Many of my clients have backgrounds in teaching, hosting workshops, or public speaking and yet they came to me still lacking the skills necessary to give a compelling interview. This is because they didnt understand the differences between the two and had no idea what to keep from public speaking, and what to set aside.

On the plus side, anyone with public speaking skills is used to speaking before actual human beings and is usually less nervous about tacking interviews than the average first timer. A speaker will usually have experience in using a microphone, and this too, is a bonus. Speeches, workshops, or classes must be performed within a certain timeframe, and this will come in handy when a producer or host advises you how long the interview will last. So will use of the outline that you hopefully use for your speeches.

If youre a good speaker, you will also be aware of how pauses, volume, word emphasis, speed, and pitch will make whatever you have to say much more interesting. And hopefully, you learned that a monotone, mumbling and vocal crutches (such as you know) are no-nos. If not, you may want to do a bit of homework or work with a coach.

So now that you know that public speaking and interviewing are not the same, lets explore some of the differences.

As a speaker, you are blessed with a targeted audience that is there to see YOU-an audience that may have paid for the privilege. In radio and TV, you have no special audience. Youre attempting to get the attention of anyone listening or viewing-a general audience whose attitude is Im busy. Prove to me why I should spend some time with you. If you dont work hard to convince them that you are worth spending time with, youve lost them. But instead of walking out of the auditorium, theyre turning you off or switching among the many other channels available.

In public speaking, you are usually monologing, but as a media guest, you are being interviewed- having a conversation with someone else. That someone else is usually the host and he or she, not you, is in control of the conversation. How to gain control is a topic for another time, but the idea is that someone else is directing what you will be asked and where the conversation goes, you must be ready for anything. You would never give yourself a curve ball when giving a speech, but someone interviewing you must likely will.

During a media interview, its important to keep in mind the distractions that do not exist in an auditorium. When watching TV or listening to the radio, people are working, driving, cleaning, eating, taking care of kids, etc. And most of us have short attention spans-that TV remote or those radio buttons seem awfully tempting as we constantly search for something better. Allow these distractions to challenge you to be more focused, succinct and entertaining them ever before.