What to say in a News Interview
Athletes are known for their powerful forms that gracefully move to the beat of victory. When a basketball player strives to better his game by running bleachers and wind sprints he is praised. Many athletes find their dynamic personalities are often eclipsed by their body’s energetic performance on court. Athletes should allow their sparkling minds to shine along with their sweaty, sinewy biceps. When an athlete is called upon to discuss his performance and that of his team in a news interview there are a few basics which should be kept in mind.
A positive attitude, pleasantly smiling face, relaxed shoulders, straight posture, and a congenial tone are the first steps to successful communication in a news interview. Whether an athlete is speaking with a newspaper reporter or in front of a camera with a sportscaster, it is important to know that the impression made on the interviewer will dictate the tone of the interview.
How an athlete conducts herself with the interviewer will set the tone of the interview as it is edited or written about in the interviewers down time. Viewers and readers will judge the athlete and her team by the impression that is made from the statements the athlete makes. Here are a few basic things to remember as an athlete being interviewed for the news. Always remember a respectful, polite interview is best. As Bobby Knight the famous Indiana Hoosiers coach said, “The key is not the “will to win”…everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.” Preparation is the key to a great news interview.
- Be positive and upbeat when discussing your team and team members.
- Discuss yourself, your personal athletic goals, your team goals, and your athletic regime in regards to diet and exercise.
- Use proper language and diction. Use grammatically correct language.
- Discuss the game and how you felt while playing.
- Discuss your future goals, hopes, and positive expectations.
- Discuss your passion, exuberance, excitement, and love for the game.
- Discuss things that inspire you to strive for excellence. Your mentors included.
- Gather together quotes from people you admire to use as segues during the interview.
- Discuss your motivations. Reasons behind why you took certain actions: sponsored an event.
- Discuss memories that are positive that support your role today as an athlete.
- Discuss community support and thank those who support you and your team.
- Talk about upcoming events, fundraisers, tournaments, and games that you will be participating in. Discuss if you need community involvement. This is a great way to increase support for your team.
- Do not make open, public criticisms of your team, other teams, coaches, or parts of the community.
- Do not discuss your opinion on politics, religion, social change, or topics that are irrelevant to your team sport.
- Do not discuss any type of team discord or lay blame for any team failures. Keep these things private between yourself, your coaching staff, and your team.
- Do not make racist, derogative, or bigoted remarks.
- Do not use foul language. Keep the use of slang to a minimum.
Photo credit: inboundpass
Read MoreHow to prepare for a News Interview
The power and drive behind an athlete’s success is usually fired by perfectionism. Most athletes want to dominate their sport bringing home the victory. There are times in many athletes’ lives when their personal love of the game is brought to the public eye through the media. It is important whether an athlete is a child, adult amateur, or professional that they know how to handle themselves in front of a reporter.
The camera may only capture 60 seconds of an athlete’s life but it can be replayed for millions of viewers for decades. Time in front of the media is very important to every athlete because it gives one the opportunity to express oneself for the greater good of the team, your athletic career, and to gain much needed support from your community.
A good athlete knows that the support of one’s community can give one greater overall success. Here are some tips on what to say in a news interview. Remember that you don’t always have the opportunity to make a second impression so be sure to practice how to present yourself to the public. Practice in front of a mirror, with a family member or friend, or in front of a video recorder so that you can obtain feedback on your presentation.
- Research different types of interviews done by your favorite players. Watch local sporting news programs. Read interviews in local newspapers done with athletes. Review the types of questions that are asked by the reporters. Write out the questions and your answers in a notebook. Think about how you would answer the questions if you were the athlete being interviewed. Truly think about what image you want to represent you and your team.
- Look at the interviewer and make eye contact when speaking to them. Do not look down at your shoes or over their head. If the interview is on camera when answering the question, look into the camera, and stand up straight. Have good posture. Make sure that you have a pleasant, relaxed facial expression.
- Practice basic grammar rules. Speak clearly and concisely. Enunciation is very important when communicating with the public.
- If you do not hear the question when asked by the reporter or media personnel politely ask for clarification before answering the question. You can say a phrase like, “May I have you repeat that question, thank you,” or “I do apologize, please repeat that question for me. Thank you very much.” Do not randomly answer if you do not hear the question nor give a pat answer. Answering the question asked properly is important to the viewer and will ensure that you have the presence of an intelligent individual.
- Paraphrase a question back to the reporter to ensure that you both share the same understanding of the question. If you are confused about what a question means or the intent of the reporters questioning you will find paraphrasing is useful to avoid major media blunders. An example is as follows. A reporter may ask you what types of things you do regularly. This leaves things a little unclear because you are not sure if the reporter means for: conditioning, drills, eating practices, for fun, etc. Paraphrase the question back to the reporter. Say something like: “You are asking me what types of things I do regularly for strength training and conditioning to make me a successful athlete, correct?” Now it is the reporter’s responsibility to either confirm yes to the question you posed in your paraphrase or restate their question with a little more clarity.
- Remember that the person asking the question is interested in your response. They want to know what you think and how you feel about the topic. Their job is predicated on getting your opinion. So it is ok to pause, take a breath, and smile.
Photo credit: aaronisnotcool
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