How To Be A Star in Business Interviews

Being interviewed by the media can be a high risk affair, depending on the publication, the journalist and the business zeitgeist of the moment.  These types of interviews come up relatively rarely in business.  More common are panel discussions at business events hosted by Chambers of Commerce and more recently interviews on podcasts.  I have been on both sides of the microphone, so let me share some observations which may help you prepare for your interview.

Chamber panels and podcasts are usually not “gotcha” interviews, as we will encounter with some journalists doing media interviews.  Generally, we are going to be treated well and it would be rare that the interviewer really went after you.  Having said that though, we have to expect the interviewer to want to dig down deeper into something you have said.  This can be of two basic varieties. 

One is a high level statement you made where the context and detail is obvious to the speaker.  This may not be obvious to the audience though, so the interviewer will seek more detail and clarification.  In this case, that is not a problem, because we have the depth of mastery of the subject.  The other variety is a statement that may be accepted wisdom or it might be something we have said without giving too much thought to it.  This is when we will get into trouble, because as soon as the interviewer starts to dig in, it becomes plainly obvious we don’t know all that much about it and out pours fluff instead of substance.

The answer here is to talk about things you have experienced, read about in detail, have researched deeply or where you have listened to experts.  This sounds obvious, however we don’t know where we will go with the questions and we can be drawn to stray into areas where our intellectual coverage is pretty thin.  There is nothing wrong with honesty.  Just say, “I don’t have much to say on that subject because I am not an expert in that area. However something I do feel passionate about is…”. Don’t just end it with telling the audience you don’t know much, because we are starting to damage our personal brand. Avoid leaving the conversation hanging in the air with us having admitted we are babbling on about stuff we don’t know too much about. Immediately segue into an area where we are knowledgeable and talk about that.

Always seek the questions in advance.  With media people they will do that, but often they have a couple of silent assassins ready which they will hit you with unexpectedly, to throw you off balance, to gain their “scoop”.  Business panels and podcasts are usually not like that.  Generally, for panels, they will let you know, in general terms, what is the broad discussion they are looking for.  In the case of a panel, it is unpredictable where the conversation will move, but at least there are broad rails bounding the subject matter.  Again, it always better to say you don’t know, than trying to snow the organisers or the audience.  Instead make a comment about some aspect you do know well and preserve your expert status.

For podcasts, you should expect they will have a set list of questions and you should get those in advance.  If the interviewer says something like “I let the muse guide me”, then I wouldn’t recommend joining that podcast, unless you are massively confident about the subject matter.  Generally, there will be prior episodes, so you can get a sense of whether you are in the presence of real genius or a total nutter.  Often there will be a pre-meeting, to go through the episode theme and for them to get a sense of what sort of a guest you will be.  You can also get a sense of who they are too.

Prepare for the questions, but understand you won’t be able to read from notes.  The pace will move too fast for that.  You can glance at your notes, so it is better to have them arranged for easy reference, if you indeed need to do that.  Just having mentally calibrated the questions is usually enough.  Remember you are there because you know about the subject, so it will be easy for you to speak about it.

That is often the real problem.  We do know a lot about the subject and we talk for too long and say too much.  Media interviews are an area where the more concise you are the safer it is.  Panel discussion hosts don’t like guests who want to hog the limelight, so they will unceremoniously cut you off, effectively signalling to the audience that you lack self-awareness. Podcast hosts may just edit the hell out of you.  There is a balance, but being concise comes across a lot better than rambling.  If what you say is a bit too circumspect, the interviewer will draw you out further.  If you hear yourself talking too much, then you probably are, so you need to conclude your remarks on that point and stop.

Rehearse your remarks based on the questions.  Remember these are public occasions and just as you would rehearse for a public speech, you need to do the same for the interview.  This will help you to trim the fluff from your answers and polish them into succinct, clever responses which will shine a positive light on you.  This is just as much your personal brand as giving a keynote speech.  Your fellow panelists or rivals on other podcasts, won’t take this step. Think of these occasions in this way and you will definitely come across as a star.