Radio training

At minus five minutes notice, I found myself on another media training course - this time for radio interviews. See InsideEdge. Again the training ratio was amazing: two trainers: five trainees:

• Dave McGarvie talking about volcanoes, and about to be interviewed for real
• Delia Da Sousa Correa talking about Katherine Mansfield's short stories
• Leslie Budd talking about economics and enterprise
• Richard Bundell talking about enterprise and ecological housing

Someone had dropped out, hence my invitation.

The session started with discussion and some explanation from two journalists, together with their presentation of slides and sound examples to get their point across.

Answer the question. For example, someone was asked the benefits of her research, but responded by talking about the event she was going to where people would discuss the benefits. That response doesn't answer the question.

What did I learn?

• State the benefit of your research immediately otherwise, why should the audience care?
• Expect contentious and personal questions

We had two practical sessions:

• a three minute face-to-face interview
• a two minute interview at a distance where you're with just a mic and can't see the presenter, like being at the end of a phone

Both interviews were difficult because even the face-to-face presenter having asked a question isn't looking at you, but at his notes and listening to his head phones to whatever the editor or producer is saying, like warning that the weather or pips are due.

The trainers gave each of us a cue comment and told us in advance what it would be. I loved mine because it was along the lines of

"Expensive management consultants are amongst the lowest, hated as much as estate agents and journalists, and even more hated on expensive IT projects. what value can they bring. We have here Liz H from the OU - Liz are consultants of value?"Yes, because for every pound an organisation spends on consultants they return about £6."

I said, and referred them to the facts I remembered from blogging on the value of consulting a couple of weeks ago. Then I could give an example of how managing them well could save money. stumbling over my example revealed my need to practise saying it aloud. The last and personal questions was,would I be a consultant? Ah! What a trick because consultants seem so powerful, knowledgeable and earn so much.

No, I'd rather be an effective public sector manager.