What causes bad interviews? Contrary to what you may want to believe before your day of the interview, it is very easy to get your message wrong on camera. We have seen several fiascos over the years that were silly to downright embarrassing. Getting the right message across to your target audience can be quite a challenge for anyone. If you have little to no exposure to video interviews and mainstream media platforms, you can have a tough time answering all questions during the interview, with conviction. The only way to make a TV interview, social media tête-à-tête or a radio interview right is to opt for extensive media training before that.

Realistic media training sessions offer a generous blend of theoretical knowledge along with hands-on training to handle interviews. A proper trainer can teach you the secrets of successful interaction with a media representative irrespective of the platform and the situation. In fact, an experienced trainer can also help you learn how to take charge of a situation resulting from a controversial question or remark from the journalist or reporter. Interviews have transcended the conventional popular media like TV and radio and reached the domain of social media. Social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, are abuzz with videos of celebrity interviews, entrepreneurial talks and press releases from leading companies. Your training firm should be able to prepare your entire team for all kinds of media platforms and meets.

Here are the 15 things experts tell their clients as a part of their training session. To know more about the training process, visit the MediaWorks Resource Group website.

1. Prepare for the interview; do not be scared of it.
2. Most of the reporters do not have anything personal against you and are not out to get you. Try to remember that they are amicable professionals, during your interview.
3. Do not mislead the reporters or lie to them. It is their job to get to the bottom of a story, and they have trained for years to spot a cooked-up story.
4. It is alright not to know the answer to a few questions. It is not an examination, and there is no way you can “fail” the interview if you do not know the right answer. As for some extra time and tell them that you will call them personally with the answer.
5. Do not try to “wing it.” If necessary, carry your folder of notes for reference. No one will criticize you for trying to get your numbers right in case of a relaunch interview or a business related press release.
6. When not sure of a question, ask again. Do not give an irrelevant answer. This can deteriorate the image of the brand you represent. A good media coaching firm will prepare you for the questions you must never answer.
7. “Off the record” is not entirely a Hollywood concept. So unless the reporter specifically states that the subsequent discussion is going to be strictly off the record, do not assume it. Just because the journalist or reporter is turning their recorder off or keeping their pen aside, it does not signify an off-the-record conversation.
8. Always remember that you can divulge some proprietary information to the reporter.
9. When a reporter makes a remark that sounds incorrect to you, say so. Do not remain quiet as staying quite often gives an impression of agreement.
10. Do not take to the media platform to complain about a competitor or an individual. No matter how amicable and encouraging the reporter might seem, do not indulge in trashing another company.
11. Do not stray from the direct line of questions. Bridging topics and manipulation towards product promotion is one thing and blatantly answering a question with irrelevant information is another.
12. You can always ask a few questions of your own in return if you are curious about the interview process or the recent updates from the media house.
13. Keep the course of Q&A interesting by throwing in some essential facts and figures. Reports, readers and media owners love a few numbers during business interviews. This brings us back to the importance of carrying notes to the interview.
14. Always leave your contact information, including your office phone and email, with the reporter before saying your goodbyes.
15. Most importantly, do not fidget with your phone or tablet during the interview. It gives a very wrong impression. Additionally, the interference of signals from your mobile device can impede the recording.

These 15 simple yet critical points can help any business owner, company CEO, marketing manager, and PR manager face a journalist or a reporter without trepidation. In no way do these tips and tricks replace conventional and extensive media training, but remembering these in addition to getting your training from a great place will help you ace the interview each time.