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Do you know how to give “great interview”?

In this episode, find the sweet spot with your online speaking with our helpful tips, insights from running a successful podcast and between the two of us having appeared on hundreds of speaking opportunities.

Also hear us spill a bit of tea about what it's really like to get heard with online speaking.

Register for free for the Grow & Profit Online Event – live July 19-21 2022.

Alyson Lex 0:00
If you have put time, effort, energy, attention, resources, whatever into landing experts speaking spots on a summit on a podcast, mostly summits, they're the ones that really just lift you up and allow you to connect with other people. You have to pay attention to the interview, to the recording to the summit session. Because if you don't give great interview, are you really showing up the way you want? So let's talk about that.

Jennie Wright 0:36
We're going to have a good time talking about it. But also, are you going to get asked back? Oh, good point. Also, and I not only have the podcast, we've done webinars together, we've done summits together, we've appeared on many people's summits, literally five minutes before we recorded this episode, I interviewed Allison, for my upcoming summit grown profit online, by the way, shameless plug go to grow and profit online.com register, it's free. It's happening soon. When we're recording this, it's literally coming out. So go do that. But I just interviewed Allison. And Allison always shows up and she's ready to go. And she's prepared. And what does that mean? So giving good interview isn't just knowing your stuff. giving good interview is about knowing what it is that you're going to talk about. But in addition, being prepared, and that could mean that your host has asked you to make a PowerPoint, or your host isn't going to interview you. You know, not all summit interviews or podcast interviews are interview style. Sometimes they are the host introducing you and then letting you take the mic.

Alyson Lex 1:44
Right? Knowing what style it is, is going to be really important. When Jenny and I booked this time together. That was the first thing I asked her. It wasn't any I mean, you know, there are other questions, which you should ask about your audience and what they want and stuff like that. But the first thing I said is what? What's the format? Do you need me to do a PowerPoint? I can put this together. I just need to know when I book it. How much time I need ahead of time and how I'm showing up?

Jennie Wright 2:16
I'm gonna make Allison feel bad right now. Had Allison filled out the expert form that I needed her. She would have known because it was on there. But she didn't she she gets a pass because she Yeah, she gets a total pass.

Alyson Lex 2:29
Well, I mean, I've meant to just go into the sheet and fill it in. But and that's actually a really good point is do the stuff

Jennie Wright 2:38
that I read that I read all the forums. And every I take screenshots because sometimes you don't get a screenshot, like when you fill out a form to be on a summit or anything like that, or a podcast, you don't always get a copy of it. So I'll take a screenshot of it. And then I know what I said I was going to do, I said I was going to talk about how to you know how to attract your next 1000 leads, blah, blah, blah, whatever that PowerPoint or whatever that presentation is. I know that it's a PowerPoint, I know that the promo period is X date to X date. Right? So part of giving good interview is paying attention to the details. How many times have we had somebody show up for our stuff completely unprepared?

Alyson Lex 3:14
More times than I like.

Jennie Wright 3:17
Why do you think that is? I think that

Alyson Lex 3:21
Well, I mean, why do I think it is? Or what do I perceive it as? Because that's two different things. One is how it makes me feel. So I think it's really just that we're all very busy. And I get it. You've got 85,000 things on your plate, and my podcast is not your top priority. I can't I can't imagine why but it's not. And that's okay. Right, we will roll with it because Jenny and I are professionals, or, you know, we'll I'll roll with it on a summit because I'm able to do that.

Jennie Wright 3:52
But we're judging you. But how does it make you feel like

Alyson Lex 3:57
I am on valued and taken for granted and not worth your effort.

Jennie Wright 4:02
And we've had that happen before where the person's just basically showing up and been like, I'm here. So now what we're like, did you I mean, this is why you and I have a process. For the podcast, we have a 15 minute call, we build out the episodes, the only people who get to skip the 15 minute call are people that we already know and have an established relationship with. And we can we already know that they're they're good to go. The 50 Yes, call is is key. And this is key for summits, by the way, and it's also key for podcasting, etc. As a guest speaker so that you can either build the episode you can get a sense of who the person is, you know, one of the first questions out of the box that we have when we interview for a 15 minute like a 15 minute pre call is we say Have you ever listened to the podcast before?

Alyson Lex 4:48
Right. Nine times out of 10 the person has not again, I get it. You're We don't judge them for that. No, but It does let us know the people who have already know they're a fit, or already believe they're a fit. And I will tell you our next episode number 159 is a pretty recognizable name.

Jennie Wright 5:16
Oh, yeah. Oh, she's huge.

Alyson Lex 5:18
And I'm super excited. And we had her do a 15 minute call. Yep. This is not a big names get a pass. This is we know who you are. We've had people that we know very well. And even if it's not a 15 minute call, it's a group chat. It's an email sequence series back and forth. We build the episode both for the episode. And that way, we can know that it resonates with our audience as well as the expertise that person has to bring summit do the same thing. They're gonna want to build it with you.

Jennie Wright 5:56
Absolutely. And it's, it's key to being a good expert. So okay, so there are, there are a couple things for being a good speaker one, obviously, being prepared, not being a frazzled mess with your audio and your video, you know, being ready to go. If you're interviews at like, 10 o'clock in the morning, showing up for the 10 o'clock if you're going to be late letting the person know, I had this happen the other day where I sat for about 11 minutes waiting for somebody to show up for their thing, and I was just gonna email them and I was just about to leave. And they were like, oh, sorry, I got hung up on something. Just let me know, like, I'm cool with the weight. But just just let me know that would be really good. But and giving good interview is also I think, getting away from the fluff. Right? If you want to stand out and you want to be asked back. And Alison, I have reoccurring guests on this podcast, which you will see. Often. It's because they're not fluffy, giving the same answers that everybody else's there, they're going a little bit deeper, and they're letting us poke and prod a little bit, which I think is also important.

Alyson Lex 7:04
Yeah, we've really over the last few years honed our interview skills, we've gotten really good at getting to the meat of question of strategies and ideas and techniques and information and history. And the we love it when people give thoughtful answers. And don't hold back. And, you know, we're not asking for our guests to deliver the content of their high paid programs and on our podcast. But I also and we also don't just want the same crap. Now that's been recycled online for a decade or more.

Jennie Wright 7:49
No one wants something different.

Alyson Lex 7:51
What is your summit host want to?

Jennie Wright 7:54
What's something that people don't talk about enough of, but that should be done more? As a good guest speaker.

Alyson Lex 8:02
You know, it's so funny. So one of the things that I do, um, that I talked about when I, when I pitch myself on on podcasts, or I speak on summits is the, the I'm part of the team with this, right, like, I know what it takes to produce a summit. I know what it takes to produce a podcast. And so I'm going to do whatever I can to make it easier for you to manage me. I will provide questions I will, you know, throw calendar invites. I will commit I mean, I was on a summit. Oh my gosh, when was it in the spring? And I realized that during promo I was going to or no during the summit itself, I was going to be on a family vacation. That was my son's spring break. I went to Disneyland. And so as soon as I realized that those two things overlapped, I emailed the host. I said here's the situation. I'm happy to set up promo before I leave on autopilot. I'm also happy to promote you know, while I'm there, on the day it goes live. I'm happy to engage in the group while I'm there. But if you want me to recuse myself to pull out, let me know I work to try and help you find a replacement. Not only did I offer to leave so that she had the best lineup possible I offered to help her replace me because I'm part of the team. She can't be on her Summit.

Jennie Wright 9:35
I would too because that right? Being a good human being Oh, it is Pro and Pro doesn't mean having to invest in a speaking course or having a none of that kind of stuff. I think it's about and what you and I really appreciate not only on our summits but on our podcasts and whatnot. Is people that go a little bit of that extra mile sometimes. I love a follow up email Do you think giving good interview is also about giving good follow up. I love a little after care. Okay, so give me a little after care within with an email that just says, Hey, I had so much Elsens laughing or have, I had so much fun being on the podcast, it was so great, can't wait to you know, blah, blah, blah. Like, I don't, I don't we don't demand it. We just love it. We just love getting those little emails. They're so nice. And I was just on a podcast, I actually filled out, I was filling out a form. I didn't fill this out, I was filling out a form where the prerequisite to be considered for a guest was to listen to the podcast and provide which three episodes did you most recently listened to? And what did you learn? That was a question that I had to provide a review of the podcast before listening or before being an expert? Oh, yeah, this was a whole thing that I had to there was some other condition that I had to agree to. And I think it was about being on their list or something like I had to submit to being on their email list. I can't remember what I was the only one I didn't, the only one that I just didn't like was like, there, they demand I had to give a review. I had to give a review, I would not be considered as a guest expert on their podcast.

Alyson Lex 11:13
Like that. In general.

Jennie Wright 11:17
We ask, we don't demand,

Alyson Lex 11:20
we ask we ask after the interview you? Well, yeah. And we're building out a process to ask before and that's fine. But like, I don't, why do I need an Assam? I'm on a soapbox for a minute. But like, why are you going to give me like a book report assignment. In order for me to share my information and my expertise with your audience, I get that you have a platform. I have expertise. I also have skill. And so there's a little bit of ego coming out here right now. But I'm not going to do your homework assignment in order to get onto your show.

Jennie Wright 11:55
I don't blame you. I don't blame you. So I you know, I was filling out the form. I got to this point. And I was like, Ah, okay, so that tab stayed open on my computer for probably about two days. And then I forgot about it. Yeah. And I closed it.

Alyson Lex 12:13
So I think part of being a good guest and giving good interview is knowing your own value. Yeah, what you bring to the table and don't be afraid to bring in. One of the things that I do really well, is sound bites.

Jennie Wright 12:28
Yeah, that's why you do our interest.

Alyson Lex 12:31
I'm really good at coming up with little phrases, memorable things, to create these little sound bites. By the way, if you're not good at that, practice that because that's really helpful from this side of the mic. To be able to just Oh, that was great little quote. But I'm, I'm good at delivering knows, and having little processes and things like that, that the host can, can use. It's little things like that, that allow you to add value to your guests Enos. gustiness,

Jennie Wright 13:11
gustiness we're making up words today. Today is our word award making day. It's a great word making day, we've had a good time making up words. The other thing that I think and we'll get this one wrapped up is also being the giving good interview is being super easy to book. Yeah, that's a bit of the pre interview process. But being like, you know, giving good interview is making the hosts job super easy, which is why we say have a one sheet which is why we say have you know, have a folder on your Google Drive with your bio and your bla bla bla, like, have everything ready, but also having names of talks that you can give with examples of questions that you can get asked, giving good interview, also, I think is just making it super simple for the host to be able to interview you. That means if you you know if you need to reschedule, reschedule, like do some of the work, like look at the link on your calendar and see if it has a rescheduling link versus emailing the you know, emailing the host yes site and going Hey, gotta change. Like, that's fine. Life happens. No problem. I literally had an interview from last night because somebody's daughter, like got sick. Not a big deal. Totally understand. I do too. All the time.

Alyson Lex 14:23
We move interviews all the time. Both sides of the mic. Yep. But like, how can you do it? On your side? How can you handle your s?

Jennie Wright 14:37
Yes, if you can handle your S insert the rest of the word there if you can handle your stuff and and just take the onus off of the host who by the way, isn't just dealing with you. If they have a podcast or summit they're dealing with potentially 20 plus other experts and or if it's a podcast they're dealing with other experts as well but when it when it's a summit It's, it's full on guys, it's full on, there's a ton of stuff happening. And if every expert speaker is being, you know, is not doing a little bit of the work on their own side to be responsible, it's a lot. It's a lot.

Alyson Lex 15:18
We have a client that had a whole host of experts. And this client had nothing but back and forth with their experts that, like questions that had been answered, or, you know, just didn't really just didn't just didn't take the time or the effort to engage in the process. Alright, so as an expert, and this is I said, Know your value. Right. As an expert, you are coming with incredible knowledge experience, all the all the good things don't undervalue where you're going, either. They're putting effort, energy, audience attention, resources, into showcasing all of your expertise and value. Respect that an honor that give great information, take the time to understand their audience, and tailor what you say to that audience. If I'm on a summit for be, you know, retail clothing stores, I don't know I'm making it up. Am I going to talk about downloadable courses? Now? If I want a podcast for E comm? Am I going to talk about the restaurant industry? No. I'm gonna use examples that meet the audience where they are. If I'm speaking to an audience that's been marketing for 45 years, am I going to give them basics 101? No. Take the time to tailor your content. Honor, the commitment that the host has shown.

Jennie Wright 17:09
You can get us back. And by the way, all of this is 15 minutes of your time. Oh, yeah, at Max Max Max, 15 minutes of your time to be thoughtful, right to have that thoughtfulness to drop the ego to you know, consider where people are, to be supportive, to be part of a community to give a crap, to own your own s to all those things and show other people that you actually give, like just care, it doesn't take a lot. So on that note, we're gonna wrap this one up, because I also know I have another another video to record. And we're gonna have a good time doing that one too. And Allison didn't even know about it. But she's looking at me like I have another baby. Yeah, you have another video. Let's go. We're doing it. I'm here for it. So check out this episode's show notes if you want to that would be great. You can check out the summit that's actually coming up grown profit online where Alyson is a future expert, grown profit online.com. The summit is starting soon. It runs from July 19, to the 21st. And you can register register for it right now completely for free. So go and do that. You can see Allison and all the other experts we're talking about launching, which is one of the big things that we talk about on this podcast. So you're gonna want to get that information. So if you have launch, want to launch will launch need to expand your launch, these are all the things to talk about. These are the things to go check it out. So you're going to find that at grown profit online.com and also all the show notes at episode 158. And that is some system to thrive.com forward slash 158. Go check that out. Thanks so much for being here. Thanks so much for listening, and we'll be back and we'll be back again soon. Take care