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Tips on Speaking to the Media / Radio

Message in the Television Section is equally applicable to a radio interview.

On radio you need to be even clearer and more dynamic than on TV because your audience doesn’t have the pleasure of seeing you. This means they don’t have the advantage of your hand gestures and facial expressions to help them further understand the message.

  • Sit straight (or stand) and use hand gestures even though no one can see you. This will lend energy to your delivery.
  • Smile because this is conveyed in your voice.
  • Be very conscious of “ums,” “ahs,” and “you knows” as these will be much more evident over the radio. Rehearse before the interview to eliminate these fillers from your speech and replace them with pauses.
  • Use stories, anecdotes, and analogies to create visual images and make your message come alive for your listeners. For example, “The airport was as big as four Yankee Stadiums.”
  • Speak in short sentences to aid understanding. This also reduces the likelihood that your comments will be edited.
  • Speak in a conversational tone.
  • Avoid useless phrases like “As I said” or “At this point in time.”
  • If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so. And then offer to find the answer or put the interviewer in touch with someone who knows.
  • Don’t say “No comment.” If you choose not to answer a question, explain why: “I can’t answer that because I haven’t seen the data you’re referring to” or “I know the answer to your question but I am unable to talk about it.”


Last Update: March 26, 2009 3:00 PM