Common interview mistakes by experienced experts

There’s a big difference between delivering a good interview and one that actually calls in your ideal clients.

Most media training doesn’t cover what happens when you’re already an excellent speaker - the subtle shifts that take a strong performance and make it convert.

That’s what journalist Catherine Ball and I delve into in the latest episode of Dauntless PR Unfiltered 🤩🔥

Take our Media Icon Archetype Quiz that shows you the media version of you 🤩

Shows you exactly how your energy lands best in the media and how to use that to your advantage.

Click here - https://dauntlesspr.com/dauntless-pr-personality-quiz

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to Dauntless PR Unfiltered. What we're going to be talking about today is common mistakes made during interviews by experienced experts. And this can change so much, can't it, Catherine? Yeah.

Speaker 0:16

And what I want to be clear as well here is we are saying these are things that pretty much everyone will probably do at some point, even if they've done lots and lots of interviews in the past. So we're not talking about like beginner stuff, we're not talking about people who are really nervous. We're talking about these like common traps and pitfalls that people just fall into in media interface. So I'm going to start with one that's really, really common. And the part of the reason it's really common is because a lot of the time people don't realise how skilled the person interviewing them is. So they don't have to think about this stuff because the person interviewing them does this for them. But sometimes they don't. And the biggest mistake people make is not introducing themselves properly. This is something that comes up a lot when we're working with people on their interview technique. And you might be thinking, well, what do you mean not introduce yourself properly? Surely the host is meant to do that. And yes, in an ideal world, you are being interviewed, you're going to get a really great introduction. But maybe they're not going to give all of the details that you like when they're interviewing you. Maybe they just say your first name and not your surname. Or maybe they introduce you and they say your name and like a little thing, but they don't actually mention your business name or they don't really clarify what it is you do. So one thing that really gets around that is to make sure that you have a really snappy, short, concise way that hits those boxes. Like, who are you? What do you do? What's your business? You know, that kind of thing that you can say. So if they say it, you can just sort of reintroduce yourself. A lot of people feel like, oh, the introduction was rubbish. I'm stuck with that now. That's how you contrast.

Speaker 1 2:03

So let's say a relationship coach is on this morning, they've got a three-minute spot. Let's say that the host asks them a question but doesn't introduce them and they ask them a question. How do they then divert from the question into the introduction?

Speaker 2:22

So, first of all, you still need to make sure you're answering the question. So I'm not going to say to you, just say you didn't introduce me properly and go into your thing. But while answering that, you say something along the lines of, that's a great question, let me just introduce myself, or or you say something that just quickly at the start of your answer just introduces yourself. Or, you know, for any of your audience who don't know me already, I'm such and such from here. That's a great question. And then you jump into it. So you don't divert off and spend like five or ten minutes summing up who you are, telling them all your awards, like what your exam results were in school. You none of that stuff. But just making sure so it could just be a simple. So if it was, say if it was you, Luana, and someone have gone, we've now got Luana, who's a PR expert, then I would be like, Hi everyone, I'm Luana Ribera, I'm the founder of Dauntless PR. So you're just straight away getting those things because the biggest reason that people this is such a big mistake, because you might think, well, I don't really care how I'm introduced. Like it's fine, I'm I'm chill, it's okay, is because if you are on TV, radio, podcast, even, although usually with podcasts you've got more time, so you will get to it eventually. Is when people are listening, if they're gonna find you afterwards, they need to know your full name, they're gonna find you afterwards, they need to know what your business is called, or where they can find you, or maybe your handle on social media, whatever it is that is the bit of information you could give that would help them find you afterwards. Otherwise, what they're gonna end up thinking is, oh my god, they were brilliant. I loved what they said, that's really stuck with me. That sounded fascinating, and then they're not gonna be able to take that next step. They're not gonna be able to go on your website or look you up on social media. So then that great thought that they've had about what you said and what you shared just goes into their mind and then they move on with their day. Whereas otherwise, you know, people might actually think, I'll order their book on Amazon, I'll go and I'll follow them on social media, and then people will enter that expert's like ecosystem where then they'll see more content from them. You know, even just following someone on TikTok or on Instagram will then mean that that person's showing up for them, so they'll stay with them. So it's one of those things that might not seem like a big deal, but actually it's so important making sure that those bits of information are in that interview.

Speaker 1 4:49

It really is because people aren't going to go to the effort of finding them. Like they will only follow them if they've made it really, really easy. Like they're not they're not gonna go and play detective to try and find who they are, or they're very unlikely to do that. And I think this is a really common thing is that people, particularly if they're already great speakers, they think that that will automatically translate into media interviews, and it's a completely different skill, isn't it?

Speaker 5:18

I have a really common trap for speakers. You saying speakers has just like lit something up. So a really common interview mistake, which actually the more experienced a speaker you are, the more likely you are to fall into this trap, is you often have a very specific way of sharing your story, and it will be paced around the length of your keynote or events that you do, and you will have really thought through which parts of your story you share when and what the takeaways are. And because you've put all that thought and work into that, it is really difficult sometimes for very, very experienced public speakers to chop up their story and tell it in different ways to fit different platforms. So, for example, if you were on, like we were saying, something like this morning, like a live TV segment where you've got a really short amount of time and somebody says, So tell me, tell me your story. Well, you've got a 45-minute absolute masterpiece that you've memorised that is in your brain. And I very much notice this with really experienced speakers that they clearly they know that they can't do the full 45 minutes. I'm not suggesting that's the trap they fall into, but it can, their pacing can often be difficult because they're suddenly realizing, hang on a minute, I haven't got the time to go into all these different things I normally say. And if they haven't thought that through beforehand of what's a really quick way of telling the story, then they can end up floundering, getting a little bit lost, or rushing the end because they build up at the beginning and then they suddenly think, oh, actually, no, I've only got two minutes, and then they they jump immediately to the end point and then they feel frustrated afterwards because they know their story is powerful and they are used to having a really big reaction from people when they speak at events, and then suddenly they're like, Oh, I fluffed that, I had to really rush it so that I could get my points across. So that's something to really be aware of if you are a very experienced speaker. Like, how do you tell it when you haven't got that space and that freedom? And when there's somebody butting in and talking, because it's a conversation. When you're a speaker, usually, in most cases, it's the spotlights on you and you get to tell it in your own way. You don't have someone go, that must have been difficult. Tell me about that. Or let's just go back to that bit you said there, like what was that like? So you have got to have that flexibility in you're gonna have to tell your story in a completely different type of way to what you normally do. Yeah, totally, totally.

Speaker 1 7:53

And you can kind of hear it in their tone a lot of the time, I notice as well. Like, well, they'll they'll just shift into what's rehearsed. And that doesn't translate so well in media interviews. They want people who are human, they want people who who are raw, who are real, who are they don't want people to sound rehearsed and polished, do they?

Speaker 8:18

And I actually know I have little in my inner monologue, I'll have that. Oh, they've slipped into speaker, speaker. Yeah. I don't say that because I'm not a monster. I'm not gonna go, oh, you've got into speaker mode, but I do notice it when I talk to people, and usually it is it's when people are really really rehearsed and they know their story very well.

Speaker 1 8:40

It's a testament to how great they are on stage, isn't it? That they can just slide into it so comfortably. It's just that it's a different skill for media.

Speaker 8:50

And usually an interviewer, their aim, so it's always worth remembering as well with media interviews that your goal and the goal of the interviewer is not always gonna be the same thing. That's a really important thing to remember. They probably don't want your TED talk, they probably don't want the thing that you've already shared, they want you to share something different for their audience, so they're not gonna want you to slip into speaker mode because that's already usually, you know, there might be somebody, I guess, that's maybe they've got a TED talk that's had like millions of views. Well, that might be why they've got you on, because they're like, Oh, you're brilliant, we loved your TED talk, but then they're gonna want something a little bit different or an expansion, or you're something you're gonna say something in a different way, otherwise, people could just go, Oh, well, I'll just watch your TED talk. Your interview needs to like offer something different and new. So that's something to just be aware of. It's not something to worry about, but just if you are someone that has a really, really established way of talking about your story, like, how am I gonna do it if someone wants to do it in a different order? If someone wants to say, can we start from this point? Like, just test yourself a little bit. Like, how are you gonna do it? Because that's something that you might do. They're not always gonna ask you the questions that will allow you to deliver it in the way that you usually deliver it. Which brings me to another really common trap, and this comes from people being super lovely and polite people. So this is not a flaw in an interview, but it can leave them feeling frustrated, which is that they completely go with the flow. So a go-with-flow interviewee, and and that's lovely when you're used to being on my side of things, which is being the interviewer, someone who just takes every ball you throw at them and goes with it and answers it. But the interviewee at the end can think, I didn't talk about any of the things I wanted to talk about. So the problem there is sometimes interviewers will ask you stuff that is not really what you want to talk about, and they won't ever shift it on to the things you really want to talk about. So being too laid back and relaxed can sometimes mean that your interview wasn't quite what you'd hoped it would be. What I will say is obviously there has to be a middle ground. You want to go with the flow to a certain amount, you know. But I sometimes hear people, and again, brilliant experts, not people that are inexperienced, but the people that just like are great people person, they'll they'll play along with anything, they're great sports, they'll do it, but afterwards I think, oh, but you had really wanted to talk about your new book that's coming out in October, and you didn't get to that because you were busy like laughing at the interviewer's anecdote. Because remember, interviewers have a big ego as well, they'll sometimes talk about themselves. I can think of some very famous interviewers who half the interview will end up be them sharing a thing about themselves. And they had a lovely conversation, and they'll go, Oh, that was great. I loved that interview. And then when you say, Oh, but did you manage to talk about the thing, the thing that you were there for, they'll go, We didn't get around to it. The conversation didn't go there. And how you handle that is you don't say, Oh, I'm not gonna answer these questions, I'm here to plug my book. Like, obviously, that's gonna work either. But you just try and organically work in the things that you want to talk, have an intention beforehand and work those in, or answer the question and then say, But what I'd really love to tell you about is and then go into that because it's can be like a game of tennis, and if the other person is always controlling the serve, you can feel a bit like you're constantly you you're rushing to hit it back, but you're never really in control, so you need to try and reinstate that balance a little bit.

Speaker 1 12:26

Absolutely nailed that because that's something I notice a lot is people can come off an interview and they can be like, Yes, that was amazing. We had such a great chat, we got on really well, and all of those things are fantastic and should definitely be celebrated. But it's like, but was it effective? Like, was it an interview that actively called in your people that prompted them to want to follow you and find out more about you? Do they even really know who you are and how to find you, how they can buy a book? Like that there's a big difference in a way. Well, there's a big interview, a difference in an interview that's gone well, that was a nice chart, and in an interview that was actually effective.

Speaker 13:10

Yeah, another super common one is, and this is gonna sound like you think, is that a mistake? They will think that the interview is a conversation with the host. That's the one of the biggest mistakes that people make. And you're probably gonna go, what are you talking about? It is a conversation with the host. And it is, but it isn't really. It's a conversation with their audience. That's what you are there for. And the mistake can be either, so it can go one of two ways. You can either vibe so much with the host, you feel like they're your their new best friend, and you just want to chat to them and you love them. And that can it again, it gives you a massive dopamine rush, but perhaps you don't say the things you want to say to the audience, like you just end up having a great chat. Or you can actually not like the host very much. Their audience might be your like the perfect audience for you, but they might be a bit of a dick, like you might not like them, and sometimes people will take that as I shouldn't have gone on that. No, that was a waste of time for me. Well, no, because their audience is perfect for you. So don't let the personality of the host get in the way of the intention of the interview, but equally remember when you're talking, who you're talking to, you're talking to the audience, not that person. You're doing it through that person. So you are obviously you're gonna be like, great question, and whatever the name is, and that. But if you're saying something that isn't true to your people, but maybe you think will get a laugh out of the host, like you're having just a chat, but actually it's not what your people need to hear. You need to like almost think of them as being like a middleman, they're just the vehicle that you're talking to, but have in mind what you want to get across to their audience. Who is their audience? What do they need to hear? What would be helpful to them? And keep that in the back of your mind so that yes, you are having a lovely conversation, hopefully, with somebody. And it might be that you're having to bite your tongue a little bit if they're annoying and you're having to just keep going, but keep in mind what it's really about, which is you being heard by the audience, rather than whether or not you become besties with the person that's talking to you.

Speaker 1 15:24

And 100%. Like it's it's not about the host, it's about the audience. Something that comes to my mind is a lot of people they can get quite nervous about interviews in case they say the wrong things, like that they think, oh, what if this happens, what if that happens? But the thing that I find the trap that most actually fall into is the opposite of anything bad happening, but just feeling like they've forgotten that they were in an interview. And I have done this myself more than once, where you're literally like the the host is so good that you forget that you're in an interview and you end up just having a casual conversation, which is fine, it's interesting, it's entertaining, but it just means it's not effective, and every now and again, like when that happens as well, you can end up saying more than you intended to or saying something in in a different way than you would usually. So it's like it becomes less intentional that way, and that is a bigger trap than actually, you know, doing the things that people are usually afraid of, which is tripping over their words, going blank, and all of that.

Speaker 16:37

Yeah. And you know, that is partly the intention of the interview is to make you so comfortable that you open up, that you share stuff. I mean, I for the first 10 years of my career, I was a news reporter. So I will be talking to people about quite hard-hitting stuff sometimes, maybe trying to get them to reveal information about things. I was trying to find stuff out. And we have been brainwashed into thinking that how journalists work is they're like banging on the door, being super aggressive, sticking their foot in the door. That is not the reality of good journalism. Being super friendly, super personable, putting somebody at ease, talking, it's it's not the people that you think you should fear that you should fear. You should fear the very friendly person that's gonna like get you to open up. And if it's something you're open to opening up about, great. I'm not saying you should be worried, but if you have things that you know that you should not speak about or you do not want to speak about, you've got a clear boundary in your mind, be very aware that you're much more likely to break your own boundary if you absolutely love the interviewer that you're talking to and they really put you at your ease. So it's not the aggressive people tend to worry about the idea of these like Piers Morgan type hosts that are going to be like really like confrontational. And what do you think about this? And do you not think this? And are you not a complete hypocrite and that kind of in your face? But actually, those kind of interviewers, you have your walls and your guard up, and you are protecting yourself, your reputation, and it makes good TV in the sense that people go, look, he's giving it at them, and oh, how are they gonna cope? And it's like a boxing match. But if you think about the really revelation kind of based interviews, that you might see really big celebrities like revealing something they've never revealed before. And sometimes I'll even say, I never intended to share that. It's the people who listen, it's the listeners, it's the people who sit quietly back and they don't say anything for a while and they let the person talk, and then maybe they say something quite empathetic and they just let that unfold and they act, they they sit. The interviewers who act like a therapist are much more likely to get you to say things that maybe you shouldn't say in public than the ones who are like a confrontational, like war type thing. So sometimes I'll see people who are outside of the media commenting on interviewers and they'll say, Oh, they're not a very good interviewer. They barely said anything, they just sort of sat back, and I'm thinking that's the opposite, they're a brilliant interviewer because they let the guest do the sharing and they just came in when they needed to to guide and and post. That again can be brilliant, that style of interviewing. But if there are things that are off limits for you, it's just having that awareness because that can be a really common trap, and you often you don't realise that that's a trap you've fallen into until afterwards, and then you have that, oh, I wish I hadn't said that, I've gone too far there, and then once you've done that, it's it's too late. Having that awareness is really important.

Speaker 1 19:46

Yeah. On the other end of the coin, when I have had those moments where I've kind of forgotten I'm in an interview and I've said something and I've gone, I didn't mean to say that, that was too much. I wish I could take that back. That they have been what's created real momentum. Like at the time, I've been mortified, and then afterwards I've been like, okay, you know, people have really responded to that. That needed to be said. So just throwing that in there.

Speaker 20:16

And that's the thing. Maybe, maybe sometimes our boundaries can be too strict, and maybe actually sharing some of this honest, authentic stuff is a good thing. So if that ever does happen as well, like go with it, don't beat yourself up about it. Because, like I say, that the traps that people fall into is not down to being bad at giving interviews, it's not down to being inexperienced. These are things that everybody does now and again because actually you aren't it isn't a conversation with friends, you're being interviewed for the most part by a very skilled interviewer with techniques and tactics. And so, yes, they're an expert at interviewing, and you're an expert in whatever you're going to be talking about. So, and you know, just as well as a little on the again, again, another side of the coin is sometimes you might, particularly if it's if it's something like a podcast or maybe it's a less experienced might be an interview over the phone that's not a live one. You might have an interviewer that's not very good, and that's something that again, just remember what your intention is and don't fall into this kind of thing of oh, why did they not ask me this? And don't just if there's things that you think they should have asked and they're not asking, offer that information. That would be my biggest tip. Offer the information and say, Oh, you might be really interested to know this and guide it in. Don't wait. People are so polite that they think they can only talk about what they're being asked. But that again might maybe they think, oh, that was what a ridiculous interview. I went on to talk about this and they didn't even ask me about that, and they're not very good at it. Well, yes, that might have actually been an oversight on their point. Maybe they did forget to ask you, but don't don't just Let that happen. Say, I really would like to share this with you, or let's talk about this, or guide it in some way and offer that that to them. If you think it's completely gone off the rails, or maybe they maybe they've not done any research. That's another I'm going, I feel like there's there's too much to talk about. But my final oh my goodness, I've got to share this is people letting their ego run the interview. When people, and I really hope, I'm gonna say this as I don't think people listening to our podcast are doing this, but let's talk about it anyway because it definitely happens. People who expect the interviewer to have read their book, to have watched all the films if they're an actor, like to be an expert in them. They expect there to have been like hours of research into everything. So then when the interviewer asks them something, they're like, Do you not know this? Why do you not know this? Well, again, if you think back to what I said earlier about it's not really a conversation with you and the interviewer, it's a conversation with their audience. Well, maybe they do know it. Maybe they just want you to talk about it. Maybe they know all of this stuff. If I say to somebody, tell me about the turning point that made you start your business, I might already know the answer, but if I'm interviewing them, I want to hear it in their words, I want them to share it. My absolute pet hate when I interview people were people who just go, it's in the book, or we should know this, or it's already out there. Because what does that offer to my audience? Well, you you can only know about me if you've read my book. Like, why would you go and read somebody's book if they're just saying, I'm gonna tell you any reasons to read it, I'm just gonna tell you it's all in there. Like it's fascinating to me that people do that, and it's it's a really common thing where people's ego has got into the room with them and the host is really interviewing their ego at this point, and they're just like, Well, I already have shared this, it's already out there. It's not this thing of once you've written something, it's not instilled in everybody's brain, everyone's not got that. So you need to like take people on the journey with you, share the things again. You might be bored, you might be bored of telling this story. Maybe you've done a lot of interviews and you're like, Oh, I don't want to tell my life story again. But think about the audience, they've not heard it. That's the key. Yeah, I mean, do you not think those when like A-list actors their new films have come out and they've got a junket and they're talking to different journalists about the same thing. Maybe they've got like 60 interviews and they're sitting in the same hotel room. Do you not think at the end of it they're like, I never want to mention this movie again? Of course. But they're professionals and they do it anyway, and that's sometimes how you have to be. Maybe they're asking you things that you're like, oh, I've talked about this till I'm blue in the face. But if it's your story, it's your expertise, you need to keep saying it because it's going to reach new people. Completely.

Speaker 1 24:50

Catherine, I've got one last question for you before we finish up. I'm gonna ask you to spill the juice on some interview techniques that interviewers use to try and get people to share more than they intended.

Speaker 25:05

So I'm I think the biggest one is silence. Most people, particularly women and particularly British people in my experience, but I'm sure it's a universal thing, absolutely cannot abide silence. So if they finish what they're saying and then the interviewer just sits uncomfortably for a while, they'll usually think, I need to keep going, I need to keep giving information. So that's a really big one. Sometimes just really an interviewer being really empathetic and really kind of showing that they get you will make people share more than maybe they intended to. And it's one of those things that I wouldn't, it's not always like you say, it's not always a bad thing. Maybe actually sharing a bit more can be a really good thing. But like I think it's about having the clear intentions of what do you want to share, what do you not want to share, and what matters to you. But yeah, being really empathetic, maybe they share a little bit about themselves, so you think I'll share a bit more, and it becomes that. And then my favourite technique that I use, I call the Columbo question, which is if I have got something I know going to be an uncomfortable question, is gonna be maybe something they're not gonna want to answer. I am not leading in with that because then the walls are gonna go up. I am gonna play to their ego, I'm gonna ask them all the things I know that they want to talk about. I'm gonna get them to, you know, maybe I'm gonna be like, oh, what was your proudest moment? You know, no, get them all the things that are gonna give them a huge dopamine rush, who's like hit a serotonin, they're gonna feel absolutely on top of the world. Then I'm going to, when they think the interview is over and their guard is down and they are already imagining, if it's TV, they're imagining being in the green room, having a drink, they're like, they're done. Then I'm gonna go and I'm gonna hit them with that final question. So the reason it's the Columbo question is hopefully most of you will have heard of Columbo the detective who acts like an idiot. Everyone thinks he's like, Oh, I don't have to worry about this guy. And then right at the final moment when he's about to walk out, he'll be like, So, where were you on this thing? Or why is this lacking off? And then they go, Oh my god. And or it'll be like he he reveals the like the clue that he's seen all along that shows that they're they're guilty. So it's that final question because actually you need the person to have let their guard down. So as an interviewer, I'm never going to lead in with the hard questions. So if you are worried about something and you think they've not asked me about that, often when it comes towards the end of the interview, they think, I am, I am, I'm done now, I'm fine, I'm I'm brilliant. And that can often be enough, but they end up revealing more because they've they've let their guard down, they've got on so well with you in the rest of the interview, and they think it's like a conversation. So many times when I've interviewed people, they've gone, I was quite worried about that, but I just think it was like a lovely chat. And that's what I want it to be. But that can also be a downside if that means there's something that you're like, oh, I forgot that there were people listening to that. I thought we were just chatting at home. I forgot that my um customers might hear that, or that you know, that my my target client would hear that. I was just like laughing and joking, and you know, maybe saying something that they wouldn't have chosen to say if they'd remembered that there were there were thousands or millions of people listening.

Speaker 1 28:20

I love that. And you know what? I can think of a very famous TV host who definitely used that technique on me. And it definitely worked. So on usually does. So on that note, we'll finish up there. Questions and comments. We love hearing from you. Hello at dauntlesspr.com. See you next time.