Media training from R.E.M.: Stand In The Place Where You Work
I’m often approached by exeuctives and small business owners before they conduct their first media interview. They feel excited. They feel nervous. They feel lost.
My simple advice? Listen to the band R.E.M.: “Stand in the Place Where You Work.”
Let me explain.
(We will assume that the interview is via telephone; not one in front of a camera. TV interviews are another ball game altogether. But many of the same principles apply.)
I tell them: Close It. Shut It. And Stand Up. You will want to eliminate as many distractions as possible. So before the interview, close the door to your office. Shut down your email (or preferably the computer itself). And conduct the interview standing up.
If you “Stand in the Place Where You Work” you will sound more energized, you will project your words more, and you will be focused on the questions and, just as importantly, your answers. Otherwise, you will probably sink back in your (hopefully) plush and comfortable office chair, stare at your incoming e-mail or doddle on your too long to-do list. All of those things feel normal to you.
And a media interview is anything but normal.
One more tip? Figure out what one thing you need the reporter to take away from the interview. And repeat it. And repeat it again. Maybe even say “If there’s one thing about this subject you should know it’s ……” Maybe use a dramatic pause. That will leave an 
impression with a reporter.
Unless you stay seated, too comfortable and distracted. Then your results may feel like “The End of the World As You Know It.”
