Journeyed far into the unknown west on Saturday.
West London. W6. Hammersmith to be exact, to be interviewed by David Michaels from OnFm in the lovely Riverside Studios overlooking the Thames next to Hammersmith Bridge.
Fascinating experience. My first radio interview. We chatted for a little less than a quarter of an hour about how I came to move from the states to Dublin and then to London, my blog and my writing and what I hope to do with it, and my views on The Olympics. I really enjoyed myself and I felt it went really well, but I also learned a lot, the key points of which can be summarised into the following kernels:
- Assume nothing about your audience - I went with certain expectations, but felt I talked as though everyone listening already knew me and what I was about. Make as much known about what you do as possible, starting from the beginning. If that's the wrong place, a good interviewer will guide you to the right one.
- Make a plan - It might seem like a casual chat with someone who works professionally for radio every day, but it's orchestrated to appear that way. Have a plan as to how to present yourself, pick the two or three coolest things you want your audience to know about what you do, and angle every one of your responses to somehow tie in with that.
- Keep talking - I cut myself short a few times thinking I was going on too long, but it seems in radio, there is seldom such a thing. If you're going on too long, the presenter will tell you, but just keep talking about what you do and don't be afraid of repeating yourself. Like in a classroom, the people listening will only remember about 2 minutes of what you say. Reword the same cool stuff about what you do every two minutes. Can't go wrong.
Also, having got the recording already from OnFm, just listening to myself was enormously instructive. I think everyone should listen to themselves more often - teachers, parents, Mitt Romney - but so many don't take the time.
Have a listen and feel free to offer your honest critique.
