When Christopher Luxon pulled out of a scheduled Breakfast appearance in early 2024, it became one of the biggest media stories of the week, not because of what he would have said, but because he didn't show up. That's the thing about live interviews: they carry a weight that pre-recorded or print media simply can't match. There's no second take, no careful editing, no chance to rephrase something after the fact. And for the people watching or listening, that rawness is exactly what makes them compelling.
If you're reading this, there's a good chance someone has asked you to appear on camera or on air, and you're feeling a mix of excitement and genuine dread. I get it. I've spent years working alongside founders, athletes, and business leaders as they prepare for exactly this moment, and I can tell you that the nervousness never fully disappears, it just becomes something you learn to channel. Research suggests that around 73% of people experience some form of public speaking anxiety, but what's more interesting is that up to 90% of that anxiety stems from a lack of preparation and practice rather than any inherent inability to communicate well.
So let's talk about how to actually prepare, practically and honestly, for a live media interview in New Zealand.
Where live interviews happen in New Zealand
Before we get into technique, it's worth understanding the lay of the land. New Zealand's live broadcast environment is relatively small, which is both a blessing and a challenge. On television, the main stages are TVNZ's Breakfast, which tends toward lighter, conversational interviews in the mornings, and Q+A, which is more political and investigative in tone. Three News runs live crosses and panel segments that can range from straightforward to quite pointed, depending on the story.
On radio, Morning Report and Nine to Noon on RNZ are the programmes most likely to come calling if your story has national relevance. Morning Report moves fast and the interviews are tight, often just three to five minutes, so every word counts. Nine to Noon with Kathryn Ryan gives you more room to breathe but expects depth and nuance. Newstalk ZB, particularly the Mike Hosking Breakfast show, leans commercial and opinion-driven, and the hosts aren't afraid to push back if they sense you're dodging a question.
Each of these platforms has its own rhythm and audience expectations, and knowing which one you're walking into makes a genuine difference to how you prepare.
The rule of three for your key messages
Every live interview, regardless of format or length, comes down to what you want the audience to remember after it's over. Not what the host asks you, not the clever thing you wished you'd said in the car afterwards, but the two or three things that actually matter to your story.
I call this the rule of three, and it's the single most useful framework I've seen for live interview preparation. Before you step in front of a camera or put on a pair of headphones, write down three key messages. Keep them short enough that you could say each one in a single breath. They should be concrete, not abstract, and they should connect to something the audience cares about, not just something you want to promote.
When we worked with Nico Porteous around his Olympic campaigns, his media appearances were strongest when he stuck to a small number of clear, authentic messages rather than trying to cover everything. The same principle applies whether you're an athlete, a founder launching a product, or a CEO responding to a crisis. Three messages. That's your anchor.
Bridging: the skill that separates good from great
Once you have your key messages, the next skill to practise is bridging, which is the technique of acknowledging a question and then steering your answer back toward what you actually want to talk about. It sounds manipulative when you describe it in the abstract, but in practice it's just good communication. You're not ignoring the question, you're answering it and then adding context that matters.
A simple bridge sounds like this: "That's an important point, and what we're really focused on right now is..." or "I understand why people are asking that, and the bigger picture here is..." The key is to make the transition feel natural rather than rehearsed. If it sounds like you're reading from a script, the host will notice, and so will the audience.
The founders we worked with at Contented got very good at this during their launch coverage. They were fielding questions about AI ethics, competitive landscape, funding, all sorts of things that could have pulled them off message, but they kept coming back to what their product actually does and why it matters. That consistency is what made their media appearances feel polished without feeling corporate.
The week before: your preparation process
Preparation for a live interview should start well before the day itself. In the week leading up to it, there are a few things worth doing that will make an outsized difference to how you feel and perform.
First, find out as much as you can about the format. How long is the segment? Will it be a one-on-one interview or a panel? Is it pre-recorded with a live feel, or genuinely live? Who is the host, and what's their interviewing style? Watching or listening to a few of their recent interviews will give you a sense of whether they tend to be conversational, adversarial, or somewhere in between.
Second, practise your key messages out loud. Not in your head, not by reading them off a page, but actually saying them to another person. Ask a colleague or friend to throw a few curveball questions at you so you can practise your bridges under mild pressure. It will feel awkward, and that's precisely the point, because the awkwardness in rehearsal means composure on the day.
Third, prepare for the question you least want to be asked. Every person going into a live interview has one. The controversial angle, the thing that went wrong, the number you'd rather not discuss. Write it down, craft a short, honest response, and practise saying it calmly. If it comes up, you'll be ready. If it doesn't, you'll feel more confident knowing you could have handled it.
If you want a broader framework for interview preparation that covers print and online media as well, our general guide to preparing for a media interview walks through the fundamentals in more detail.
TV versus radio: the technical differences that matter
Live television and live radio are different beasts, and the preparation for each has its own quirks.
For television, what you wear matters more than you might think. Avoid tight patterns and thin stripes, which can create a visual buzzing effect on camera called moiré. Solid colours work best, and jewellery that catches light or makes noise should be left at home. If you're appearing in-studio, you'll usually get a microphone clipped to your clothing and a brief from the floor manager. If you're doing a live cross from a remote location, make sure your background is tidy and well-lit, and position the camera at eye level rather than looking down at a laptop on a desk, which is unflattering and makes you look disengaged.
Eye contact on TV is counterintuitive. If you're in-studio with the host, look at them, not the camera. If you're on a remote cross, look directly into the camera lens, which feels unnatural but reads as eye contact to the viewer. And try to keep your hands visible and relatively still, because fidgeting is amplified on screen.
For radio, the advantage is that nobody can see you, which means you can have notes in front of you, wear whatever you like, and pace around the room if that helps you think. The disadvantage is that your voice is doing all the work. Speak slightly slower than you would in normal conversation, vary your tone to avoid sounding monotone, and smile while you talk, because it genuinely changes the warmth in your voice even though no one can see your face.
If you're doing a phone interview rather than appearing in-studio, use a landline or a strong mobile connection, find a quiet room, and close any doors or windows that might let in background noise. Nothing undermines credibility faster than a barking dog or a construction site in the background... though I've seen people handle both with remarkable grace.
When things go wrong on air
Things will go wrong eventually. You'll lose your train of thought, you'll say a number incorrectly, you'll misunderstand a question, or the technology will fail at the worst possible moment. This is normal, and it happens to politicians, CEOs, and professional broadcasters alike.
The best recovery technique is also the simplest: pause, breathe, and correct yourself calmly. "Sorry, let me rephrase that" or "Actually, the correct figure is..." are perfectly acceptable things to say on live television or radio. What audiences remember is not the stumble itself but how you handled it. If you panic, they'll remember the panic. If you recover with a small laugh and keep going, they'll barely remember it happened.
One thing I'd caution against is trying to be too clever or too funny when you're under pressure. Humour is wonderful when it lands naturally, but forced jokes in a live interview can fall flat in ways that are genuinely painful to watch. Be yourself, be honest, and if something goes sideways, just acknowledge it simply and move on.
The "off the record" trap
This is important, and I've seen it catch people out more than once: in a live broadcast interview, there is no such thing as off the record. Everything you say from the moment your microphone is on, and sometimes before, is potentially being broadcast or recorded. The friendly chat with the host before the segment starts, the comment you make as the credits roll, the aside to someone in the studio... all of it is fair game.
The same principle applies to pre-interview phone calls with producers. While these conversations aren't being broadcast, anything you say can and will inform the questions the host asks you on air. If you mention something sensitive in a pre-interview chat, expect it to come up during the live segment.
This isn't about being paranoid, it's about being intentional with every word. If you wouldn't want to see it quoted in a headline, don't say it anywhere near a microphone or a journalist. Our guide on how to pitch a journalist covers more of the nuances around managing these relationships, and much of that thinking applies to broadcast producers as well.
When formal media training is worth the investment
I'm a big believer in learning by doing, and for many people, a combination of good preparation, a practice run with a colleague, and a solid understanding of their key messages is enough to get through a live interview well. But there are situations where formal media training, with a professional trainer and often a camera setup to review your performance, is genuinely worth the time and money.
If you're a founder or CEO who is likely to be doing regular media appearances as your company grows, investing in a few hours of professional training early on will pay dividends for years. If you're heading into a potentially adversarial interview, perhaps around a crisis or a controversial decision, having someone pressure-test your responses in a realistic setting is invaluable. And if you're someone who finds public speaking deeply uncomfortable, structured training can give you techniques for managing that anxiety that go beyond what an article like this can offer.
We've seen this firsthand with the team at Cover, where media appearances became a regular part of their brand strategy. The confidence that comes from knowing you've been properly prepared is visible on screen, and it makes a real difference to how your message lands with an audience.
If you're interested in thinking about how your personal narrative fits into your broader media strategy, our piece on how to tell your founder story is worth a read alongside this one.
The short version
Live interviews are high-stakes and high-reward. They put you in front of an audience in a way that no press release or social media post can replicate, and when they go well, they build credibility and trust faster than almost any other form of media. The preparation doesn't need to be complicated: know your three key messages, practise your bridges, understand the format you're walking into, and give yourself permission to be human when things don't go perfectly to plan.
If you've got a live interview coming up and you want someone in your corner to help you prepare, or if you're thinking about how media appearances fit into a broader PR strategy for your business, get in touch here and we'll give you a straight answer.