RELAX… IT’S JUST A CONVERSATION.
phrases to use during interviews
to take the pressure off….
Unlike during a presidential debate, the chances of someone fact-checking your every statement is slim to none. This doesn’t mean you should go on camera and state random figures or projections without a basis to back it up, but it means that in the world of TV for general audiences (top-tier, widely watched news), its not about accuracy of numbers, but about the general idea. During my time as a TV producer, unless the interview was commentary about a statistic or report that was public knowledge (Dept. of Labor statistic, economic growth, etc), I never worried about the accuracy of the trends or numbers given, as it wasn’t the main focus of our conversation. In addition, my interview subjects rarely subjected themselves to giving precise numbers, and stuck to a range instead. This makes it easy on both the reporter and the person giving the interview to relax on the specifics and focus more on the implications (why does this matter?) of the topic.
Still worried about accuracy? Here are a few ways to structure your sentences to reduce your fear of giving precise figures… it’ll also put your lawyers at ease:
What we have seen is…
What people have told us is…
Based on what we’ve encountered, we believe that…
A person/business/organization has told me in that past that…
You could come to the conclusion that…
It is projected that…