Last week my client booked himself on BBC radio in the UK. It was a HUGE show, and was great exposure for him. After the interview he sent me a note saying, “She [the interviewer] didn’t believe in self-help and was after me during the interview like a wild dog after a juicy bone.”
While working together, it’s a good thing he and I had worked and practiced interviewing so he could handle any situation. After listening to the interview I thought he did an amazing job of holding his own.
When you have an interviewer who is in attack mode, some of the take-away points you need to follow are:
1. Don’t argue. Agree that you can understand how some people may see things in a different light. (Some people don’t think NASA ever landed on the moon – can you really argue with them?)
2. Throw the WHY question back at them. They obviously have had some experience…so ask them why they feel the way they do. (Most times they just want to play devil’s advocate or they want to share their story and are using you as a springboard for their own agenda.)
3. Stand up for what you believe. Bring in your personal story.
4. Sometimes you will never win. Very few people could ever go up against Bill O’Reilly or many of the great talk jocks. Remember, they do this for a living day in and day out. Get up, brush yourself off and know that you survived. Your next interview will be much better.
