If you’re going to be interviewed by phone for a radio station or podcast, please do the following:
- If at all possible, use a landline, not a cell phone.
- If you must use a cell phone, use it while stationary. If you find a good signal stay where you are during the call.
- Do not use a speaker phone.
- Do not use a headset or if you do try the call with and without the headset to see which is better.
- Avoid conference services or people on extensions. PR people don’t really need to monitor your calls.
- Speak in a clear natural voice, directly into the handset. You don’t need to shout.
- Try to keep your answers relatively short so the interviewer gets a chance to ask you follow up questions. It’s a good idea to ask in advance approximately how long the interview will go, especially if it’s a live interview.
- Make sure you’re in a relatively quiet place. You don’t need to be in a soundproof room, but make sure that TVs and radios are turned off and you’re not around barking dogs, laughing children (as much as we love them) or screaming adults.
- These are not necessarily hard and fast rules. For example, sometimes cell phones can be better than landlines and there are some cases where headsets improve call quality. And there are times when the interviewer might want you at a place with natural sound such as the floor of a convention if that’s what you’re talking about.