down shirts and jackets in case the sound person needs to attach a microphone to your top. These microphones can look bit distracting on t-shirts and sweaters.
Beyond that, the internet provides plenty of advice on clothing, hair, and make-up (everyone wears it) for television interviews. This Forbes article is a good example. If you’re more of the field type than the Forbes type, you may wear a clean version of what you would ordinarily wear to work especially if you are being interviewed on location in a lab, workshop or other job site. Just make sure your shorts or skirt is at least knee length.
If you’re going to be interviewed with a colleague, talk with her about what you plan to wear just in case. Otherwise you might show up in matching jackets and look like a pair of overgrown prep school students.
10. Practice and Perfect.
Dealing with the media is like any other skill. Anyone can improve with effort. One of our authors gets quoted in the mainstream press about once a week in part because she’s experienced at crafting short, informative statements. (Don’t turn up your nose at the sound bite. Think of it as a poem.) Watch or listen to the interview with a supportive friend or colleague and note your strengths and weaknesses. Congratulate yourself for keeping the public better informed.
According to the NOAA Fisheries Service Facebook page these Northern puffer fish were caught by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center.
Do I love the fishies or do I eat them? Like Chinese buns, these Northern puffers look adorable and delicious at once. Their efforts to defend themselves only make me want to mess with them more. I suspect that the puffers in the photograph were neither loved nor eaten, but dissected by researchers at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center. I accept that, even though I wish that the trio had been set free, mostly because they are round and they seem to be looking at me. Is that rational or ethical? Three cute fish stir so many of my emotions. I hope that the Northern puffers, as a group, are doing well even if the three guys in the photography had to go to that school in the sky to help protect the rest of the species.
In the Chesapeake Bay, this species is called the sugar toad. Aw, shucks.
I run in circles where things like the Tragedy of the Commons come up in casual conversations, because I’m cool like that. First the Tragedy of the Commons came up at a party, and then in a Facebook thread with a completely different set of people. A friend said that The Lorax was an example of the ToC. And I said, nuh-uh. After that, I kept seeing the ToC everywhere. It was in certain abandoned lots, but not in others. It was undoubtedly in the break room sink at work. It seemed nearly absent from Clark Park. As I walked through the park, which was pleasant if a bit rough around the edges, I wondered if it was truly a common. I questioned my ability–as a twenty-first century globalized American–to really understand a common. I puzzed on it until my puzzler was sore.
And that was my strange fascination of the week.
Stephanie Brown Writes 