Stop over-explaining. Start being quoted

Learning how to speak simply and clearly during a media interview is, on one level, a technical skill.

But in our work training experts, Quote This Woman+ has learned that there is more to it than that. While men are often trained and mentored in the art of speaking with authority, for women+ that might not be the case.

Imposter feelings can lead to thinking that we need to explain a little bit better, or add a few caveats, or explain the complexities, because we worry that if we don’t, we might be accused of dumbing down a complex issue.

To unpack this, we ran a webinar on May 7 called “Stop over-explaining. Start being quoted.” Here is the three-step process we shared as a path to deal with the tendency to overexplain.

1. Self-Love: (The “Why Me” Factor)

The first step is moving past imposter feelings by validating your own expertise and emotional truth.

Remind yourself that somebody wants to hear from you, then actively “sell” to yourself every reason you can think of why you’re the right person for this audience and topic.
Define your unique insight by asking yourself what you see on this issue that others might miss, including what your lived experience adds.
Replace your internal worry-driven questions (“What would cover me from criticism?”) with questions about impact:
- What feels urgent or frustrating to me about this issue?
- What is the one thing people need to understand?
Ensure your message conveys both “what is happening” and, critically, “why it matters,” as the latter is often your key message and pull quote.

2. Group Help: (The “What This Group Needs To Understand” Factor)

Frame your message to help the audience understand what they currently misunderstand or ignore about the topic.

Identify the tension. Start by addressing the problem or tension directly (e.g., “Many people believe A, but actually the issue is B”).
Start with your conclusion. For public audiences, start with your single, clear key message (the big point). In academic work, this would be the point you work up to but for all public audiences, lay this out bare first, and save context or nuance for later.

3. Learn It to Land It: (The “Practice” Factor)

Practice is essential for creating the neural pathways necessary to speak with confidence and authority.

Invest time: Clear your schedule and dedicate significant time to practicing before an interview (e.g., four hours for a television interview).
Master the basics: Practice your bio/elevator pitch – who you are, what your organisation does, and why – to ensure the introduction is quick and you maximise time for core messages.
Develop bridging sentences: Learn phrases to confidently redirect the interviewer or control the focus of the conversation:
- To reframe a question you find hard to answer: “I can’t speak to that, [Interviewer’s name], but what I can confidently tell you is…
- ”To address dangerous or controversial topics: Be prepared to be a “stuck record” by repeating your safe, prepared message and using phrases like, “Sorry, that question’s above my pay grade” to avoid being pushed into dangerous territory.

Final word

As with everything in life, understanding the person you are talking to is key. When you are doing an interview with a journalist, you are talking to a wider audience with the help of the journalist. Luckily, a journalist’s needs dovetail with yours. They focus on boosting their own audience (readership or listenership) in pursuit of revenue or support. You can both win if you are able to help the journalist by being clear, accurate and to the point. If you missed the webinar, you can watch the replay here.

Main picture: Jakub Żerdzicki, Unsplash