Link to News Media Interview Skills for Environmental Education Programs

Section 1

• Use the Interview Preparation Guide as you complete this suggested activity:

• When a reporter calls you to request an interview later in the day, write down the topic that is to be covered on the top line of the Interview Preparation Guide.
• Determine your communication points. What three ideas do you want to get across to the reporter? Write these on the Interview Preparation Guide.
• List three possible questions a reporter might ask. Be sure to prepare answers to these questions. Write questions and answers on the Interview Preparation Guide.
• If time permits before the interview, ask a friend to interview you about the topic in question. Videotape the mock news interview. Analyze it for presentation strengths and areas of improvement. (Objective 4)

• Ask a friend to conduct a mock news interview with you, with your friend serving as a reporter. Analyze your mock news interview for pitch, rate, and articulation. Do you vary your pitch? Do you speak too fast or too slow? Do you speak distinctly? Work to improve any weak areas of speech that you determine. (Objective 4)

• Analyze your mock news interview for "nervousness." Do you appear to feel comfortable in front of a camera? Do you look nervous? Do you look "natural"? (Objective 4)
• Maintain a tape library of yourself in interview situations – both mock interviews and on-camera interviews for television stories – over a one-year time. View the tapes. Evaluate yourself many times over the year. Did you see improvements in your delivery of information over time? Are there still areas that need improving? (Objective 4)
• Use the checklists included at the end of Section 5 or the separate sheets – Interview Checklist and Evaluating Yourself as a Spokesperson. Interview Checklist should be used before an interview is conducted; Evaluating Yourself as a Spokesperson should be used to critique yourself following an interview. (Objective 4)
• Use the PowerPoint presentation Interviewing Skills. The presentation can be run directly from the Web site or downloaded to your computer. (Objective 4)