RESPONDING TO INTERVIEW REQUESTS

As you establish media relationships, occasions will arise when you and your organization will be called upon to comment—on the record. You must resist the temptation to immediately agree to an interview request. The worst thing you can do in response to a question from a media professional is offer an immediate, knee-jerk answer. Before even agreeing to an interview, you must first interview the interviewer.

INTERVIEW THE INTERVIEWER

The media are not looking only for information when they request an interview; they are usually looking to shape your answer to fit the piece’s angle.

You have the right and the responsibility to interview the interviewer before you agree to be interviewed. The following questions must be answered prior to accepting an interview:

• Has this outlet interviewed anyone else in your organization before?

• Does this outlet/reporter have a history of covering LGBT issues?

• What is the slant of the piece?

• Who will represent the “other side of the issue” in the piece?

• What is the reporter/interviewer’s style?

• How long will the piece run?

• If for television, will the interview be live or taped?

• Who will the audience be for the interview?

• Will there be an audience question or call-in section?
  

INTERVIEW SITUATIONS TO AVOID

If a media professional is unwilling to answer your questions, be wary. Asking the above questions to any media professional who is fair-minded will only add to your credibility. If the premise of the piece is objectionable, or if you feel you will be put in a compromising situation, you can and should refuse to be interviewed.

One situation you may find yourself in is when you are asked to appear on a television or radio program with a virulently anti-gay individual. This is a frequent strategy to claim that an extreme debate will present a “balanced” view of a topic concerning the LGBT community. It is more often a ploy to sensationalize the topic at hand. It is impossible to have an intelligent exchange with an individual or organization dedicated to portraying LGBT people as evil, sick or immoral. By putting yourself in this situation without the proper experience, you stand a good chance of losing your temper and looking as irrational as your opponent. Try and suggest a more moderate alternative and consider your options when approached in these cases.

IMPORTANT TECHNIQUES

Bridging: Linking the question asked to the message you want to convey. Example: “What I really want to talk to you about is...”

Flagging: Highlighting a particular portion of a sound bite to raise a red flag and indicate the importance of an individual aspect of your message. Example: “The most important thing to remember is …”

Hooking: Technique used to direct an interview that involves “dangling a hook” that leads to the next question. Example: “…but that isn’t the only important part of this program.”

HOW TO PREPARE FOR AN INTERVIEW

Before you step into an interview setting, there are several steps that you’ll want to take in advance to ensure that you’re ready.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare: Decide in advance what you want to tell the audience, and coordinate your message with the appropriate parties.

Know Your Audience: How much familiarity do they have with LGBT issues? Are there race, age, class or geographic differences to take into account? Tailor your message so as not to “talk down” to the audience, but aim to be understood. Talk to your audience, not the interviewer, and don’t lecture.

Write Down Your Messages and Practice: Write down your key message points, and then turn them into catchy sound bites. Have a colleague act as a mock interviewer and ask challenging questions. Get feedback from others about how understandable, interesting and informative your messages are and the quality of your presentation.

Personalize Your Message: Tell your story—don’t just recite a list of esoteric arguments or statistics. Your story as it relates to the issue you’re talking about can be one of the most effective ways to persuade your audience.

Gather Facts and Figures: Make sure the statistics you use are accurate and accessible. Don’t let your statistics become your main points; they are simply evidence that proves the validity of your arguments.

Be Animated: Your energy level will indicate your enthusiasm about an issue. Use body language to emphasize your points and remember to be likable, show your concern and show emotion when appropriate.

Look Confident: Excellent sound bites lose their effectiveness when delivered without confidence. Project a confident, credible and expert image.

WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND DURING AN INTERVIEW

Be Yourself: Talk naturally. Don’t freeze up or become a robot when you start talking with a reporter. RELAX!

Stay On-Message: Don’t talk about anything unrelated to your message points (they’re often topics you may not be qualified to talk about in the first place). Redirect the conversation back to your message whenever the interview strays from it.

Avoid Overkill: Be careful of the language you use. If you over-dramatize the situation, your opponents can say you’re just exaggerating.

Get to Know the Reporter: You may have the chance to talk with the reporter before the actual interview. This is your chance to determine the reporter’s level of awareness on your issue. Take the time to make sure he or she understands your organization and constituents. Also, always call the reporter by name – it establishes goodwill.

Remember Your Audience: Once the interview begins, remember that your words should target the audience that reads the newspaper or watches the newscast. Although you are having a conversation with the reporter, you are actually talking “over her shoulder” to the audience.

Control the Terms of the Interview: Don’t allow the reporter to choose your words for you. Be sure to respond carefully to questions that begin with phrases like “Don’t you think that . . .” or “Isn’t it true that . . .”

Manage Multiple-Part Questions: If the reporter asks you a multiple-part question, answer only the part you want to answer. Start with the easy questions and only address the difficult questions if you have time.

Don’t Speculate: Don’t offer speculation if you’re asked a hypothetical question. Stick to the facts.

Watch Terminology: If your interviewer uses an incorrect term, gently correct him or her. If your interviewer uses a hostile term, don’t repeat it. Don’t give the reporter permission to paraphrase.

Stay Calm: Above all, stay calm and courteous at all times, even if the reporter becomes hostile or says something that embarrasses or flusters you.

Say Only What You Want to Say: Don’t ever let the reporter make you say things you don’t want to say or answer questions you don’t want to answer.

THINGS TO AVOID

When you’re in an interview setting, steer clear of the following pitfalls.

Don’t Ever Let Your Guard Down: Never forget that you are talking to a journalist, and anything you say could end up on television or in print. Don’t be thrown off by flattery or condescension.

Don’t Feel Obligated to Answer the Question Exactly as It Was Asked: Remember, in most cases the audience won’t hear the question – only your response. Frame your response so that the audience hears your message point, not the question you’re answering.

Don’t Respond too Quickly— Think!: Take time to organize your response before speaking.

Don’t Be Afraid of Silence, Even in TV Interviews: When you are finished answering the question, stop talking. Avoid the natural tendency to babble. Instead, smile and act expectant (if you’re waiting for the next question) or pretend like the interviewer is still talking (if you’re mentally preparing your response to the question he or she just asked).

Don’t Play into Pauses: Allow the interviewer to finish asking the question (sometimes, the interviewer may attempt to trap you by saying something incendiary and expecting you to cut him or her off). If there is a pause (and the interviewer is clearly expecting you to say something), use it to clearly reiterate one of your main points.

Don’t Use Off-The-Cuff Humor: It can fall flat or make you seem flip. If you’re planning on making a point through humor, script it and rehearse it.

Don’t Repeat Loaded or Slanted Words Used by the Interviewer: Doing so gives double exposure to the accusation. Answer the question in the positive, using your message points. Don’t say, “We’re not trying to recruit young people into the homosexual lifestyle.” Instead, respond with, “We’re providing a safe, supportive environment for gay students where they won’t feel isolated and alone.”

Don’t Rely on Your Memory: Have all the relevant message points, facts, figures, statistics and story cues written down in front of you.

STAYING ON MESSAGE

One of the greatest challenges created by interview settings is making sure that your messages are front and center, regardless of the questions being asked. Even aggressive or hostile questions can be used as prompts for delivering your messages. Here are a few examples of possible messages that might be used around different kinds of questions related to one issue (in this case, marriage equality). The following answers illustrate how, no matter what the question is, you can get your messages across.

When Asked about Marriage Equality: “People are resistant to change, especially in the abstract, but if you ask those same people about the gay couple down the street that has a couple of kids, you get a different response. By asking, ‘Do you think that family should have the same rights and protections as the straight married couple that lives down the block?’ the debate makes us real, and it makes a difference.”

When Asked about “Traditional Marriage”: “We are not looking to redefine marriage. We are looking to participate it in the way it is currently defined, bringing security, clarity and dignity to families."

When Asked about the “Homosexual Agenda”: “Opponents of marriage for same-sex couples try to keep the discussion abstract in order to arouse suspicion and fear. They do not talk about couples or families. They paint us as strangers and portray our lives as radically different from what they are.”

When Asked Whether Children Are Better Off with a Mother or a Father: “Stability is the key to raising children, and excluding same-sex couples from parenting harms children who need parents to love and provide for them. Children of lesbian and gay parents grow up as happy, healthy and well-adjusted as the children of straight couples.”

THINGS TO REMEMBER

• Stay calm

• Stay on message

• Don’t repeat your opposition’s messages

• Correct misconceptions inclusively

• Underscore key points – it’s okay to repeat yourself