The good news is that with planning and practicing of certain skills, interviews will prove a cakewalk. You can’t predict the daft question but you can avoid the daft answer such as pro golfer Wayne Riley’s classic response to the question of what he liked to do when he wasn’t playing golf. His answer: “You know what? I have sex.” Nice one, Wayne. The media are the eyes and ears of the public – they want to be informed and they want an interesting story. You want to protect yourself and the team, you want to be a good ambassador for the sport and you don’t want to give hostages to fortune – no matter how alluring the spotlight is. BE PREPARED
Remember that the media want answers to five basic questions:
- Who (was involved)
- What (is it about)
- Where and When (did it occur)
- Why (did it happen)
- How (did it happen )
Be clear about questions you aren’t willing to answer. Talk to experienced players about how they handle things; ask the interviewer what’s likely to be asked.
CHOOSE YOUR WORDS WISELY
This helps to give an informative and confident interview, use first names, keep it simple, avoid “trashing” the other team or players (it might come back to bite you!), don’t pretend to know an answer when you may not. Study some interviews beforehand and look for the nuggets of wisdom and the clangers dropped.
KNOW THE 5 Ws OF INTERVIEWING
(Who, What, Where, When and Why)Not quite know your enemy, but it’s wise to work out the purpose of the interview, where it’s happening and maybe even the style of the interviewer.
MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION
Keep your cool, avoid being too defensive, be well groomed (unless you’ve just contested an epic 70 minutes and are soaked in sweat and have just been lost in a sea of over-exuberant supporters).ON/OFF THE RECORD
Remember that you are always on record (so be explicit about being off the record). When on the record, listen carefully to the question, slow the pace of the interview while commenting on a few, specific issues rather than many issues at once and keep the team/organisation view at the centre of things.PRACTICE YOUR ANSWERS
Don’t just give terse ‘yes or no’ responses, but avoid long-winded ones – answers that are 30 to 50 seconds in length is a good guideline. Get feedback from others on answers that you might have thought of.DEALING WITH DIFFICULT QUESTIONS
Personal/team performance questions: answer this in a way that strengthens the focus on top performances; avoid appearing ‘falsely humble’, although talking up the opposition is okay; avoid appearing as if you’ve no self-confidence. Example answer: “We’ve trained well, I’m in good condition and we’re certainly going to do our best.”After a defeat: when asked to explain the loss, be honest about your feelings and be constructive in your assessment. Example answer: “Of course, I’m disappointed .We’ll have to do a careful evaluation, to know what really happened out there and look for lessons. We have to look forward not back.”
Politically sensitive: A polite refusal is a good strategy. Example answer: “It’s not really appropriate for me to comment on this. Perhaps my manager /organisation can help you answer this.”
