Now, we turn our attention to the Guided/Interview Testimony format from the interviewee perspective. Be sure to read last week's part 1 for the complete picture.
There are some fun road stories at the bottom of this blog entry. I hope they bring a smile to your face.
Tips for the Interviewee:
· Let the interviewer have control. Ultimately, they are the one who is in charge of the time and direction. By letting them lead you take a great deal of pressure off of yourself to watch the time and edit the content.
· Be you. Just as I wrote above, you want to reflect your own personality, not someone you think you should be.
· Be cautious of talking too much. Don’t be afraid of pauses. Remember, if there are some spaces it is the interviewer’s job to fill them in. If you take too much time answering every question you may never get to the most important aspects of your story.
· Slow-w-w-w down. When you talk quickly you sound nervous and out of control. Pause to allow people to reflect and absorb your point. By talking more slowly you actually reflect more confidence and power.
· Ask for potential questions in advance so that you can prepare.
· Always prepare. Think about what you would like to say. Boil it down to three or 4 of the most important points. Remember that you’re telling a story. Read my prior blog entry here to gain some valuable pointers on how this is done more effectively.
· Speak to the interviewer, not the room. This will have a couple of benefits. First of all, it will help you to calm your nerves. Secondly, you’ll sound and appear more natural.
· Be prepared. Have your little cheat bullet points on your 3 X 5 card as your security blanket (but don’t refer to them unless you are absolutely stuck), be on time, be ready for the microphone, and come to the platform when called upon.
· Rehearse if needed. Have a friendly person ask you the sample questions and answer them like you would in the worship service.
· Don’t over prepare so that you come across like a cardboard character.
· If the interviewer asks a complex multi-part question, don’t be afraid of breaking it up by asking what the first part of the question was. Then, just answer that one and let the interviewer ask the other parts as separate questions.
· Don’t expend your energy trying to act important and clever. Ask yourself, can this be understood by someone in the 8th grade?
· Really listen to the question. It’s so easy to become so distracted with your agenda of what you want to communicate that you don’t even hear what’s being asked of you.
· If you make a mistake just move on. People were probably distracted by the baby crying in the back row of the church anyway.
· Use descriptive words and phrases such as “I felt like.”
· Turn off your cell phone. I’ll say it again – turn off your cell phone! It’s not funny anymore.
· Be careful of body language – tapping your feet, squirming in your chair, jangling your keys. These all distract from the message.
· Don’t be afraid to pause and take a breath before you answer. (Why do you think so many professionals say words and phrases like “Good question” or “Hmm?” It’s because they’re stalling so that they come up with a clear answer. If the professionals can do it, why can’t you?)
· Don’t be too hard on yourself (like I am)! You will make mistakes. You’ll tumble headlong over some words. You’ll forget some facts. It’s OK. Remember that God has spoken through animals, plants, wind, waves, thunder and more. If that’s the case then God can certainly speak through you because you are created in the image of God. Down through the years, some of the most seemingly fruitless concerts and messages have reaped the greatest long-term ministry results. You prepare and present. There is not a single human being who has ever brought about lasting change in someone; that’s the Holy Spirit’s task. And last time I checked, you weren’t the Holy Spirit!
The year was 1977 and friends and I were on our first North American tour. We had never been on a major radio show. We were brought into a massive radio station with extensive coverage in Chicago. Our palms were sweaty and our mouths were dry. We thought the radio announcer was simply going to ask us about the concert in town that night. Just before we went on the air, he stared us down with narrow, beady eyes and said, “Now, we’re live to half a million people right now!” He pressed the on-air button and our minds went completely blank with sheer terror. Then, instead of asking us about the concert he caught us off guard and began to tear into us about Christian rock music and how many felt it was improper in the church. With those same beady eyes and lashing tongue he barked at us to give an answer and to justify ourselves. I looked at my friend. My friend looked at me. The airwaves were dead silent. The quiet was deafening. He continued to stare us down as we grew smaller and smaller. We finally mumbled completely incoherent answers and sank back into our seats, utterly humiliated before half a million people. That was my first major radio interview. What a spectacular beginning! Over 30 years later I can look back and smile. We survived.
Not too many months later I was doing a TV broadcast. The television producer told me that the show was being taped for later broadcast. The interview went fine but then it was time for the music section. I began to sing one of my songs when my mind went completely blank again – as blank as it was in that Chicago radio station. Even though I had written the song and had sung it all over the continent, every single one of the lyrics left my 22-year old brain. Gone! Nada! Vamos! Elvis had left the building and he wasn’t about the return. I started to make lyrics up as I went. They were the strangest stream of consciousness, semi-rhyming drivel that had ever come out of my mouth – especially on a television show. (Truth be told, some Scientologist would probably have appreciated the bizarre images that were being painted.) In my mind I was thinking, “Why don’t I just stop this here? After all, it’s being taped for later broadcast. I’m sure they can start again. I’m just going to throw my hands in the air, tell them I’m an idiot and tell them I’m going to start again. If they didn’t like it, they’d get over it.” Fortunately and mysteriously, I just pushed through singing completely incoherent lyrics right to the bitter end, hoping and praying that somehow I got away with it. As soon as the show was done, the phones at the TV station started to ring. The TV producer came running into the studio saying, “People are calling and they said that they really enjoyed your music.” I was ashen faced. My stomach started churning like a hotdog-filled 12-year old on Space Mountain. My life flashed before my eyes when I thought that I had just about made a major male prima dona scene on television. With saucer-sized eyes I said, “I thought you said this was being taped for later broadcast.” “Oh yes, the producer replied, “but we also broadcast live over hundreds of miles and several cities during the taping. The tape is just for re-runs.” I survived singing about the cosmos. I probably even rhymed the word orange. It’s 30 years later and I can smile. I survived. You will too. Share your testimony. You’ll do fine.
Our next blog entry will be on scripture reading. There will be some great pointers to bring your public scripture reading alive.
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