Ever wonder what’s the biggest mistake when it comes to interview preparation and media training? Failing to do any media training in the first place.
Though it seems counter-intuitive, we’ve been handed a golden opportunity to illustrate how critical it is to never, ever wing an interview or other media-related presentation. At this year’s BET Awards, a viewer’s choice contest winner got the opportunity to present one of the ceremony’s awards. Here’s a link to a video clip of the presentation.
As you can see, numerous mini-flubs add up to a total video disaster. The deer-in-headlights look, the mistake in naming the winner, the second mistake in naming the winner, the third (three times!) mistake in naming the winner, and the unfortunate association of a victim of domestic violence with the perpetrator.
Similar errors can quickly undermine an otherwise easy interview with softball questions. Never assume a media interview means you can show up unprepared – you must understand the setting and logistics, research the questioner and audience, and anticipate questions and answers beforehand. Practice, practice, practice is always the winning media training formula.
