Rehearsing for interviews and media appearances is often under-appreciated, people rush through this part in the preparation for their interviews. The customary excuse of not having enough time is often given as the reason for skipping the task.
Why Rehearsing is Important
Rehearsing for presentations, speeches, or talks is an essential task. This skill can bring a level of ideal refinement and perfection to your presentation. Focusing on rehearsal and practicing for interviews is of utmost importance in all the activities you perform to prepare a good media presentation. How you rehearse is very important, as doing it in the right way can lead you to better performance. Rehearsing is the part that needs your extra attention in preparing yourself to be a good speaker. If you manage to rehearse and practice correctly, you will be able to solve all the other issues related to preparing an effective and impressive media presentation. Rehearsing gives you a complete picture of all the aspects of your presentation or talk and highlights the areas to fix and focus on. If you do not practice, you can gather excellent and intellectual pieces of information, but you may not be able to deliver them in a way that your audience can engage with. Not rehearsing for your interview is just like going to the fanciest event of your place and not looking at yourself in the mirror after your preparation.
Dedicate Time for Rehearsal
Sometimes people claim they love to rehearse but simply don’t have the time, which is no more than an excuse. Be honest with yourself when you consider time for rehearsing. There is a natural inclination to make excuses for the things you do not want to do. You have to prioritize rehearsing and make time for performing this task. Add it to your calendar and dedicate time to this essential task if you are serious about it.
Finding the Right Practice Partner
It would be excellent if you could find an ideal practice partner for your interview. Try to look for a person who will perform a video rehearsal for your interview and is somewhat familiar with your topic and venue. The perfect practice partner may be a different person depending on the situation. For example, suppose you will be interviewed by a tough, confrontational, political talk show host. In that case, you will not practice with your soft-spoken, lovely friend, who asks you soft and straightforward questions. You must select someone that asks you brutal and vicious questions and interrupts you while you talk. In this way, you will get familiar with the real-life situation you will encounter during the actual interview.
In contrast, the reporter will be factual and polite if you are going in front of the media with a straight and straightforward trade publication. You do not need a trainer or partner yelling at you harshly, asking questions just for theatrics. The purpose of practicing should be getting you familiar with the whole atmosphere of the interview you will come across. The rehearsal allows you to see yourself in advance by the video how you are going to perform.
Practicing On Video is the Ultimate Solution
Practicing on video is not a luxury or an option. It is a necessary and manageable way to rehearse for your interview. Many people do rehearse but don’t do it on video. There is a need to get over the factors stopping you from recording your rehearsals. Sometimes people don’t want to see themselves because their hair doesn’t look good, or they don’t like the way their neck or nose looks. You have to get over these unimportant things. You must practice your media interview or anything captured for others to see on video and not in front of the mirror. Practicing on video makes you refine your performance, while practicing in front of the mirror will distract you in real time as you watch yourself during your rehearsal. The essential part of practicing on video is practicing till you reach perfection or the level at which you can look at the video and think it is good enough to be seen on any media channel. It may take a few hours to a couple of days to reach perfection as every person has a different speed of improvement.
How to Perfect your Presentation
Keep the following things in mind when you are working to improve your performance for a media interview.
- Focus on the positive aspects firstly
When you first make a rehearsal on video for your interview and look at it for the first time, look for the things you liked in the video and the things you think are working well. Make a list of these points, this gives you the confidence to move forward and improve yourself to the next level.
- Improve one thing at a time
A beneficial tip to improve your performance during your rehearsal is to focus on one thing at a time. For example, if you felt you were blinking too much, your hands were too stiff, and you licked your lips many times, do not try to change all three things at a time. Focus on one thing and repeat your talk until you have eliminated that one specific fault. Then the next one and so on. Eventually, you will find the perfection you wanted to see in your presentation. Following this method can lead to dramatic results, while trying to correct multiple things at a time can end up in frustration and failure. Focus on tangible, precise, and changeable aspects to improve. This strategy gives you a systematic plan to refine your presentation effectively. When you define your line of action, you achieve your target in a more efficient way.
Conclusion
Rehearsing for your media interviews is the only way to ensure an impressive and effective presentation. Honestly, dedicate time for your rehearsal. Find the right practice partner to interview you in a way that is closest to the real-time experience you are going to have. Practice on video to get over the minor factors stopping to record your rehearsals. Appreciate the good things in your video rehearsals and look for the things you want to eliminate in your presentation. Focus on improving one thing at a time by identifying changeable targets. Practice until the level of perfection is achieved. It may take one to one hundred times, but your efforts will pay off when you come up to a presentation you wish to share with the world boldly.