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Using C.H.E.E.R. to help student-athletes become more comfortable with media interviews
by Joe Carmany – Liberty University, Assistant Athletics Communications Director
Every year, I get the opportunity to share with my teams for about 10-15 minutes at their initial team meeting. One main concern that I often hear from student-athletes is that either they don’t like interviews or are generally nervous when it comes to interviews. I completely understand this, and believe it's part of my job to help them become more comfortable in their interviewing skills. So after a few years I developed an acronym — C.H.E.E.R. — to provide some helpful reminders for student-athletes when being interviewed by the media.
Since I couldn’t narrow it down to just one point per letter, I branched out and have multiple tips in each letter. I liked that the acronym itself is a reminder to have a cheerful, positive attitude when being interviewed. These tips came from experience and also from learning from panelists at past CSC conventions.
It should not come as a surprise than an interview environment like this would be difficult for some student-athletes. Help your athletes by being encouraging, positive and by offering compliments as they improve.
Between this acronym, one-on-one conversations, and other media training that our staff provides, I've seen athletes in my sports thrive in media sessions after initial hesitation. It's been rewarding to see juniors get their first-ever interviews after a big win, and then later in their careers speak in front of five TV cameras in a press conference without feeling intimidated.
Not every student-athlete is going to develop the same level of comfort being interviewed, so frequent encouragement is important. It’s also important to thank the student-athletes for participating and compliment them with words like, ‘nice job handling that media interview,' or 'those were some really good responses,” especially if they've shown improvement.
I don’t often go back to the acronym directly during the season, but am always open when athletes ask for help when it comes to interviews. Sometimes as an SID, you have to prep athletes when they ask “what questions am I going to be asked?” If it’s after a big win, that person is typically going to be asked about how they felt in the batter’s box right before the walk-off homer, for instance.
Educating student-athletes in this area is important, since they will likely be interviewing for jobs and can use some of the same tactics when approaching those situations.
When being interviewed, remember the following acronym,
C.H.E.E.R.
C
1) Clear speech – Speak in a clear voice, without mumbling or relying on verbal crutches (“like,” “um,” “you know”).
2) Complete sentences – Use full sentences in response to each question.
3) Concise responses – Answer the question completely, without feeling the need to continue talking longer.
4) Credit teammates and coaches – Give credit where credit is due, as it takes a team to be successful.
5) Conversational – Treat it as a conversation between equals. Don’t worry about the camera; talk to the person in front of you.
H
1) Honesty – Provide honest answers to each question. If you don’t understand the question, you may ask the reporter to repeat the question.
2) Humility – Speak humbly, not boasting.
E
1) Eye contact – Maintain eye contact with the interviewer throughout the interview.
2) Enthusiasm – Be enthusiastic while being interviewed.
E
1) Expert – You are the expert during the interview, as reporters are asking about your experiences.
2) Enjoy the experience – Smile, and enjoy the conversation.
R
1) Respectful – Respect the opponent, coaches and teammates. Don’t provide extra motivation to the opponent with answers such as “We should have no problem beating (opponent’s team name here).”
2) Repeat the question in your answer – If someone asks “What is your best memory in sports?” you can start your answer like “My best memory in sports was ... “ This allows time to formulate your answer.
3) Remember who you Represent – You represent yourself, your family, your team, and your university.”
Joe Carmany took pieces he learned at past conventions to develop his C.H.E.E.R. model for student-athlets and media interviews.
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