The blurb

Conference calls and phone interviews are a necessary part of our job. For the main part they’re relatively painless, but if mishandled they can easily descend into embarrassment and frustration.

When I’m on a call, I like to ‘get in and get out’. Most information can probably be obtained within 20 minutes, or half an hour at a push. So it was with only a little trepidation I recently agreed to an interview near the end of the day.

(For once) I was prepared. I’d done my research, scoped out the company I was talking to and got my questions ready. So after a brief introduction I said, “Let’s just jump right in with my questions.” At this point, the interviewee stopped me with the all too familiar, “Just let me take ten minutes to tell you what we do…”

The blurb. It’s what these interviewees (probably the VP of marketing) live for. They simply enjoy reeling of that ten minute monologue like it’s a Homeric epic. This is not the fucking Iliad! I don’t care about the origin of your company. (Don’t get me wrong, the blurb can work in your favour if you haven’t prepared. That’s ten minutes of shut eye or the chance to scrabble around for some desperate questions).

But in this case I’d done my research and I just wanted to get in and out. So I waited for the PR, lurking in the background lie a grue, to pipe up and rein him in. You know, steer the interview a bit. Do their job. I’m still waiting ten minutes later, as the client is winding up his mission statement. That turned out to be a phone call that was ten minutes too long and all I can think about is my train I’m supposed to be on (the pub I’m supposed to be in).

We all know PRs are there to jump in when the client is about to say something stupid, but they should also jump in when it’s obvious the client is deviating from the task in hand – answering the journo’s questions. If I want to listen to your story, I’ll ask. I’m not a bleeding Samaritan.