The story of the interview that ‘jumped out of the radio’ for one of our tutors

Did you know the average radio interview is about two and a half minutes long?

That’s not much time to get what you want to say across or to ensure it stands out from everything else that is being covered.

One of the best ways to make the most of the opportunity - as we tell delegates on our media training courses - is through sharing examples and telling stories.

And one spokesperson gave a brilliant example of how to do it during an appearance on Radio 4s Today programme.

It came when Louise Waterhouse, Tonga’s consul-general in Sydney, Australia, appeared on the programme following the volcanic eruption and tsunami at the Pacific island.

Now, I didn’t hear this interview live. But Howard Bentham, one of our current working journalist tutors did and he brought it to my attention.

Here’s what he said about it.

‘Like most people, when I listen to the radio, I am usually doing something else,” he said.

“On this occasion, I was driving. So, the piece on air really needed to grab my attention and make me take notice. 

“The descriptions Louise used simply jumped out of the radio and hooked me completely.

“Her storytelling was colourful and detailed yet didn’t go on too long. She had clearly thought about what she had wanted to say and powerfully finished it off with a message from the King of Tonga.

“Storytelling at its best.”

High praise. So, let’s take a closer look at why it was so good.

When you hear the interview – which you can listen to here at 53.28 for as long as the broadcaster makes it available - you are instantly struck by the descriptions and detail Ms Waterhouse uses.

Here’s what she said in response to a question about the aid needed in Tonga.  

“We are supplying what is absolutely needed, such as water,” she said.

“And also tinned food because we had a power outage for about 36 hours which meant all the food in the refrigeration was spoiled. So, we don’t only need water but also canned food urgently in Tonga.

“The other problem, with regards, to covid, is that we had to turn a plane around which was coming from Australia with aid because one of the people tested positive on a PCR test after departure. And that delayed things as well and was another level of complication.”

When asked about the clean-up operation, Ms Waterhouse talked about everything being “covered in a thick layer of black ash”. And she added: “I looked at a photo of the palace yesterday - it has gone from being white with a red roof to being all black.”

The most vivid story came in an answer to a question about the long-term impact of the devastation.

“Atata island, which has recently been bought by an Australian consortium – and they were talking to me just a month ago about their plans – has been totally destroyed.

“You may have heard the story of a Tongan man who was on that island and is a bit disabled and couldn’t walk properly.

“He climbed a tree because he could not run and, of course, the tsunami took him out to sea.  He went down eight times, and on the ninth, he thought ‘this is it’, but he miraculously found a log. And he clung to that for 27 hours and paddled his way back the 6km to the main island. So, it is an extraordinary story of survival.”

And then, as Howard mentioned, Ms Waterhouse was even able to include a message from the King of Tonga in response to a question about the low death toll.

She said: “I think there had been a lot of preparation done by different aid organisations and government arrangements where they have done tsunami drills and were able to have a 15-minute warning.

“And then you have the memory of the people with waves when the water is pulled out to sea. They know there is something going to happen.

“And there is an extraordinary resilience in the Tongan people. And I’d like to share with you a message I got 10 minutes ago directly from his majesty to talk about the strength of the Tongan people. He said “Louise, no tsunami will keep us down. The ancestors survived and thrived without learning and without our present technology. How can we, their descendants, let them down and just give up – not on your life”.

“So, I think that is the most inspirational message you could want to hear coming from the King of Tonga.”

It is an impressive interview. You can picture some of the things Ms Waterhouse talks about, and she makes it feel closer to home.

And the story of the Tongan man - Lisala Folau - who was swept out to sea brings in the crucial human and unusual elements and creates emotional responses.

Other spokespeople may not have a story as dramatic as that of Mr Folau or have a message from a king to pass on.

But they can still learn from Ms Waterhouse’s interview and pack stories into their interviews, whether they are talking about a product launch, a campaign, new service or are showing what action they have taken to resolve something that has gone wrong.

Anecdotes, examples, case studies and stories bring interviews to life, make messages memorable, stimulate emotions, grab attention and help ensure what is said resonates with the audience and stirs them into action.

As we stress on our media training courses, people want to hear stories about other people, not policies, protocols and strategies. It taps into their natural curiosity about the lives of others.

Here are a few more tips from our media training courses about using examples and telling stories:

Journey

We sometimes find on our media training courses, that spokespeople rush through their stories and examples. This shouldn’t happen. Spokespeople shouldn’t be afraid to spend time telling stories in their interviews. Tell the story and take the audience on a journey.

Simple

Spokespeople should work with their comms teams to ensure stories are told in a media-friendly way to maximise their impact. The key is to ensure you tell stories with powerful, simple language, which stirs up emotions in the audience. And they should be simple to follow – you don’t need complicated plot twists.

Personal

Often the best stories, and ones that persuade people to give money, take action, support an idea or buy a product, are those that are personal to the spokesperson.

It may sound a little daunting for media spokespeople, but during our media training courses, we notice those who choose to bring their personal examples and anecdotes into an interview are the ones who we see grow in confidence the most.

Prepare

As ever with media interviews, success often comes down to preparation. Planning the examples you are going to use in a media interview should be a vital part of your media interview preparation.

If you think about it, we all tell stories every day. It is how people communicate, and humans have been telling them for thousands of years.

And that should continue into media interviews, no matter how short they are.  

Media First are media and communications training specialists with over 35 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers. 

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