This week’s tip is for all you hosts and broadcasters, whether you’re on TV, radio, social media, or even if you have your own podcast. We’re talking about my FAVORITE thing to do as a host: interviewing! In my opinion, for all the skills that a host has, being a good interviewer is the most important and the most difficult. So, with that said, if you’re conducting an interview, this tip is essential.

There’s nothing worse than interviewing someone, and they stop talking before you expect them to, and you have no idea what to ask next. It’s happened to all of us, and it will happen again. So here are three things you can do to avoid that very awkward situation.

One: glance at your notecs for your next question while they’re answering the current question. Don’t wait for them to finish talking before you look down. As long as you can do it quickly, it’s not disrespectful. They get it, they know you have questions to ask.

Two: have generic questions in your head, ready to go in all times. Kind of like an “in case of emergency, break glass” situation. They don’t have to be Emmy winners, but they certainly beat dead air. For example: “What separates your company from its competitors?” or “What made you pursue this line of work years ago?” These are fairly basic questions, but they’re fine, and they can bail you out of trouble.

And three: if all else fails, and this one requires practice, start talking and a question will emerge. Something like “What I found interesting about the film was …” can buy you some time to figure out how the heck you want to finish that question. Trust me, we’ve all done it!

If you’d like to chat about hosting or have any other questions about media coaching, you can always reach out to me for a free consultation.

Have a great day,

Dave