Best Practices When You Are Interviewed

Another in a series of interview tips for authors.

Write up bullet points of your interview. Your interviewer may post these as part of the event description.
When you answer questions in your interview, remember to speak in bullet points. Don’t be wordy. Concise, clear answers act as sound bites that will be easy for listeners to remember.
Don’t worry if you say something not quite right. Simply correct yourself and continue. Most listeners won’t even notice. If they do, they’ll quickly forget when they realize how smoothly you handle it.
The same principle applies if the interviewer makes a mistake. Don’t try to correct them. Just respond with, “Actually . . .” and go on to state the facts.
Don’t be afraid of statistics, but use them sparingly. Keep them simple.
Use stories to make your ideas come alive for your listeners.
Tie your responses in to current events, trends, and news. Connecting with what’s already on the listener’s mind makes your message current as well.

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