Prepare To Survive That Grilling Nightmare

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH THE INTERVIEWING NIGHTMARE    Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 I found myself in the same room as a slightly more famous fellow broadcast journalist called Jeremy Paxman. We were both doing separate interviews in that suddenly reunifying city with the mayors of East and West Berlin.    Jeremy Paxman was doing the interviews for the British Broadcasting Corporation's serious evening current affairs programme Newsnight where he had started a short time before. I was interviewing the mayors for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. I'd earlier been warned by a colleague that Paxman was "a poisonous individual". Because of this - and as it was a busy time for us both - I didn't go out of my way to chat with the man who would go on to become a legendary interviewer and every politician's worst nightmare. With hindsight this was a bit of a shame. After coming to live in London some years later I became something of a connoisseur of Jeremy Paxman's ferocious interviewing style as he kebabbed politicians with entertaining regularity, efficiency and ruthlessness.    I'm sure those who got famously "Paxoed" - like former British Home Secretary Michael Howard - agreed with my colleague that he was "poisonous"....at least while under the spotlight. Here is a reminder of the famous occasion when Mr Howard learned why you should not avoid a fair question...having been asked it by Paxman a dozen times in a row.   Michael Howard was haunted by this interview. It was one of the factors which meant he never did achieve his aspiration to become British Prime Minister. But most people viewing it tended to enjoy the spectacle as it is so obvious that Michael Howard is doing everything to evade the question - and Paxman refuses to let his non-answers slip by. I refer to this encounter in media training sessions to make the point that proper interview response technique is about answering the question effectively, not avoiding it. And having been trained as a Rottweiler political interviewer by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, I increasingly came to appreciate Jeremy Paxman's mastery of the artform. I have this saying in communications-boosting conference keynotes that my Australian journalistic colleagues think that Paxman is a bit of a wimp - because we Aussie journo's ask really difficult "blowtorch-on-the-belly" questions. This tends to get a laugh, but it's perhaps not quite as true as we'd like it to be. No one does tough guy interviews more effectively than Paxman - even if his scowls and hurrumphs have become perhaps a touch too theatrical towards the latter part of his Newsnight career.    So everyone except the Paxo victims must wish him well as he steps down from Newsnight after 25-years of politician-baiting brilliance.

WHY PREPARATION IS ALWAYS TIME WELL SPENT  Since I've started to spend more time helping people prepare for media interviews than doing them, I've come to appreciate Jeremy Paxman even more. The man is a walking advertisement for anyone who thinks that media training isn't a good idea if there's the slightest chance you will ever have to appear in the news spotlight. Under-preparation for a media interview is a truly dangerous thing, as one-time British rising political star in the current British Government, Chloe Smith, knows. Here is the interview where Ms Smith was suddenly on her way to becoming an ex-minister as she didn't have enough preparation or knowledge of her topic to pass the Paxman test.      Chloe Smith would now agree that being prepared for the Paxman experience is as wise as having insurance for your house burning down. But the lesson applies to business as much as to politics. If you are likely to have to represent your organisation when something goes wrong - or indeed when something goes fantastically right - then training in advance is the best preparation. South Korean style "just-in-time" production methods can work well in a car assembly plant, but when it comes to standing up to the worst possible questions it's advantageous to be as well-trained in advance as a professional sports star. Just in time method...works for car-makers, not interviewees One of those I trained ended up being interviewed twice by Jeremy Paxman on a single edition of Newsnight. He covered himself in glory...but many don't.

BEING PREPARED FOR NON-PAXMAN SITUATIONS  Of course not all media interviews are Paxman-style...and, in fact, mercifully most aren't. Interviews with the trade press or local newspapers for example can often be much softer - as can those "on the sofa" interviews in less confrontational TV shows.       But they still contain their own traps. The much more laid-back style of interviews for the written word or the more friendly approach for TV magazine programmes can still give unsuspecting interviewees the opportunity to hang themselves several times over. The magic formulae for answering tough or tricky media questions are also useful way beyond the realm of the camera. The formulae can be applied to a range of situations - including questions parliamentary committees, public inquiries and courts. They also apply to nightmare questions from your prospects, clients and staff. Here's one of the preparation formulae which works in all situations...

JUST SAY "AMEN"  Whatever the conversational challenge - whether it's Paxo or an unconvinced sales prospect - proper preparation is a plus. To do it systematically, then perform "AMEN" - even if you're not religious. AMEN stands for: A = Audience: Put yourself in the mind of those who will be asking you the questions so you can see things from their point of view. Then you will know what they will require from you. M = Message: Remember that all good communication is more than just giving the facts. It's about getting across a message. So define your message in advance. E = Example: Make sure you can back up your message with real-life examples by painting a pictures in the minds' of your audience members. This gives credibility and memorability to your message. N = Negatives: Consider what negative questions will be thrown at you in advance. Jeremy Paxman famously said he prepared for interviews by asking himself "Why is this lying bastard lying to me?" Of course if you're reading this ezine you won't be a lying bastard. You will be a wonderful, innocent and highly competent person, a million miles from the rogue who Paxo pictures as he sharpens his pencil and his tongue. But getting yourself into the mind of your interrogators - so that you can anticipate their questions - allows you to come out as a winner. Jeremy Paxman will be replaced by someone. It could be Eddie Mair - seen here getting the better of London Mayor, Boris Johnson in this famous interview.  Whoever becomes the new Paxman, best be ready for it. Keep smiling, Michael