Interview Pressure Cooker

And we’re live in 3…2…1…Good morning!  Thanks for joining us today – how are you?

How am I?  I’m a nervous wreck, if you want to know the truth.  Here I sit at my desk, all dressed up like I’m actually in front of this interviewer. In reality he’s in another city and the interview is over the phone.  For all I know this guy’s interviewing me from his garage wearing his pajamas.  This is my first radio interview as an author.  I should be excited – someone actually wants to talk to me about my book.

I am excited; this is what I’ve been waiting for. It’s a huge opportunity for me to get my personal work in front of a larger audience. That’s probably why, for the first time in I-can’t-remember-when, I’m nervous.  This is real – and I want it to be perfect. I’m so afraid I’ll make a mistake, say “you know” too many times or laugh nervously until I snort.   [Mess up; goof up; whatever you want to call it.]

I’ve prepared for this just like I would for any important event.  As a PR person I’ve done many live interviews for the company that required I be prepared and able to react quickly to any question thrown my way.  One wrong answer in those situations and, well, let’s just say it would not have been good for me.  Plus, I’m a veteran speaker who actually prefers being in front of a large audience over a small one.  A phone interview? With notes in front of me? From the comfort of my own desk? This should be a piece of cake!

My mouth is dry as I reach for the 64 oz jug of water I have on hand, just in case.  Problem is it’s too heavy to lift.  I try not to make noise shuffling my notes that are laid out in front of me: prepared questions with my answers typed out, along with a copy of my resume and of course my book.  LOL! This is my life, my story and my book, the book that I spent countless hours writing, reviewing, editing and writing some more.  You’d think I would be able to chat about this ad nauseam, without a care in the world.

I try to sound upbeat, even smiling as I talk. I read somewhere that it helps if you smile when you speak, even if it’s on the phone. Apparently it makes you sound cheerful.  Whatever.  I just hope the interviewer can’t hear the sweat running down my face.  I carefully listen to his questions, and try to answer casually, watching myself lest I fall into the bad habit of saying, “um” and “ah” too much.

I start to relax a bit, thinking this is going well, when out of nowhere he says, “Well, that’s all the time we have today.  Thanks so much for joining us on…”  What?  Wait; we’re not done yet, are we?  I frantically check my notes; did I say everything I wanted to say?  My mind races as I try to recall every bit of the interview, hoping that I sounded professional and that my Texas accent didn’t go into overdrive.

Sigh.  And just like that it’s over.  With me sitting at my desk, all dressed up, a face shiny from perspiring and an incredibly large mug of water.