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Radio Interview Performance Tips for Authors

Here are performance suggestions for being interviewed on radio and drawn from my book, "It's Show Time."

Hints for performing at your best

Call-in Shows

Live shows allow people in the audience to call and talk to you personally. Welcome the opportunity to perform under these conditions. It makes for a more interesting show, and if there are many callers, the host is more likely to invite you back for a repeat performance.

Although most callers are screened beforehand, you have no control over what the callers will ask. Their inquiries will run the gamut from off-the-wall questions having nothing to do with what you are talking about to pertinent questions dealing directly with your topic. Some will even take exception to your comments. But all this makes a good radio show.

You may get an abusive caller, but the host is there to protect you. If the abuse is directed at you personally, the host will normally cut off the caller. But if the controversy is about your topic or position, the host will usually let the two of you discuss it within the bounds of decorum. No matter how much you want to berate the caller, do not do it. Be polite, explain your points and speak eloquently.

Get the audience involved in your discussion and it will be more likely to call you. Do that by offering a prize (your book) to the first caller who answers your question correctly. This technique also gets your book's title mentioned more frequently without you being pushy.

Another idea is to offer an analysis of a major news event and request people with the opposite view to call and explain their position. As the listeners hear you respond with an open mind to callers, others will be more likely to call.

After appearing on several radio shows, you will be able to anticipate many of the questions the callers will ask. Yet, in most cases it is difficult to have a stock answer because each one will contain an individual concern. Your challenge is to turn a question into a platform to discuss one of your agenda items. Here are several guidelines that will help make each call-in show a pleasant experience:

Good luck,

Brian Jud
BJud@marketingdirections.com
http://www.marketingdirections.com


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