Last month, an NFL player with the New York Jets made the headlines, but unfortunately it wasn’t in the sports section of the Sunday newspaper. Instead, Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis’ heated argument, and abrupt ending, to an interview with New York City radio host Mike Francesa made headlines on countless sports blogs and PR industry outlets.
During the interview, Francesa focused his attention and questions on a particular play Revis made during the game against the Miami Dolphins where he intercepted a pass and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. Replays during and after the game showed that Revis may have interfered with the pass originally intended for a Miami Dolphins player. While the referees never called it during the game, Francesa was calling it during his interview, accusing Revis of the penalty and pressing the issue to the point where the interview was interrupted by a Jets PR person and ended abruptly. Per the advice of his PR representative, Revis hung up the phone to end the interview.
Ending an interview early is never a good idea. In an article on Ragan.com about this incident, Brad Philipps wrote that ending an interview “always makes the story bigger” and “gives credence to the charges made against you.” He also notes that the host will usually look better, while the guest and the PR representative will look unprofessional.
How could this situation have been prevented or possibly managed better? We have shared countless tips on how to “master the interview” and “how to give a good phone interview with media” on our blog. After reading about Revis’ story, we want to share a few additional tips that may be useful for you to consider when preparing for your next interview.
- Know the reporter before the interview. Do your research on the reporter and see how they have covered other stories or interviewed previous guests. This will give you an idea of the type of questions they may ask you during your interview.
- Prepare and practice your answers for the most difficult questions. When preparing for an interview, don’t focus solely on knowing the key messages to aid in your response for the obvious questions. Anticipate the more challenging or difficult questions that may arise during the discussion. A good reporter is likely to ask them if they have done their own research prior to the interview. Once you have identified those questions and know how you intend to respond, it will help you to stay calm during an interview.
- Stay on track using a “bridge.” Bridging is a technique that can help you to regain or retain control of an interview, and move away from an uncomfortable or controversial topic. Bridging is the use of phrases that when used appropriately, can steer a reporter back on track during an interview. A few examples: “Before we get off that topic, I’d like to add…” or “What’s most important here is…”
- Don’t evade a question. If you are unable to answer a question or choose not to, tell the reporter why. If the information is proprietary or confidential, state that you are not able to provide those due to a company policy or for legal reasons. Also, never speculate or guess at answers – state only the facts you do know. Nothing is off the record and any statement you make may end up in the final story. And at all times, avoid saying “no comment” as it implies you have something to hide and will only make a reporter even more curious.
- Don’t Become Defensive. If you become agitated or defensive during an interview, it can send a message that you may be hiding something or are in the wrong, but not willing to admit it. Instead, be relaxed and friendly, and if the reporter continues to push on a question to get a response, you can ask politely to move on to the next question. In the article on Ragan.com, Phillips suggested Revis “could have laughed off the charges or said: ‘Mike, we’ve covered that ground and disagree. What else do you want to talk about?’” Had Revis tried this early on in the interview, he may have had the opportunity to regain control of the interview to have an entirely different outcome.
The bottom line is that no matter the opportunity, it is important to be well prepared regardless if you are meeting a journalist in person or conducting an interview over the phone for a story that is to appear in print or broadcasted through radio or television. Through preparation and practice and knowing your key messages, you have the ability to take control of the interview to ensure success.
Molly McWhinnie