‘It’s just TV’ — broadcast prof tells business journalists how to look natural on air

Brad Allen of MinnPost.com appears on the control room video monitors at ASU's Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He was interviewed as part of the Reynolds Center's multimedia-training track at the SABEW Conference.

Arizona State University professor Sue Green interviews freelancer Daniel Lovering in a Reynolds Center workshop designed to help business journalists look natural on air.

Remember: “It’s just TV.”

That’s the advice that Sue Green gave 10 participants in a Reynolds Center workshop today on how to look natural on air. She is the broadcast director of the Cronkite News Service at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. She has more than 20 years of experience as a broadcast professional.

There are several types of interviews you might be asked to do as a business journalist:

• Sit-down interview with a host
• Roundtable with several journalists
• Satellite talkback, or doing an interview with someone in another city
• Part of a package, or story, in which you’re interviewed for a quote

Here are some tips from Green:

• The length of a sound bite is eight to 10 seconds. People don’t want to see 15 to 20 seconds of a “talking head,” she said.
• If the host is low-key, you don’t have to stay at his or her tone. Passion and energy make for more memorable quotes on TV, she said.
• Prepare for an interview by thinking of the questions you might be asked and practicing your responses out loud.
• Wear comfortable clothing. Don’t wear white or loud (flowered, checked or striped) clothing. Avoid jangly jewelry. Women can go for brighter colors. Check out past episodes of the show where you’re to be interviewed to see how dressed up other guests have been.
• Men and women, wear some foundation and powder to take the shine off your face.
• Keep it simple and tell stories to support your point.
• Concentrate on the interviewer, not the camera, unless it’s a satellite interview. For those, look straight at the camera.
• Watch your body language. You want to sit up straight and lean forward a bit. Sit on the edge of your chair. Folding your arms can give the impression that you’re defensive.
• Always assume that your microphone is open and that you are on TV.
• Show up early to your interview and be friendly with the floor crew.

The workshop was held before the Society of American Business Editors and Writers Conference, which runs from noon March 19 to 1:15 p.m. March 21 at the Cronkite School in Phoenix. The workshop is part of the multimedia track that the Reynolds Center is offering during SABEW. At a session yesterday, 18 journalists created a business news video in a day. On Saturday, participants will learn how to create a business news podcast, and on Sunday, to take compelling business news photos.