By Roz Morris, Managing Director, TV News London Ltd
I’ve just completed a round of TV, radio and print interviews promoting my appearance in a Paramount+ documentary about the Enfield Poltergeist. The programme is part of a series called ‘Hauntings’ and I was interviewed because, as a young BBC radio reporter, I reported on the strange events which took place at the home of the Hodgson family in Enfield in the late 1970’s.
I’ve had many years’ experience as a media interviewer on radio and TV, both as a broadcaster and as a media trainer, and my recent media interviews for Paramount + and Talk TV have definitely reinforced for me the advice I give to clients about how challenging and time-consuming TV interviews are – if you want to do them well.
Just because I’ve been a media interviewer for many years this doesn’t mean I don’t have to make a big effort when I get the opportunity to take on media interviews myself. Being interviewed for the media is a very different role from doing the interviewing.
I always advise my media training clients that they must take media interviews seriously and allocate time for the preparation of content as well as giving detailed consideration to their appearance. Also, if they are talking online, they need to be certain their background, lighting, and framing look professional.
So when taking my own advice – how did I do?
Here are my 5 Top Tips from the front line:
1. Content preparation
Yes, it is the key to success. I don’t spend my life speaking about the Enfield Poltergeist. It’s a topic that comes up every few years when programme makers decide to take another look at what is often described as Britain’s best-documented paranormal case with over 30 eyewitnesses, including myself, reporting seeing strange activity at the Hodgson’s house.
So, if I’m interviewed about it, I have to make sure I’m once again on top of the facts and how I want to present my own involvement with this very strange story. Taking time to work on my messages and then practising my interviews was a key to success.
It gave me confidence that I wasn’t going to come unstuck, either by running out of things to say, not knowing how to handle difficult questions or being led into areas I didn’t want to talk about. My documentary interviews and my Talk TV interviews were long so I needed to prepare thoroughly and have a lot to say.
2. Appearance
I planned what I would wear, and I made sure I wore smart clothes and make-up and had tidy hair. It’s never a good look to have hair or clothes that are untidy or distracting to the audience and may even detract from credibility.
3. Online interviews
Preparing the background and lighting matter a lot. I took time to make sure that I had a plain background and lighting that wasn’t too bright or too dark. I didn’t use a blurred background because broadcasters don’t like to use these.
4. Always expect the unexpected
Talk TV producers told me before the interview that I wouldn’t be on until 1130 in the evening. But they called me at 1115 to tell me they wanted me from 1120. So, I had to be ready to start my interview earlier than I had expected. This was a long interview. I was on live from 1120 until midnight on Sunday evening. Never assume your media interviews will be within office hours!
5. Eyeline does matter
I always advise clients doing remote studio or online TV interviews that they must keep their eyes on the camera throughout their interview. I discovered that I didn’t totally do this. I did look away and look up a few times when I was thinking about my answers. It didn’t ruin my interviews, but I did notice it and I will do better in future.
These are just a few of the pieces of my own advice that I give to clients and which I followed for my own media interviews. If you’d like to know how to ensure that you can do your best on TV, you can book a session with me using our TV News London inquiry form on this website. I’m happy to advise you on your media training needs.
Watch Roz’s Talk TV interview
If you’d like to know more about the Enfield Poltergeist, here’s the link to my radio documentary programme on the BBC website.
