Phone Interviews

Phone interviews are frustrating for you, the newsmaker and for the talent interviewing you. You just can't hold as good of a conversation when you can't see the person's non-verbal communications.

For this reason, I recommend that you get to the studio if you're offered the option.

What happens in a phone interview is typically this... you take too long to answer a question or you pause, and the interviewer thinks you've finished your answer. So the host begins to ask you another question at the same time you start speaking again.

Interviewer: "I'm sorry. Go ahead and finish your sentence."

You: "No, my apologies. What were you asking?"

Interviewer: "No please..."

All this politeness can waste your valuable interviewing time. Unless you're being interviewed on Hardball, in which case you will always be interrupted.

So here's another tip (if you can't get to the studio). If the host interrupts you, just go silent. Let the interviewer either tell you to finish your sentence or ask another question. He or she may be interrupting you because you're speaking too slowly... or because (put your thick skin on) you're boring.

If this is happening to you in every interview, practice speaking a bit faster or hire a soundbite coach!