You have done all the necessary preparation for a media interview including asking yourself these essential 13 questions.

In doing so you will have tweaked your messages and oven-ready soundbites so they are just right for the media you are using to reach your audience.

Now don’t make the mistake I am seeing time and again by spokespeople whether promoting a product, growing a business, campaigning on an issue or leading a membership organisation.

The mistake is to offer up their opinion and tell us viewers and listeners at home what they “think”.

There are far too many opinions around nowadays.

If we want to hear what people think we can turn on any number of talk radio stations or scroll through a social media feed.

Your job is to act as a credible and knowledgeable ambassador for your employer.

To do this you need to be seen to be an expert, to have knowledge or to genuinely care about the topic in question.

Here are 5 ways to make this happen:

-Never begin a sentence with “I think”, “I feel like” or “my view is”.

-Don’t indulge in any form of speculation.

-Always base your answers on facts, research and evidence.

-It is ok to make it personal but do this through a compelling story rather than what you are “thinking”.

-Make every answer a definitive statement without leading into the substantive point with an unnecessary disclaimer.

Then practice, practice and practice again so you eradicate what for many is a bad habit.

By doing so you will boost your credibility and your organisation’s while also making what you are saying more succinct.

Give it a go and let me know if I can help.