THE ART OF THE INTERVIEW
by Christine Blosdale
Your audience can smell an ego a mile away. And one sure fire way to drive listeners away is to have a big fat one that sucks up the air time.
Letting your guests speak while guiding them to where you want them to go is one way to both entertain and enlighten your audience, so don’t blow it by having to be heard.
The Art of the Interview is an audio ballet of sorts involving balanced conversation and profound moments. Sometimes that dramatic pause (AKA “dead air”) can be so powerful it can transform both your guest and your audience. So don’t be afraid of that silence.
Far too often people feel the need to fill it - to keep talking. Please DON’T. Like I said, it’s a dance. A beautiful, emotion filled dance. And when the dance is done with respect for both the guest and the listener (and the ego takes a hike) it’s pure magic.
One of the best ways to engage your audience and have them in return invest themselves in your show is to know way ahead of time exactly what “story” you want to focus in on and express on air. If your guest has overcome some major obstacles in life or survived against all odds, this story can be what not only draws you in, but your audience as well.
Let’s face it. All of the great films and books have been based on great stories. Anyone heard of “Star Wars?” Exactly. Stories of overcoming adversity or experiencing a miraculous turn of events is what we call a real “page turner.”
Well your podcast or radio show is no different. People connect through stories and they will stick with you until they find out what the hell happened.
Did you leave the movie theater when Darth said to Luke, “I am your father?!!” Ummm NO. You were glued to your seat and you were not leaving that dark place with sticky Coca Cola residue on the floor until you heard the whole damn saga.
“The more personal your story is, the more Universal and connected you are to others.”
- Bo Eason
Another big boo boo I hear hosts make is when they try to be perfect.
Listen, we all stumble sometimes and we all have our “brain fart” moments. In my many years of experience I can tell you that when you are real and honest (and yes, even raw) the audience actually digs you even more! They don’t want perfect. They want real. And they want to know that you are not some robot, but a feeling imperfectly perfect human being.
Now some of you may be saying, “But what about those people on TV? They have to be perfect.” Listen. They are so disconnected from their audience and they have advertising sales managers breathing down their necks. You don’t.
Besides, just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean you need to too. The key to succeeding in broadcast journalism is to realize that you are truly unique and with that you possess skills and talents that are your trademark. And one of them is the ability to F- up and laugh about it or connect with people through that very real human quality. Own that. Be real baby, be real!
And don’t be afraid to color outside the lines. Your occasional flubs or “mess-ups” could be the very thing that endears you to people and makes them like you even more - especially when compared to other so-called “professionals!”
You are YOU. And you are F-in YOUnique! Now go speak to your tribe and bring them guests that can offer them a story they will never forget.
Christine Blosdale
Coach and Consultant with Out of the Box Strategies for Out of This World Results