How to prepare yourself for a media interview

Fears of being misquoted or having their research oversimplified scares scientists away from media interviews. But, by doing some advance preparation, they can often avoid such mishaps, says APA Director of Public Communications Rhea K. Farberman. In particular, scientists should:

? Choose interview requests wisely, carefully considering whether the interview would compromise you in any way or is out of the range of your expertise.

? Before the interview begins, ask the reporter what he or she wants to talk to you about so you can collect your thoughts and decide what you want to say. If possible, ask if you can call the reporter back and use the time to prepare for the interview.

? Prepare a few data-based points

that convey your central findings and integrate them into your answers during the interview. Write them down and practice a few comfortable ways of

explaining them. Always state your conclusions before using your supporting evidence.

? Be clear and concise. The longer, more rambling your explanations, the greater the chance you will be misquoted.

? Prepare a set of graceful transition phrases for questions that have no scientifically credible answer. You should never speculate about issues that you can?t answer with confidence and data to back you up. Instead, admit your inability to answer the original question and deftly provide information that answers a different, more appropriate question.

?Beth Azar